Chapter 2:
"For the last time could you please be quiet?" I snap. I look over at him riding his horse next to me with anger in my eyes. Goddesses, he just doesn't shut up!
"Why? I'm not prying." He says with a smug smile.
"No, you're right you aren't. You're just talking my ears off." I mutter speeding Basher up and hoping the increased speed will cease his constant chatter.
"Are you always so cranky?" he asks keeping pace with me.
"Yes."
"At least you're honest." He says. Oh if you only knew. I think bitterly to myself.
"Yeah, sure." I say as Castle Town finally comes into view. "Look." I say pointing to the castle.
"Castle Town." He says.
"No duh. Must you state the obvious?" I say sarcastically.
"Must you bag on everything I do?"
"Only when you're acting stupid. So, yes, basically everything."
"Remind me again why I let you come along with me?"
"Um, first of all I allowed YOU to come along with me, and second could you please shut up?" I say exasperated.
"Fine."
"Good." I say. How is this idiot a threat? The only thing he appears to have going for him are his good looks. His brain? Insubstantial and constant onslaught of meaningless words. Ganondorf sent me on this mission? Does he suddenly think I have no capabilities?
"So what did you say you were doing here again?"
"Really? You lasted, I don't know, about twenty seconds. Is that all you've got?" When he just stares at me blankly I sigh. "I'm going to visit a friend. Telma the bar owner." He raises his eyebrows but doesn't comment. Thank the Goddesses.
"Anything else?" He asks.
"Now that sounded a lot like prying to me."
"My bad." He says and concentrates on the bridge that is getting closer and closer very quickly. "Do you want to know why I'm going there?" he asks and I look over at him. His piercing blue eyes look pouty, his lips drawn into a small frown, resulting in a face that resembles a child's sulk. How is a child's sulk so cute?
"Not particularly no. But you're going to tell me anyways so by all means continue."
"You know me so well." He says with a grin. "I actually need a wagon to transport some kids. I'm going to ask Telma if I can borrow hers."
"You know Telma?" I ask incredulously.
"Yes. She helped me out before."
"Why didn't you mention it?" I ask stopping my horse.
"I didn't think it was important at the time."
"You talked to me for two hours straight about absolutely nothing but didn't think that was important? What's wrong with you?"
"A lot of things, but I don't mind. I don't expect to be perfect." He starts his horse back up again and with a sulky face of my own I follow him.
"You definitely have some kind of mental disability." I mutter.
"Well I definitely don't have any physical ones." He winks at me. "If you know what I'm saying."
"Are you coming onto me?" I ask raising my eyebrows.
"Maybe."
"Well don't. I'm not looking for a relationship."
"Who said anything about a relationship?"
"You… I… what?"
"Exactly." He turns his face from me and I just stare and the back of his head. What the hell? Did he just win that argument? I'm so confused. For the next ten minutes it takes us to reach Castle Town he remains quiet. Finally. We both get off our horses and leave them standing next to the bridge. "You're not going to tie your horse up?" he asks glancing at Basher standing next to his horse, who he said was named Epona.
"No. You?" I reply looking at his horse.
"No."
"Okay then. Let's go." I grab my pack off of Basher and start over the draw bridge into Castle Town. He doesn't appear to suspect anything. I thought my job would be better if I just watched from a safe distance but since he ran into me and he seems to have taken an unsuspecting liking to me I may just tag along with him. Secretly sabotage all his attempts against Ganondorf. It should be good and a lot easier then my other one. Perfect. We walk silently side by side down the streets until we reach the turn off. We turn right and quickly head down the steps into the darkness of the alley. I can see the light coming from the bar's closed door thirty feet in front of us.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" I glance to my right and from the darkness emerges five shadowy figures. "You're quite the looker honey, why don't you ditch the boy toy and hang with us for a while?" The middle one slurs clearly drunk.
"You really want to back off before I relieve you of a certain anatomy of yours." I say coldly continuing towards the door.
"Oh, feisty. That's okay though, I like 'em like that." His hand wraps around my forearm and I swing towards him unsheathing my sword and driving it into his foot before swinging it up so it rests on his throat. He screams out in pain before freezing in position to avoid having his throat slit.
"Touch me again and I'll kill you. Got it?" I clip my face inches from his.
"Yes ma'am." He says, his voice coming out clearly.
"I'm glad we understand each other." I say removing my sword and putting it back. Suddenly there's commotion behind me and I swing around to see the man wielding a knife a few inches away from my face. Then I notice the hand tightly wrapped around his wrist.
"I wouldn't suggest you do that." Link's husky voice is quiet but strong as it echoes around the dark alley.
"Screw you." The man says clearly unfazed by Link. He rotates so his other fist, swings up and tries to punch Link in the stomach. Link knocks his hand away and then quickly slams his fist into the man's head. The man is knocked unconscious by the blow. I watch enrapt as Link fights off the other four men, one by one taking them down. The fight is over in what felt like hours but was really only thirty seconds flat. The man that pulled the knife on me opens his eyes and Link kneels down beside him.
"I think you owe the lady an apology." Link says darkly and when the man flips him the finger he slams his heel down on the man's foot, which I'd stabbed. After yelling out in pain he finally opens his mouth.
"I'm sorry! By the Goddesses I'm so sorry." He pants, cradling his foot in his hands.
"When we get back here you had better be gone or else." With that threat lingering on the man's mind Link stands up, grabs my arm and drags me into the bar. Maybe Ganondorf was right to fear this man. He has some serious hand combat skills. I try to get my mind off the part of me that swells inside over his show of courage… and manliness. I had no idea he could do that. He must be quite the sight in a battle, wielding his sword and riding his horse… Stop that! Before you start drooling you idiot.
