Author's notes:
DonotownZeldablahblahblahinsertlegalcraphere.
I don't really have a summary for this one since it's going to be a very elaborate story that I came up with.
First thing's first: I will try to update every week. The keyword here being try, why? Because I want to do my best on this story and give you readers the quality of story that I would expect myself. I've gone through a lot of thought to make this a really interesting story and I do not want to throw in some lousy chapter to make the week, so if one Friday you are found without a chapter, please understand that it is because I'm fixing it to meet the expectations.
Having gotten that out of the way I will address another issue: If the characters don't behave like they should or don't entirely look the way I describe them it is because they are not really those characters, think of them as descendants with very similar looks to the ones you know.
Last, but not least: The chapters will become longer as they go, which is more a bonus than a statement. I thought I'd address this now since this chapter is not nearly as large as the rest, but it is the first chapter and it stuck that way when I wrote it. I don't intend to change anything here. I checked everything and I am quite satisfied with it.
If you read this then thank you, I know not most people are interested in this section anyways.
Please enjoy.
LLL
LLL
"Hurry up my dear, we can't be late now" bellowed the King from the vast hallway of the enormous castle.
Zelda rolled her eyes at the sound of her father's voice and kept struggling with the purple corset "In a minute, father!" she yelled back "This isn't exactly easy" she straightened herself up more, trying to help her maid Katerina finally tie the corset. The piece of clothing cooperated and fit Zelda perfectly, accentuating the curves of her waist and torso. Zelda gave a satisfying glance in the mirror and nodded "Finally" she said to herself and sat on her exquisite wooden dresser to straighten her golden hair and frame it around her face.
"Zelda!" her father tried again. Zelda sighted.
"Katerina, please go outside and tell my father that if he wanted to leave early then he should have warned me about it three hours ago" Katerina nodded silently and ran towards the hall to deliver the message, Zelda heard a frustrating sigh from her father and smiled at her small victory. She hated going to her father's meetings and hated more having to sit and hear all the Dukes, Earls, Barons and other titles try to charm both her and her father. She didn't mind the attention that the nobles gave her, but she did mind when most of her father's friends were considerably older than her, it wasn't in her to be around men twice her age that wanted to court her, but her father's orders, at least concerning the courting, was something that she couldn't weasel out of.
She tried to fix her hair in any other position before leaving, eyeing her maid from time to time. Katerina did not speak much; in fact, Zelda had seldom heard a word come out from her. She had beautiful sun kissed skin and brown hair that could look red in the right light; she was a bit shorter than Zelda and had bright red eyes. She had been a gift from her father, saying that Katerina came from a lost tribe of fighting women, but her father was full of fantasy stories of the sort so Zelda hardly paid attention to any of it.
"I think I've made father suffer for long enough" Zelda gave a smile at her maid who gave one in return and together exited Zelda's room.
"Finally" breathed her father as he waited for her in the final staircase leading to the door, Zelda grabbed an umbrella from its spot by the door and opened it to protect herself from the sun. It was a bright day and Zelda found it a relief from all the rainy days that she had seen over the past week. She was turning twenty and was not pleased to have had rainy days so continuously, now the Goddesses were smiling on her special day. She followed her father and got on the carriage that would take them to the beautiful house of one of her father's friends. Unfortunately, today was the day she had to try and pick a suitor for herself. She didn't hate the idea of marriage, but she knew that most men did not approve of her wild nature.
Her father gave a look at her feet in disapproval "Boots, Zelda? We talked about this, no man will-"
"Will want a woman that dresses as a man" Zelda raised an eyebrow as she completed her father's sentence. "I did not feel like wearing my heels, father. Besides, I believe that they fit me, don't you?" she said happily, moving her feet around for her father to see and ignoring the glare that her father gave her.
"At least cover them up with the dress. You're already making it impossible for me" he said and rubbed the bridge of his nose, Zelda sighted and looked at the window, placing a hand under her chin, she didn't understand why it was so impossible for her to show who she really was. If she could she would have ridden one of the horses pulling the carriages herself, but she knew her father would not only have a fit but would most probably tie her up and throw her in the carriage himself. He might have been old but he still had very strong arms.
"What have we rehearsed?" he said almost in annoyance.
"Do not question why the Duchess' dress gives her a strange lump on her bottom and do not ask the Baron why his hunting story is so funny" he sighted, not tearing her gaze from the window of the carriage. Her father gave her another glare.
"And?" he said loudly
Zelda glanced sideways at him before returning her gaze to her window "… And no running away from the party" she said in defeat.
"I meant it young lady, I'll be watching you" her father warned, Zelda scoffed but did not talk back to him; she knew that as soon as he was around his friends she was as free as a bird. She just needed to wait for the right time to escape.
They finally arrived at the enormous mansion of the Duke of Kyanes. Her father was greatly announced and she was helped out of the carriage, smiling at the lines of people waiting to greet them outside of the mansion. The Duke approached them with open arms and a wide smile on his face. "My most beloved friends, King Ellard and Princess Zelda, welcome, welcome!" he said and clapped his hands, motioning for them to enter his mansion.
Zelda arrived inside and found her friends waiting for her.
"Dear Zelda!" said a cheerful girl with light brown hair and black eyes, "How are you?" she was followed by four other women of various tones of brown hair color, each varying from blue to brown eyes and each wearing a different color of dress.
Zelda smiled at her friends and approached them as well. "Addison, Joana, Maggie, Monet, how are you?"
The girls surrounded Zelda to admire her new white and purple dress with matching corset.
