Wow I did not expect so many reviews on my first chapter. I went on my email after school and was like "OH MY GOSH PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ MY STORY!" Thank you so much for the support I appreciate it.
"My Lord, please excuse my son's behavior, he certainly didn't mean to…"
Ganondorf held up his hand, and King's words ceased. "There is no need to be sorry." he assured the worried couple, "She is, of course, his first servant that he owns himself. I'd be surprised if he wasn't protective of her."
"Yes, but he insulted you wife and kingdom! Do not worry, I won't let something like this happen again. That boy is getting a severe punishment for his actions." Queen Marin protested.
Queen Nabooru laughed. "Don't mention it Marin."Queen Marin cringed at the Gerudo's informality "We need strong rulers like him." Her husband nodded in agreement.
"It takes a while for teenagers like Prince Link to adjust to their power. However, one day he will realize the true extent of his title and use it to the best of his ability. He will also realize everyone has their place, and it is their duty to take it. Just like it is Prince Link's duty to rule, it is Zelda's duty to serve."
It was still early in the morning. Link was working on his homework his tutor had given him from two days ago, except Link hadn't started it until now. Zelda sat sitting in the corner, patiently waiting for an order. She had managed to get through the rest of yesterday without a single beating. In fact, she hadn't gotten a single command since she left Gerudion. However, she doubted it would happen again. Zelda hated the feeling of idleness. Why was she sitting around again?
Shoot! I forgot to do my homework! Wait here Zelda, I'm going to try and finish, then I promise we can hang out afterwards! You can just hang around my room; feel free to check out anything you want. I'll be done soon!
Right. Well, telling her to hang around his room was technically a command, so that's exactly what she was doing.
Link himself was pretty frustrated. Instead of trying to coax Zelda out of her shell he was stuck doing algebra. His tutor was coming at 4:00 PM, so he wanted to get in as much time with Zelda as possible. He honestly felt bad for her. The fact that he didn't know anything about her besides the fact that she was a Sheikah and Ganon trained her to be the perfect slave after finding her wandering in the desert made him want to learn more. He was strangely drawn to her, she was a mystery.
Zelda started playing with her necklace she had since she was a child. It was a tiny silver charm in the shape of the Sheikah symbol. Zelda had made sure to hide it from King Ganondorf and his servants when they checked for any valuables or weapons she might've had. Losing it meant losing the only token she had from her past. She traced her finger along the teardrop that fell from the eye.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't even notice Link plop down next to her. "What's that?" he asked.
Zelda snapped out of her trance and held out the necklace in her hands. No point in trying to deny him, Link was sure to find it anyway.
"Huh? No, I wasn't asking for it, I just wanted to see it." Zelda's heart was filled with relief; he wasn't going to take away her most prized possession.
Link examined the necklace, then tied the two ends of the string around Zelda's neck and released the charm. "It's pretty." he finally said. Zelda's eyes flashed emotions too quickly to be readable, but at least she didn't cringe at his touch.
They sat there staring at each other for a while, trying to read the other's expressions. "Let's go." Link announced. He stood up and held out his hand.
Zelda's arms flew up in front of her face. Link silently cursed himself for moving his hand too quickly. She probably thought he was going to hit her. "It's ok." he said calmly. "I won't hurt you."
Zelda lifted her head, but ignored his hand and got up herself. She walked over to the door and held it open. "Wow, um, thanks." Link quietly walked out and waited for Zelda to follow.
Zelda made sure to stay two steps behind Link at all times. She wasn't going to risk tripping him by accident or bumping into him or anything like that. Sure, he was kind to her up until now, but that could easily change. It bothered Link however, and he often looked over his shoulder to make sure she was still there. Zelda's footsteps were quiet, almost completely silent. Typical Sheikah characteristics. Sheikahs were known for their stealth, and Zelda was no exception.
After a couple minutes of navigating the castle's myriad of hallways Link made a sharp right turn and beckoned for Zelda to follow. They had reached the castle courtyard. Zelda's eyes lit up at the beautiful sight.
