Author's Note: As you can see, I'm not much worred about the timeline. I needed some artistic license to bring this tale to life, of course.
Beauty and the Beast
Part 2: The Prisoner Of Basement Two
Two days to coronation. The castle was still garbed in black for mourning. Sat at her father's desk, her desk, Zelda sat straight backed and stared dispassionately down at the still sealed letter in front of her. It bore the seal of Labrynna, the land across the Great Sea. She knew it was from the queen regarding her son. Her father had been in contact with Ambi over the prospect of an arranged marriage- one Zelda could see no sense in. Prince Anton was a pompous ass with barely a brain under all his silky, wavy hair. He was not worthy to be a ruler of Labrynna, much less be allowed to sit at her side in Hyrule.
Zelda reached out with her jaw set firm and an expression if grim determination while she dipped her quill in ink and wrote upon a piece of parchment with the royal seal set in the letterhead. A sprinkle of fairy dust and it was dry. Folding it, slender fingers placed it within an envelope, dripped wax onto the flap and sealed it with her ring. "Take this to a messenger. To be delivered to Labrynna- the queen." She intoned. There was simply no way she was going to marry silly Anton.
"Of course, princess." The maid curtseyed.
Standing, Zelda smoothed the front of her skirts. The letter had unsettled her. Clearly another walk in the dungeons would be required to ease the burdens of her heavy heart. There was something about the cold, damp loneliness that made her feel... free. Ironic for a place to hold the wicked to be able to set the burdens of the innocent at ease.
She'd never dared to step further than the first basement. Her father had warned her that below that was... something unpleasant. Now her father was dead and no one was there to chasten her for her curiosity. Zelda reached out and- locked. No matter. Her father's keys had already been given to her and now she could fish them out- trying key after key until finally the lock clicked and the door swung open.
Beyond it was darkness.
Zelda stepped in. So quiet was it that the very sound of her heavy skirts dragging across the floor sounded almost too loud to her ears. She winced and forced herself to remember that she was alone. Except she wasn't. As her eyes adjusted, through the dark she could make out a shape. A lump; large and dirty and, by the Goddess, but it was breathing. She shuddered and made to back away until she could too see that the creature was contained behind bars of the purest white. As she neared them, the princess could see that they glowed gold so faintly that it could barely be seen. Magic. Powerful magic.
"S' not nice t' not say hello..." The lump rasped and shifted. The very effort of moving seemed too much and immediately the man took a rasping breath and coughed. Something metal rattled. Not only was he behind bars of holy magic, but he was chained to that corner.
Zelda swallowed thickly and opened her mouth, but found it impossible to say anything. She snapped it shut again.
"F' y're here, s' tha' mean th' ole king s' dead?" Orange eyes peered at her through the darkness.
The princess looked over the man once more. He seemed to weak to be a danger, yet clearly he was in this odd solitary confinement for a reason. "What reason have you to care, prisoner? Ah... or was it that my father was your only means of survival? If so, I pity you, for you shall not be receiving meals any further."
The man set his cracked, dry, grey/green lips firm. Yet even anger seemed too much and in the end he sighed, turning his eyes from her. "Y' th' pri'cess." It wasn't a question. "D' you feel i' yet? Th' voices..." He swallowed hard- his throat far too parched. "...Do'n listen t' them." His head of shocking red hair, matted and long, shook slowly to emphasize his point. "Do'n listen t' them."
Zelda fled.