Chapter 2: The Princess
The next morning, Link was awake before dawn and had performed his daily exercise; running across the tightly packed rooftops while executing difficult acrobatics. Afterwards he had practiced with his blades before descending to the ground and entering the tavern about two hours after sunrise. Entering it, he started to move the bodies outside and into the horse-drawn cart parked behind the tavern. Talon and Malon came down stairs just as he was loading the last body. "Malon, go with him." Talon instructed his daughter. "After you deliver the bodies, bring the cart back."
"Fine." A very pissed off Malon said as she climbed aboard and sat next to the silent Link. With that the two set off towards Hyrule Castle, the only place where anyone could cash in on a bounty. As the two traveled, the streets began to fill with the market goers. The people stayed clear of the cart once they saw the bodies in the back. Many of them started whispering as the cart rolled by, but Link ignored them. He had long ago learned to tune out the ramblings of foolish gossiping townsfolk who had nothing better to do. Soon the cart rolled out of Castle Town and started traveling up the winding road that led to Hyrule Castle. Link mentally sighed, the castle was the only place to cash in on bounties and he hated coming to the castle, the guards were arrogant and the nobles were even worse; they all talked down to people like him, people who actually had to work for a living.
Suddenly a cry of "HALT!" brought Link out of his thinking. They had arrived at the outer gate of the draw bridge. Two castle guards were approaching, their spears held in what Link could only describe as attempting-to-be-threatening-and-failing-miserably poses. The two guards halted alongside the cart. "What business do people like you have at Hyrule Castle?" one demanded.
Link looked at the guard with an expressionless face and pointed to the bodies in the back of the cart. "Bounty collection." Was all he said.
Both guards looked at the bodies and recoiled in horror. "Oh Goddesses!" One exclaimed while the other ran to open the gate. The cart rolled across the drawbridge and Link directed Malon over to the barracks where the captain of the guards had his office. Once Malon had stopped the cart, Link disembarked and offloaded the bodies. A few of the guards who were off duty wandered over.
"Hey isn't that Darnus?" One of the guards asked aloud. "The guy with the 2000 rupee price on his head?"
"Hey you're right!" Another guard exclaimed.
Link ignored the spectators and unloaded all the bodies. Once he finished he turned to Malon and said, "You can go now." Malon nodded stiffly and drove off.
Link turned back to the soldiers as the captain of the guards walked out of his office and examined the bodies. "So you're the one who took out Darnus?" The captain asked. Link nodded. "Well I suppose you want your money now?" Again Link nodded. The captain turned to him and said "Well the others are worth 100 rupees so your total is 2900 rupees." Link nodded yet again and waited while the captain had the rupees brought out. As he handed them to the young swordsman, the captain asked, "Don't suppose you would consider joining the royal guard?" Link shook his head. "Didn't think so." The captain said "I wonder if you would care to show these idiots how to handle a sword properly?" Link shrugged as if to say why not. "Good." The captain grinned and turned to his men and shouted. "NOW LISTEN HERE YOU PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR SOLDIERS! IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW TO ACTUALLY USE THOSE SWORDS OF YOURS THEN GET YER ASSES OVER TO THE COURTYARD!"
The captain turned to Link who was watching with an amused look on his face. "The soldiers these days are little more than children playing with toys." Link commented as he and the captain started walking toward the courtyard.
The captain threw his head back and roared with laughter. "I couldn't agree more!"
The two entered the courtyard and assumed positions opposite of each other. Unnoticed by any of the spectators, a figure watched from the shadows. Link walked to one end of the training field while the Captain walked to the other. The captain drew out his sword and stepped forward while Link only stepped forward, not drawing his blades. This action confused the spectators, but the Captain only smiled and the two began circling each other. "I am Sono Skyler." He said. "May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
"Link." Was the flat voiced response.
"I ask only because I know you are a true warrior."
Link suddenly stopped, as did the captain. Drawing both of the twin blades on his back, he spoke only one word. "Ready."