"You look wonderful!" chided Monet, the only other girl beside Zelda that had blue eyes.
"It is wonderful to see you!" said Joana, "You know the Duke of Wallys has been asking a lot about you!"
"Yes, he's been waiting for your arrival!" said Addison, "In fact, he's talking to your father right now" she said and pointed to where her father stood. Zelda sighted in exasperation, the Duke of Wallys, Salvador, was an annoying man, he was coveted by most of the noble women but Zelda only saw him as an arrogant child who had way too much ego for her liking. He had been trying to court her by stating how much money he had and by flaunting the rich little gifts that he could give her, and Zelda couldn't imagine a bigger turn-off. She much preferred the Duke of Noals but he was already betrothed to a wonderful and shy Duchess. Typical, she thought, The good ones are always taken.
The fact that her father was talking to Salvador was not helping her avoid him either, he had placed a good idea on her father's head that she and Salvador were destined for each other.
She could gag.
Zelda spent the rest of the day and almost the entire evening managing to avoid him, but her luck struck out at the rise of night, when she unfortunately bumped into him while trying to get Joana to stop trying to pull her to the Duke.
"Hello there, my dear princess" she cringed at his sleazy tone of voice, she was going to kill Joana when she got herself free of this situation. She managed an awkward smile and tried to back away from him.
"My dear Duke, please forgive me but I-" she struck the wine table and cursed to the heavens for not having noticed that it had been there the entire time; it gave the Duke the perfect opportunity to trap her between him and the table.
"My you look beautiful in that corset, truly you women know how to make a man pine for you" he said and grabbed a wine cup from behind her, she quickly moved so he wouldn't brush her with his arm.
"It is…" she swallowed "Very flattering, sir but I really-" she tried to move to the left but he cut her off with his arm, she silently cursed.
"And your eyes, they are a vast ocean in which I could get lost" he said and tried to get closer to her, Zelda took this opportunity to use the wine cup to her advantage and moved her elbow below the cup, causing it to tip over and into the Salvador's vest.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she falsely apologized, Salvador looked at the stain in disgust and tried to clean himself up "I will look for someone to help!" she chided and bolted for the doorway to the garden, taking a deep breath of relief as she approached the benches that curved the forest behind.
"Ugh, disgusting" she said to herself as she sat with her arms behind her, supporting her so she could see the moon start to rise in the sky. She didn't know how long she was going to keep lasting like that without having to outright slap him so he'd take the hint. She decided to stay in the garden and away from the party, but as time passed she felt a chill run down her back, as if something was watching her. She turned around to the forest to see if she got a hint but she didn't see or hear anything. However the feeling wouldn't leave her alone so she quickly stood up and walked back to the party.
LLL
LLL
"Leaving already?" asked Addison as she rushed towards Zelda while she was making her way to the door.
Zelda wanted to run as far away as possible from the party, given that Salvador had made sure that she was almost never alone, he had even managed to find her in the stables and she was afraid that he would do something to her while they were alone. She turned to her friend with a false expression of sadness "Yeah, It's been… Quite a night and I am really tired"
"But Salvador's been looking for you! Are you just going to leave him like that?" said Addison as she grabbed Zelda's arm and tried to pull her back, Zelda's false sympathy smile grew more desperate as she tugged her arm back.
"I know! And you'll have to tell him that I am so sorry to have to leave like this, but I really must go" Zelda grabbed her dress skirt and dashed out of the door before her friend could protest, thankful that she had decided to wear her boots that day. She quickly climbed into her carriage where her father was now sitting; she sat in front of her father only to have him stare at her quizzically.
"I thought you were staying a little longer, my dear" he began; Zelda looked at him with disbelief.
"Why would I do that?"
"Your friends told me you were having the time of your life with Salvador" he continued, Zelda sighted audibly and placed her head on her hand to look out the window again, her father looked at her with annoyance and defeat, his daughter was a very complicated person to talk with.
"I see that you and Salvador are getting along" the King continued rather happily as the carriage began its course to head back to the castle; Zelda stared at the window again "He is quite the young man, isn't he?" her father continued.
"Uhuh" she managed to make herself say, her father stared at her.
"Zelda" he sighted "I know he isn't the ideal man that you would wish for yourself, but he is a good man, he will-"
Zelda let out a scream as she and her father were suddenly thrust forcibly inside the carriage. The horses rapidly lost control of the car and the road, making the cart detach itself from the reins and the metal holdings, rolling out of control, away from the road and into a few trees, hitting and rolling very roughly. It took a few seconds for Zelda to get back her consciousness, she heard shots and screaming and quickly looked around, her father was nowhere to be seen and she could see shadows moving about outside of the carriage. She tried to get up from her lying position at the side of the turned cart and suddenly noticed her light was being blocked by something. She raised her head in alarm and saw a man covered in black with a strange black hat and scarf to cover his features. All was covered except for a pair of icy blue eyes that stared directly at her.
Zelda became paralyzed, she was too scared to move as those captivating eyes stared at her in surprise and then anger "Shit!" she heard him say before he thrust an arm at her and pulled her by her own, forcing her to come out of the cart and into the street, she saw her father and her knights fight a batch of darkly covered people, much like the one who was pulling her away from her father, she tried to scream for help but was muffled by a gloved hand coming from her captor. Her world suddenly started to fade as she smelled the faint scent of roses, everything suddenly turned dark as she fainted in her captor's arms.
LLL
LLL
Author's notes: Just so you know, I do answer reviews if you would ever like me to.