There was a huge fountain at the end of carefully carved stone paths. Lush green grass coated the rich soil, and trees dotted with flower buds swayed in the light breeze. There were elaborate arrangements of flower beds, all seemed to follow a circular pattern around the fountain. Birds sang from the treetops and golden insects lit up parts of the road in the cool mist.
Zelda breathed in the fresh air. It was certainly a change from the dry desert air she was used to.
Link smiled at Zelda's reaction. She was awe at the elegant garden. Link let her absorb it all in before taking her hand and leading her in the direction of the stables. Zelda almost winced when Link did this but caught herself just in time. Instead, she let Link guide her throughout the fog. They strolled in silence, just letting the relaxed atmosphere sink in. Zelda eased her shoulders and lifted her head a bit higher. Link had somewhat of a bounce in his step. Wherever they were going, Link was definitely excited to show her.
Zelda's nose twitched at the familiar scent of livestock. Link had taken her to the stables so she could meet Epona. Link reached for the rusty handles of the door and pulled them open. Because it was so early more horses were in their pens than when he went in the afternoon yesterday. The horses looked up from their mangers and nodded their heads at Link, but stared at the newcomer beside him.
"These are the horse stables. We keep all of the Royal Guard's horses and the carriage horses in here. This is Epona," Link explained, stopping beside a chestnut colored mare.
Epona neighed at her master but kept a blank stare at the girl. Zelda stood behind Link, slightly nervous about meeting the precautious horse.
"It's ok," Link assured "She's a good girl, just a bit wary around strangers. See?" Link reached up to pet the now calm mare. Zelda took one step forward, then reached her hand up to Epona's cheek, where Link had petted Epona before.
To her horror and Link's dismay, the horse neighed loudly and snapped at Zelda's hand. Zelda brought her hand back before the horse could get to it and had already gotten as far away as she could from the mare.
"Epona!" Link shouted. He whirled toward Zelda, who had her eyes fixated on the thrashing horse. "I am so sorry; she has never done that to anyone!" But his words did not reach Zelda.
Link continued to scold the jaunty horse while Zelda shrunk back. Epona turned around, ignoring Link's lecture.
After Zelda's strange encounter with Epona, Link continued giving her a tour of the courtyard. There wasn't really much else to see, but Link knew it would be a good idea for her to get used to the castle grounds.
The two rounded a corner of the road. They were walking on one of the more elevated parts, near the outskirts. There was a huge dip in the ground, steep enough to slide down, then a nine-foot drop to the lake below. Zelda made sure to keep her feet firmly on the ground. Link didn't seem to be too concerned about it.
Zelda turned around to see how far they were from the castle. Pretty far. It would take about 20 minutes to get back. When she faced front again, Link wasn't there.
Panicking, Zelda spun around, looking for the prince. Nowhere. She looked down just in time to see Link splash into the dark waters below. Zelda let out a small gasp and jumped onto the slopes. She kept her body sideways and slid on the edges of her feet to provide resistance to the slick mud. Just before she fell off the edge of the slope, Zelda lunged forward and dived into the lake.
Link was about to scream for Zelda when the water closed over his head. Bubbles flew out of his mouth. Whatever air he had in his mouth was gone. Link tried to propel himself toward the surface, but being a prince and all he wasn't taught the basics of swimming. He kicked his legs frantically and flapped his arms around but it did nothing.
He was still sinking, sinking, it never seemed to end. The waters were blurry and thick. It was almost impossible to see through it all. His chest was growing heavy and it seemed to weigh him down. Link knew he was dying. And drowning is one of the most painful ways to do it. Link felt himself hit the ground.
A pair of red eyes shot out of the darkness. The waters moved out of the way for them and they continued to approach him. Link's eyes grew wide. The eyes stopped in front of him. Two arms wrapped around his chest and lifted him off the sand.
Link felt himself being pushed upwards. The surface got closer by the second and his heart became full of relief. Every so often they would fall a bit back down, but whatever was pulling him up gave a particularly forceful kick at the water and they would be back on track.
At last the two reached the surface. Link took in a huge gulp of air. Never in his life would he take breathing for granted again. Link sighed and rested his head on his savior's shoulder. His vision was fuzzy, but he instantly knew who it was. Zelda took in a sharp breath of air, and he felt her neck grow warm. They swam back toward shore and Link was pushed onto the shore. Before he blacked out, Link saw a pair of blue eyes before him.
