I sighed, watching him disappear behind the tall bushes, the sunlight reflecting off his blond hair. After a moment, I had to mentally pinch myself and turn my attention back to my current situation. Psh, he was just some boy. Doubt he was much older than I was anyway. No need to worry about him. I really don't have much experience with boys, and it surprised me that I was so flustered so quickly over a handsome face. I shrugged to no one, muttering an "Oh well. It's not like I can-oh Goddess." It suddenly hit me. My maid, Anju. She was at the stables where that boy was headed. He promised he wouldn't say he saw me, but how could I trust him? One false little slip where he might say, "Oh hey, by the way, some blond girl who says she's the Princess's maid is wondering around the grounds. I think she's a little off in the head."

Then Anju would say, "No, I'm the maid. What'd she look like?"

And he'd say, "Oh, some sort of blue dress. I dunno."

"That was the Princess."

Then I'd be scooped up so fast the force from it would probably give me whiplash.

"Oh come on!" I whined, knowing it was childish as I stamped my foot on the grass. "It was supposed to be my daaaay!" I allowed myself a stifled scream into the balled up bunch of fabric I made from the bottom of my dress before turning back the rope against the wall. My arms are about the equivalent of wet of hair when it comes to arm strength, but none the less, I managed to work my way up the rope. I was so thankful I'd tied the knots in it last year, giving me some soft of purchase. It took longer than I had liked, and I managed to roll slip off the tree and into the dirt just as I heard -"Princess!"

I stood up, shimmying through the gap between the roses and the wall, tripping over a root and rolling down into the beaten path of the gardens. I straightened up and tried to brush the dirt off the front of my dress as I began to jog in the opposite direction of my corner. I yelped as a untrimmed branch snagged the bottom of my braid as I turned a corner, but I manage to pull it loose, not bothering to remove the twig sticking up from the bottom. I continued on my run, wanting to be as far from the corner as possible when I was finally discovered, so to speak. I guess I should have paid much better attention because as I rounded another of the corners I collided with the gardener and managed to get water down the front of my dress by meeting his watering can at an awkward angle. I was just exiting the second entrance of the flower maze, when I collided with another body. I guess I was feeling unconsciously affectionate today.

I snapped my head up, feeling an apology on my lips until I saw the boy, again-although this time he looked a little more disheveled and concerned. And I, well now I look more like a stupid little girl who just rolled in the dirt making dirt angels. I quickly sat back up on my knees, holding my hands out, hoping it would suffice because my mouth was no longer working.

"If you were that eager to talk again, you could've walked with me," he moaned, rubbing the back of his head. He opened one eye and looked me over, but his expression was a mix of so many thoughts, I gave up trying to decipher it.

"I am-I am so, so sorry. I was just-" I babbled, pointing to the path behind me, then to my dress.

"Looking for the Princess, I assume?" he nodded in an understanding manner. "I heard one of the other maids calling her, so I figured I'd give the maze a try and help them find her."

"Yes!" I said, laughing in relief. "She seems to have misplaced herself, that sneaky girl."

He raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side as he stared at me. Either way, I just couldn't contain my laughter at how absurd my whole day was turning out. This would definitely be one to remember. The day Zelda became a maid and managed to convince a man she was utterly insane by no real fault of her own. Oh, that I had a friend I could share this with.

"You okay?"

"What?" I snapped back to reality, looking back up at him.

"You okay?" he replied. "I mean, you look a little-"

"Oh, psh, naaaaa." I waved my hand dismissively. "I should be asking if you're okay. I didn't mean to run into you like that. I just got carried away."

He stood, brushing off his breeches and extended a hand to help me. I gladly took it, and he shook his head as he responded, "It's not big deal. I'm used to falling down and getting a little dirty. Here, let me-"

"Oh, sure," I muttered, turning so he could wiggle out the snagged twig from my braid.

"I'm surprised you're a maid," he commented as he tossed the twig back behind me into the path. "No offense," he quickly added, "But you seem more suited for guard duty the way you've been climbing walls and tackling people today. I'm sure you've had you're share of adventures."

Oh, that I wish I had. I wish I had. "If only I had," I heard myself saying. "Now you, you've probably seen way more than I have."

He laughed again, shaking his head. "I have certainly seen my share. Death Mountain, Lost Woods, out on the lake, and then some."

It was as if I was food lover and he was talking about a prime cut, leaving me salivating beyond belief. "Really?" I gasped, my hands clenching out to my sides. "Have you really? Is it really so hard to navigate through the woods? Are gorons nice, do they speak? Can you understand them? And Zoras, have you met any of them? I wonder what it's like to live under water!" I quickly stopped talking as I looked up at his face, seeing his expression of pity and confusion.

"You mean, you've really never been any of those places?"

"I've never left Castle Town," I said with a sigh, my shoulders drooping.

"If you ever get a day off, you should get out an explore. I'm staying in Castle Town right now-"

"Right now?"

"Ehh, I move around a bit. I'm not a bum, but I don't like staying in one place too long."

"Oh."

"Princess!" I heard Anju sigh with relief, and that sigh made my back crawl as she padded over, breathless. "I searched the entire gardens and finally found-"

I shot her look, daring her to say it. Daring her to ruin this moment for me.

Miraculously, I saw something flicker in her eyes as she took in the scene, and I couldn't have been more thankful when she ended the sentence with "her."

"I finally found her," she repeated, leaning over and bracing herself on her knees as she spoke, her red hair a little ruffled, but better than mine.