"Eve my dear! And Link hun! What are you doing together?" A voice rings out through the half empty bar and I smile as Telma rushes over to us, the skits on her hefty hips swaying back and forth.
"We ran into each other a couple miles outside of Castle Town." Link supplies as she pulls him into her arms and gives him a great big squeeze. He looks slightly uncomfortable in her hug. Next she locks me in a similar embrace.
"What are the odds, huh?" she asks. When Link goes over to the bar Telma quickly leans into my ear. "It is a coincidence, right?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper. I give her a guilty look. "When are you going to choose Eve? It's either good or bad, Zelda or Ganondorf. You're going to have to choose sides one day." I nod understanding. It's wrong what I'm doing. I work for Ganondorf as his personal assassin but behind the scenes I leak information to Telma and her group of good doers. Those opposing Ganondorf. "Well please don't get rid of this one Eve. He's special. He's-"
"Sorry 'bout that. I'm dying of thirst though." I smile as Link returns with a glass full of a dark liquid.
"No problem hun. Why don't you two come on out back, I've got some private tables back there." We follow Telma silently into the back of the bar where she seats us in a corner table far away from the other patrons. She pulls up a chair and sits down on the edge of the booth to talk with us. "I'd like to be vain and think ya'll came all the way down here just for me but I've got the feeling it's something more important than visiting an old friend."
"I need to borrow your cart to move the children from Kakariko village back to Ordon. It's safe enough for that now and their parents are missing them dearly." Telma grabs one of Link's hands.
"Of course sweetie. Bless your heart. Hyrule needs you now and you're here for us. The people will never be able to thank you." He blushes furiously.
"Please, Telma. It's the right thing to do." He says removing his hand from hers.
"Too many of us don't do that anymore. We do what's right for us, not for everyone." She gives me pointed look as she delivers these words. By the Goddesses will she ever get off my case? She should be thankful I'm even helping her, not getting pissed off because I work for the opposite side, for the most part at least.
"I'm want to be just like Link when I grow up!" Colin, at least I think that's his name, says again. I give him a dirty look.
"Listen, kid. If I tell you you're well on your way to being like him will you stop repeating that?" I ask. His eyes glisten as they widen.
"Am I?" he asks hope filling his voice and making it rise.
"You sure talk enough to be like him." I mutter but the kid finds that sufficient. The other three kids stare at me blankly. "What?" I ask finally getting annoyed with their stares.
"You don't seem like someone Link would spend time with." The tiny one says. Malo, is it? Man I don't know. I don't even like children.
"How so?" I ask as Basher neighs and brushes up against the side of the cart the children are sitting in.
"You seem angry." The girl says. Beth, I think?
"Trust me, right now, I'm nowhere near angry." I say and the last one, Talo, crosses his arms.
"She meant in general. You seem angry at the world." I frown. Since when did these kids become miniature Dr. Phil's? Acting like they know who I am after knowing me for an hour or two. This is why I dislike children. They're annoying and act like know-it-alls. Ignoring them I move Basher up to the front of the cart where Telma and Link are talking.
"Thank you Telma! Are you sure you don't want an escort back?" Link shouts to the cart slowly moving away from us.
"Goodbye Link! Bye Eve! Take care of each other!" We both glance at each other sitting astride our horses on the outskirts of Ordon village. After a highly uncomfortable reunion with Link's people I, for some odd reason, am having trouble considering that I have to kill him. After seeing the way they all loved him, and relied on him I'm weary to take such a pure soul out of this world. I shake the thought from my mind. Ganondorf would never forgive me if I failed. I'm starting to see what a real threat this Link is.
"So…" he says turning to me.
"So." I flip my hair back and look at him.
"What happens now?" he asks.
"I… can I ask you something?" I ask suddenly. No Elita! Stop! If you ask about his parents you'll just feel sympathy for him and then you'll be further into this trap of… niceness.
"Anything." He says and once again I'm astonished by how true those words ring.
"What happened to your parents? They weren't in Ordon." I say and his eyes flash.
"You tell me first and I'll consider telling you in the future." He says.
"What makes you think I don't know my parents?" I ask.
"It's the look."
"You can't judge someone's life in one look." I say.
"I see it every morning in the mirror." He says solemnly and something in my chest pulls.
"They… they dumped me in the closest orphanage when I was still a baby. I don't remember them." I say quietly. Why did I say that? Since when do I go around dishing out my sob story?
"I'm sorry." He says reaching his hand out to touch me arm. I move away.
"Don't be. I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't of happened." I say curtly, trying desperately to hide the hurt I still feel from that abandonment.
"And do you like who you are today?" He asks. How does he figure out all the questions that I'm constantly asking myself?
"Yes." No. I say. "So, anyways. I wanted to know if I could… well can I tag along with you? I don't have anywhere else to go." I say looking up at him through my eyelashes. He smiles and nods.
"I'd love some company, especially from a girl. Most of the time I'm left saving the girls I know, not them helping me. It'll be nice to have someone fighting by my side and not just waiting for me to fix everything." His smile widens into a grin and then he rears back on Epona before setting off. I follow right behind him as the sun descends over the hills and we're surrounded by twilight.
Author's note: Especially from a girl Link? *raise eyebrows* XD Haha. I agree with him though, it'd be nice if I were a guy (not that I am, cause I'm not...) I would... appreciate it if some of the girls *cough Zelda cough* could learn to take care of themselves...