Sono's eyes narrowed as he watched Link adopt a ready stance. "Two swords, what an honor." He adopted a ready position.
"Let's go." Was all Link said as he charged. Sono charged to meet him. Link struck first with simultaneous strikes with each sword. Sono parried with both his sword and sheath. The duel progressed rapidly with neither seeming to have the advantage over the other. Finally both combatants stopped; Sono's sword at Link's neck while his sheath trapped one of Link's swords. Link's free sword was at Sono's neck. Neither moved an inch until Sono grinned and with a flick of his wrist, forced Link's sword off his neck with his own blade. Link jumped and performed a front flip, spinning in the air so that he landed facing Sono, who had rolled away from Link and was standing up.
"Your skills are most impressive."
"You tryin' to recruit me again?"
"Alright if you already know, this can go quickly. Join us."
"I'll pass!" Link snarled as he charged forward. Jumping as he struck, he used Sono's strength against him and kicked the sheath out of his hand and used Sono like a spring board as he leapt back. Sono staggered backwards and fell down. Link landed and charged forward only to be forced into dodging the spears thrown at him by Sono, who was grabbing them from a pile leaning against an open walled shed.
"What a shame!" Sono called as he threw another two spears. Link sliced them to pieces in mid-flight and charged forward again. Sono grabbed the last spear and used like a pole vault and leaped to the roof of the shed. Link looked up and started to dodge the thrusts that were made by Sono's spear. Thinking quickly, Link sliced through one of the four poles that held the shed up. Leaping up, Link cut through one of the beams, causing Sono to fall and drop his spear. The collapsing shed kicked up quite a bit of dust. Coughing, the spectators tried to see through the dust. When the dust cleared, soldiers gasped; Link held one of his swords to Sono's neck while his boot kicked the captain's sword out of reach.
"You lose." Was all that Link said before backing away and sheathed his swords. Sono stood up and dusted himself off.
"You're one hell of a fighter! Where did you learn those moves?"
Link was about to answer when a voice said, "Young man, if I might have a moment?"
Link spun around as the soldiers all dropped to their knees. Sono even bowed saying "Princess Zelda!"
Link's eyes widened slightly as he examined the beautiful woman standing before him. The princess wore an elegant yet simple white dress with her family's crest pressed onto a pink sash like cloak. Her long sunshine golden hair fell to her waist. Her face was beautiful; kind and sparkling emerald green eyes, ruby red lips. Everything about her was beautiful. "Why do you not bow?" Sono hissed.
Link looked at him contemptuously, "Why should I?"
Even Zelda looked taken aback by Link's words. "Because she's royalty!" Sono shouted.
Link sneered at him, "I only bow to those that have earned my respect. Simply being born into royalty doesn't mean that she deserves to be bowed to. If you want me to bow to her, she'll have to earn it."
Link leaped over Sono's sword strike and expertly scaled the wall. "STOP HIM!" Sono roared. Zelda for her part looked slightly curious at the young man's words. She was curious to find out why he was so cold… But at the same time she found herself strangely attracted to the mysterious young man. His deep sapphire eyes, his dirty blonde hair, and there was something about him that just drew her to him.
Link had successfully scaled the wall and was currently ducking and dodging the soldiers that were trying to prevent him from escaping. Link though back to his earlier comment about their fighting skills and nearly laughed at how right he had been. The soldiers couldn't even get near him. It was like trying to catch the wind. Zelda and Sono watched as Link made his way to the gate. Suddenly he pulled out a horseshoe shaped pendant and blew out a tune. Zelda was confused until she heard a whinny. Looking at the gate she saw a beautiful sorrel mare standing just under the gate. Zelda gasped and screamed "NO!" as Link leaped from the wall and, to her and Sono's amazement, slid down the wall and leaped into the saddle on the horse's back.
"Better luck next time!" Link yelled as he sped off across the plain. Zelda stared after him, wishing that he could have stayed long enough for her to at least talk to him.
Sono on the other hand, was silently vowing to find Link and force him to pay for the disrespect he had shown to the princess.