"Where was she?" I asked innocently, darting a glance at Link, who, thank Goddess, looked convinced of the situation.

"She was sitting quietly near the fish pool," she said, giving me my alibi should someone ask about my short disappearance earlier. "If you would be so kind as to go get her, and tell her it's time for her to come inside. She has to bathe before she goes in for her lessons."

I gave her a smile, hoping she could see the gratitude in it. "I will."

"Well, I'll leave you two to that," Link commented from near me, rubbing the back of his head one more time for good measure. "Stop by if you have a day off, I can show you some of the sights," he said with a wave before heading back toward the stables.

I yelped as Anju yanked my arm, pulling me back behind one of the large bushes. I whimpered, feeling like my arm had been pulled from its socket.

"Look," she said, her tone not at all like it had been earlier in the day. "I need this job. And I know that you want out of here. I get that."

I blinked. I had never, ever had this happen before. To say I was confused was an understatement. I just blinked again.

"But you had better behave yourself, or so help me, I'll go hide your ladder."

"You wouldn't," I hissed back. "I'm Princess Zelda, and you can't order me around."

"Watch me," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder before crossing her arms.

I faltered for a moment, sizing her up. "You saw me on the wall."

"I saw you coming back over the wall, so it seems. I saw you fall and thought you had broken all your bones." She frowned.

I flushed, feeling a little sorry for her, but not ready to cave. "If you take my ladder, I'll tell them you released me from your sight."

"You'd lose your ladder. And your chance to see sights. I'll write Link and tell him to hightail his butt back home if you show your face near him. I. Need. This. Job."

See, this is why I suck at strategy games. I give up easily. I sighed, my shoulders slumping forward. "I just want to see the world. I want to know what is past the gates. I want to see everything."

I could see her expression soften, and she gave me a small smile as she reached out to rub my arm. "Hey, I'll cut you a deal. If you go easy on me, then maybe I might just get distracted every now and then when we're on allowed in the garden. If-" She pointed her finger directly in my face, causing my eyes to fight themselves for the right to focus. "you come back when I tell you. If you're late, then it's both our heads. Do you get that?"

I nodded, smiling as my heart threatened to burst from my chest. I was going to be able to go out. Possibly even get out of the town and see the field, the village, the Lake. I'd read about them, heard about them, seen pictures, but I wanted the real thing. The possibility that I might get to get out and see any of it made me feel like I could soar over the walls and burst into a million little rainbows. Wow. That was corny.

She eyed me for a moment, and I nodded, my eyes burning from the happy tears that were trying to break free. "Deal. I won't be late. I promise."

"Come on then. Let's get you cleaned up. I don't even want to ask how you got so dirty."

"To be honest, I don't even think I know," I responded, holding out my arms and spinning.

"That was a new dress."

I shrugged. "You can make me another one."

She shook her head, but I could see a smile began to twitch at her mouth. Maybe I'd get along just fine with this one.

I sat in the warmth of the tub, in my second set of bath water. The first had been mostly filth and had been dumped after the initial scrub down. I was now in fresh water with the oils for my skin just now being added. I sat awkwardly, my knees pulled up against my chest as Anju replaced the bottles where they belonged on the shelves. I had my dress for lunch laid out on the chair in the corner of the room, a white garment that dared me to get it to dirty as I had the blue one, which was crumpled on the floor.

"Anju?" I asked hesitantly, slipping down in the water and blowing bubbles from my mouth against the top of the smooth water. I watched some of the steam curl up like ghosts from a watery graveyard.

"Yes, Princess?" she asked in her more comfortable garden tone as she picked up a towel and placed it on the chair near the tub where she had been seated earlier. Usually my maids made a show of washing me themselves, but she had been gracious enough to let me have my privacy. Well, as much as I could have while she sat in my room as I sat stark naked in a tub.

"Is Link one of your friends?" The questions made my cheeks flush automatically, and I lowered my face more into the tub, my nose making ripples as I exhaled.

I watched as she glanced over at me before sitting down on the towel, looking thoughtful. "I wouldn't say he's my friend, exactly. I've met him, and we're acquainted, but we don't spend time together."

"How'd you meet?" I breathed, lifting my mouth from the water for the moment.

"He's one for doing odd jobs. He stayed in the village for a short time and would run errands for my mother. He helped me a few times when I needed help carrying my cooking supplies to the house. He's a kind hearted person, but he's not one for getting too attached. He had move on to somewhere else before we could form any sort of solid friendship. Everyone knows him though."

"Everyone?"

She nodded. "Like I said, he does odd jobs. He's reliable and trustworthy, so people trust him with just about anything they need done."

"Hmmm," I sighed, watching my hair bob on the water.

"Why?"

I blinked, picking my head up. "Huh?"

"Why did you ask?" She looked over at me, her expression one of curiosity.

"Just because. He seemed nice is all."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't ask anything else. "Come on. Time to get out before your skin gets too wrinkled." She extended the towel to me, looking up toward the ceiling as I stepped down onto the stone floor, the water making a puddle around my feet as I allowed her to wrap me in the towel. It smelled of fresh laundry, and I buried my nose in the fabric as it pulled away the water from my rosy body.

I closed my eyes as another towel descended onto my head, rubbing vigorously against my hair.

"You know your seeing him again is a very slim chance," Anju said, her voice striking through the towel. I felt my mouth open to make a response, but I clamped it closed before I said anything I might regret.