I do no own Zelda nor any of the characters from it. All the originals are mine. This applies to all chapters.
Zelda smiled at her own reflection in the large, gold-framed mirror. She had shed her crown and graceful dress for a more practical outfit for playing games in: A rough, brown dress with a white cap to hide her long, blonde locks.
Life dulled her at the castle. So whenever Impa had a day off, Zelda quickly discovered her temporary caretakers didn't watch her closely, more interested in what was in or out of fashion in the Town Market. They would often shoo the younger girl away so they could gossip.
Zelda took advantage of this time alone, raiding the laundry and taking the poorer looking dresses, and snuck into town, under the name of Sheikora. Not only was this an adventure for the blonde girl, but she had real friends, none of whom knew she was the princess of Hyrule, so they treated her like any other girl their age.
She peeked around the corner. No, Kellin and Sal were lying on their stomachs, facing the other direction. Honestly. There was no way those pasty babysitters were going to get tan. Zelda smiled impishly. She could tan easily, as she discovered upon her trips into town. Sometimes she and her new friends would just lie on the grass, tanning, as these two were attempting to do.
Zelda darted quickly across the courtyard and through the portcullis. This part always worried her, yet it gave her the high of her life once she crossed the bridge. She loved this type of adventure!
Getting past the guards was the easy part. She ran across through the sparsely placed trees, with the guards never looking further than the ground with bent heads, bored with the monotony of guarding the castle.
The blonde princess scrambled down the cliff side, proud she could now do it quickly and easily. She knew where the footholds were now, unlike the fist few times. She fell her first time. It had taken a while to explain the cuts and bruises to Impa.
Free at last, she skipped happily down the path to the Town Market, eager to see her commoner friends. Some days the whole gang would be there, or on days when their parents weren't buying or selling anything, some wouldn't be there.
"Sheikora!" Betta exclaimed, running up to her, followed by Talla, Selena, and Malon. "Papa sellin' again?"
"No," Zelda lied smoothly. "Buyin' birthday gifties for me Muma."
"It's her birthday?" Selena asked excitedly. "Goddess, are you lot doin' anything fun?"
"Maybe., though it's pro'bly gonna end up bein' somethin' only Muma and Papa can do."
All the girls giggled, except for a shocked Malon. "What're you talkin' 'bout that for?" she whispered with a horrified face.
"We was just joshin' around!" Zelda gave her friend a playful shove. She had forgotten Malon was touchy about this subject. Her sleepy father and eccentric horsehandler Ingo joked inappropriately on this topic a lot, so it must be rather embarrassing for the redhead. "Sorry, Malon."
"I s'pose it's all right…" Malon replied slowly. She shook her head, dismissing the subject. "So… how about we get's some juice?"
"Good plan to me!" Betta grinned. The girls turned, and Zelda stopped dead in her tracks.
"Oh no," she whispered. Impa was talking to the man running the drink stall. Confused, the girls looked from Zelda to Impa, then back to Zelda.
"What's the matter, Sheik?" Talla asked. "You get in trouble with the- Goddess! That lady be a Sheikah!"
The other girls stared at Impa with awe, Zelda with horror. "We… have to leave. Now."
"Why?" Betta demanded. "Ain't she odd lookin'?"
"I…" Zelda thought fast. "I… filched some magic Sheikah nut from her and it a-sploded all over and she got real mad at me. Been avoidin' her since."
"Goddess, Sheikora, you be more trouble than your worth!" Betta groaned, and the group of girls turned and ran to the back allies.
It had never occurred to Zelda that Impa took some days off to the Town. She had always just assumed that Impa spent all her time in her hometown, Kakariko. But she guessed that Impa wanted real Hylian weapons from real Hylian shops, or just pretty things. Styles in Kakariko were very peculiar. Of course, she never said it out loud, as wide-eyed Selena and bold Betta were from there. Shy Malon was from Lon Lon Ranch, and beautiful Talla, though Gerudo born, lived in the Town Market.
"Why'd you filch the nut anyway?" Malon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"'Cuz I wanted a Sheikah thing," Zelda stated confidently. Betta rolled her eyes.
"Sheikora, you be a stupid-head," dark-haired Betta sighed. Zelda looked around nervously.
"I should get goin' now," she whispered. The girls' looks of annoyance turned to ones of concern at Zelda's frightened face.
"Sheik… you all right?" Selena asked timidly.
"You can tell us anythin', you know," Malon pushed gently.
There. She could tell them she was the princess of Hyrule. Her secret would be over with and she would feel relieved. But what kind of pressure would it place on her four best friends? Would they be cautious of what they said around her? Would they act different? No, of course they wouldn't. They were her friends.
Zelda opened her mouth, then closed it. "No. There's nothin' to say." She paused again. "I'll try to see you all again soon. 'Bye."
"'Bye," the others replied, watching as the princess scrambled away.
Zelda groaned as she climbed the vines that would get her into the castle. All she wanted was some fun, and now she had to escape her friends and get back to the castle before Impa! Now she was going to be cooped up in the castle until her nanny's next day off!
The blonde princess darted across the bridge and onto the firm land by the outer guards. Her blue eyes darted around till they found the rough part of the wall. She climbed it, and groaned. The bridge was almost closed! She felt sick as the bridge slammed shut.
The guards would catch her if she ran past them. It was a new shift, and these ones were more alert. On a normal day, she would wait until they were bored of the day's tedium and the bridge had its last opening of the day. Still… there was the moat. She had heard the twins in the Town Market last time about how they tried to crawl in through a drain hole…
Zelda took a deep breath, and jumped into the moat. She swore at the frigid temperature of the water before kicking her way toward the safe edge. She stumbled out, soaked and irritated. Great. Now how was she going to reach the drain hole?
Grumpily, Zelda sat on the ground, deciding she should just wait till the bridge opened back up. She wiped her gritty hands on her dress, and curled up on the ground, cursing Impa for this whole ordeal as sleep fell over her.