Zelda had no idea as to what to do. Without her master she had nothing to do. After the fiasco at the lake she had dragged Link all the way to the castle, not to mention getting the both of them back up the cliff-thingy.
Upon arriving at the castle Link was immediately whisked away by several maids and a doctor of some sort. No one took notice to Zelda, whose dress was soaked to the skin. Her hair was sopping wet and she was already starting to sniffle from a cold. Zelda walked away from the commotion so she wouldn't be a burden.
"So you're the little heroine who rescued the prince." Zelda spun around to detect the voice. But no one was there.
"Use your senses girl, then we can talk." Zelda hesitated, then activated her Sheikah eyes. Her sky blue eyes swirled into the vivid red shade of the Sheikah eyes. They enabled her to see much clearer, and her vision range was extended to 320°. Almost like having eyes in the back of her head. A heredity trait of the Sheikah, it was for their eyes that they were valuable allies in warfare and assassination. They could see and defend faster than even the most talented ninja. She could even see through water, wind, magic, objects, and in shadows. Some were so desperate to obtain the Sheikah's ability that they pulled out their own eyes and replaced it with eyes they tore out of Sheikahs. But, it would never work.
Zelda looked around, then stared at the shadow of the castle. A faint outline of a woman was hiding in it. Another Sheikah ability, entering the Shadow Dimension. However, to be able to conceal herself so well was another story.
The woman grinned, then slowly pulled herself out of the shadows. Zelda stepped away to let her get out. The woman was pretty tall, with rough tan skin and thick, gray hair that was tied into a bun. She wore traditional Sheikah clothing, although they were slightly more feminine that usual, and she had her Sheikah eyes activated as well. They were a deep red color, and they stood out from the rest of her just as much as Zelda's did.
"For'shava." The woman said in Sheikah. "No magic spell could've seen through my shadow hiding." the woman's voice was deep but kind. "My name is Impa. I am the undercover guard of the castle. It is my job to discreetly eliminate any dangerous intruders, in order to prevent word from getting out to the people. You would be surprised at the amount of spies and assassins sent to the palace each week. But lately my job has been quiet, so I haven't been doing much."
Zelda listened intently. It was an honor to meet one of her own descent. Perhaps they were connected in one way or another.
"And I saw what you did. Saving the prince like that. I was considering getting out of my shadow and helping him, but then you stepped in and did the job. I was impressed, believe me. You got a lot of strength for such a small girl."
Zelda smiled at the compliment.
"I also know that you're his personal servant, am I correct? You were captured by King Ganondorf and were trained to be the ultimate slave. But Link refuses to give you any work and instead tries to get you to open up." Impa said.
"You know, he cares a lot about you Zelda. I've never seen him pay this much attention to a maid, ever. Mostly whenever a servant tries to help him he just brushes them off and tells them to take the day off or something. He hates the idea of slaves and masters and plans to make it illegal when he grows up."
Zelda remembered when Link had defended her from Ganon and how he seemed sincere when he said sorry for yelling at her. But wasn't it just an act?
"I've known Prince Link since he was a baby. He wants to learn more about you. Don't shy away from him, thinking it'll get him to back off. Don't think he'll give up on you and just shun you like he does to all maids. Don't expect him to one day turn on you and become cruel and harsh like you assume all people to be. Because that's not Link. If he hated you from the start, believe me, he would've shown it. Link knows a kind face when he sees one. Achen devlesa!"
And with that, Impa slipped back into the shadows, leaving a very confused and conflicted Zelda.
"Dinlo..." she cursed to herself. If only they knew.
Let's put it this way. Sheikah Eye=Byakugan (for those of you who watch Naruto :3) Impa's here! Yeah I just had to stick her in somehow she's one of my favorite characters. And I added that last piece of dialogue from Zelda to show that she isn't mute or something like that. Because I can't work with a mute character. This story has already been hard enough as it is with Zelda's shyness. Don't worry, she gets better later on. If you want to ask any questions or comments about the story I'll try to get back to you ASAP. Thanks for reading!