"Captain Sono?"
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"I want you to find out where that young man has gone, but under no circumstances are you to contact him. When you have learned where he has gone, you are to inform me immediately."
"As you wish, Princess." Sono bowed and went to round up a team of elite horsemen.
A few minutes later the horsemen set out after Link at full speed.
Link rode at a leisurely gate across the wide open plain of Hyrule Field. He had escaped Castle Town and had managed to evade his pursuers rather easily. "Soldiers today are pathetic." He mused, "If any foreign nation tried to invade, they'd have an easy time taking the Castle." His horse, Epona, snorted as if agreeing with him. "All right girl, let's head home." Link chuckled as he turned her towards Faron Woods and urged the mare into a brisk trot.
Far away, a group of Hyrule soldiers watched. Captain Sono glared at Link through a collapsible telescope. "Faron Woods huh?" He turned away. "We're leaving. He's headed for Ordon Village." His men saluted and turned to their mounts. A minute later, the soldiers sped across the plain back towards Hyrule Castle.
The Next Day:
Princess Zelda rode through Faron Woods with an escort of ten soldiers, heading towards the secluded and the only village of the Ordona Province. Zelda had managed to convince her father to allow her to travel outside the Castle, provided she had an escort. It had taken considerable pleading on her part, and her father had refused to allow her to go unless her personal body guard; Impa, accompanied her. Zelda looked around her as she and her mount walked through the forest. It was peaceful and quiet. Zelda wondered why the young swordsman had refused to stay at the castle and talk to her. She was so caught up in the beauty of the forest that she failed to notice that Impa was speaking to her for a few moments. "Huh? I'm sorry Impa, could you please repeat that?"
Impa sighed, "Your Highness, I asked you what do you intend to do once you've found this Bounty Hunter?"
Zelda frowned, "Well I first would ask him why he…" She trailed off as she noticed Impa had stiffened. "What is it?"
"We're surrounded." Impa hissed. The ten guards formed a circle around the two women. After a few moments, several Lizarfoes leaped out of the underbrush. As the sword and shield wielding beasts circled their prey, the soldiers started quaking in their boots as they tried not to let their fear show. Impa on the other hand, drew out her long curved fighting dagger from its sheath at the small of her back as she watched the monsters.
But before any of the soldiers had a chance to defend themselves, the Lizarfoes attacked and slaughtered them. Zelda screamed as blood flew in all directions and stained the ground red. The Lizarfoes turned to the women, blood dripping off their swords, saliva dripping from their mouths, their eyes glinting with bloodlust. Impa leaped from her mount and dove at the nearest Lizarfoe, shouting, "FLEE PRINCESS! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!" She delivered a lethal back-handed slice to the Lizarfoe she had jumped at. But before she could attack again, another Lizarfoe slashed her across the back and she fell to the ground, blood pooling around her prone body.
"IMPA!" Zelda screamed as her only friend fell to the forest floor. "NOOOOOOOOO!" The remaining Lizarfoes turned to her and surrounded her. Zelda shut her eyes and prayed to the Goddesses for help as one of the Lizarfoes charged.
A loud howl pierced the air, quickly followed by a scream of pain from a Lizarfoe. Zelda opened her eyes to see a wolf attacking and killing the Lizarfoes. Blood was splattered around its muzzle but none of the blood belonged to Zelda's animal rescuer. Zelda watched in amazement as the wolf virtually turned into a tornado with claws and teeth. It tore through the monsters and left none of them alive.
As the last Lizarfoe fell dead, Zelda looked at the wolf, which was standing amidst the bodies of the carnage it had wrought. The wolf stared back at her with brilliant blue eyes before walking over to the unconscious form of Impa and sat down next to her. With a slight grunt, the wolf somehow managed to get Impa's bleeding form onto its back and moved over to the princess. Zelda caught on and, with a great deal of assistance from the wolf, managed to get Impa onto the back of her horse. The wolf trotted off in the direction of Ordon Village with Zelda close behind.
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