Princess Zelda, from her hiding place behind the throne, could clearly see the fear in the faces of her father's guards. She was frightened too, but she dared not move or make a sound.
She could not see the face of her father, but his words were enough.
"Lord Ganondorf Dragmire, I have happily granted many of your requests in the past, but I will not grant you this. You are asking for secrets the royal family is bound to protect with their lives." The King's tone was resolute, but his voice wavered.
"You wound me, Daphnes. Have you not yourself said that I am part of the royal family? Have I not contributed enough of my time and manpower expanding and guarding your kingdom?"
"You will address the king as Your Highness," demanded one of the guards closest to the the throne, but Zelda saw her father's hand stretch to hush the guard.
"I am thankful for your services, and your friendship, Lord Dragmire, but I must uphold the Hyrule family's pact." The King's voice did not shake this time.
A hand clamped firmly on Zelda's shoulder. She stifled a squeak of surprise with both hands.
"You shouldn't be here, Princess," Impa whispered into her ear.
"I want to know what's going on," the little princess replied. "Just one moment..."
Lord Dragmire's lips curled into a frightful parody of a smile.
"Very well, Your Highness. I will take my leave. I am sure, however, that you will change your mind soon."
"You've seen, now we're going!" Impa took Zelda's hand and hurried her away from her peephole behind the throne. They made their way quietly through the damp tunnel back to the garden. Impa's feet were silent even against the wet stones, and she moved so quickly that Zelda nearly tripped over her skirt trying to keep up.
"I don't like that man," Zelda announced, a bit breathless, once they were well out of anyone's earshot.
"I don't either, but he is your father's ally." They pushed their way past a bush and out of the dark passage, into the light of the courtyard.
"How'd you find me, Impa? I didn't even leave my shoes out this time." Zelda reached into a flower bed to pick up her shoes. Impa smiled.
"I took an educated guess. You're not exactly unpredictable, Princess."
Zelda pouted. "Maybe I should find a better hiding spot."
"You can't hide from a Shiekah. There's a reason your father chose me as your guardian." Impa picked a leaf out of Zelda's hair and smoothed her wrinkled dress. "Look, you've got your dress all dirty again. What are we going to do with you?"
"What I need is some boys' clothes." Zelda smirked at the thought, but her smile quickly faded. She looked pleadingly into Impa's eyes. "Why is everyone so afraid of Lord Dragmire?"
Impa wasn't moved; she knew nearly all of the princess' information-gathering tactics by now.
"Child, you're too young to worry about these things. Your father will take care of everything."
Zelda wasn't satisfied, but she nodded solemnly and picked up her story book from the garden bench.