Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Legend of Zelda series, including Spirit Tracks.
Link followed the short chancellor inside the throne room. While he heard this man say that this ceremony was ridiculous, he ignored it. To him, this was most likely the most exciting day of his life!
The young man walked on the red carpet of the room as he gazed around. He had to admit, he had never seen anything like this before. At the far end of the throne room was a colored window that showed a girl with tan skin, and blonde hair. She was dressed somewhat like a pirate and she had her arms outstretched. Legends say that the girl on the window was named Tetra, one of the people who founded this kingdom a century ago.
Finally reaching the other side of the room, the chancellor, who oddly enough was wearing the two green top hats on his head, stepped to his left and stood with another guard near the wall. Link knelt down and closed his eyes. He lowered his head and waited as Alfonzo had gone over this several times before.
The soft sounds of footsteps hit the Hylians ears, letting him know that someone was approaching. Remembering what he had been taught, he kept his eyes tightly closed. However, when the sound stopped curiosity took a hold of the boy and he opened his eyes.
At first all he could see was the bottom half of a woman's dress. It was mostly light pink in color but also had some blue in the center. The dress was ordained with three golden triangles in the middle of the design. Without even thinking about it he lifted his head slightly. The rest of the dress was a dark pink in color and that the girl was wearing a pink necklace. A tiara with a pink gem in the center completed her look.
Link gasped and felt his cheeks begin to burn as he continued to look at the girl before him. She appeared to be around his age and had long blonde hair with ice blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the lights of the flickering torches. The young man knew without a doubt that the girl standing before him had to be none other than Princess Zelda!
Even though the Princess smiled at him a voice to his left called out to him. "Why you ill mannered little urchin, how dare you raise your head and gaze upon the Princess without permission!"
However before Link could even get out a word the Princess turned her gaze to the short man and without a word, she pointed her hand. She then turned her attention back to Link and the smile returned to her face. "Don't worry about Chancellor Cole," the Princess remarked. "You must be the new engineer. What is your name?"
"Um… it's Link your Highness," the young man murmured, the blush leaving his cheeks.
Zelda's smile widened as she clasped her hands together. "That's a wonderful name! Well then Link, by the power vested in me, I hereby proclaim…"
Off to Zelda's right Chancellor Cole cleared his throat. "We are wasting time here, your Highness. I suggest you hurry this up and finish this foolish ceremony!"
The Princess sighed and lowered her head. Why did the Chancellor have to go and say such things? Even he should know the important role of the Royal Engineers! However, he still considered these ceremonies to be a waste of time.
"Very well, Chancellor," Zelda said softly. She kept her head lowered until she noticed the old man approaching her from her left, Link's right. He was dressed in a brown suit and he had a grayish moustache. In his hands he was holding a certificate.
"Thank you, Teacher," the blonde haired girl said politely. Teacher just smiled as he headed back to the wall. The smile finally returned to Zelda's face as she said, "I hereby recognize Link as our new Royal Engineer! Work hard for we depend on you, Link!"
Link watched as Zelda extended her hand toward him, the one that held the certificate. Realizing that it was his to take, he jumped to his feet and happily accepted it. At the moment, he didn't care if Chancellor Cole said anything about him being ill-mannered! He finally had his Royal Engineer Certificate!
Princess Zelda looked around, making sure that no one else would notice what she was about to do. She then quickly took out an envelope out of her pocket. As she walked toward Link, it looked like he was about to open his mouth to say something.
"Shh, don't say a word right now," the Princess whispered, handing the letter over to Link. "Take this, but don't read it right now. Wait until later. Oh, and beware the Chancellor."
Link slowly nodded as he put the envelope in his pocket. He watched as Zelda walked over to where Teacher stood. After a moment they left the room. He then turned his attention to Cole; the words the Princess just said seemed to stick out in his mind.
"The ceremony is over, so I suggest you hurry along," the Chancellor said. "You could go and polish your train or something. Not that it matters much." He sent a grin in Link's direction, and the young man almost took a step backwards when he saw that the man's teeth looked all pointy and sharp. "It will be useless before long, anyway."
The moment Cole left the throne room Link shook his head. "Beware the Chancellor," he murmured. Looking around Link noticed that he was the last to leave the throne room. He walked towards the exit, passing the private and made his way down the nearest hallway.
After making sure that he was alone, he took out the envelope and opened it. Inside he found that there were two pieces of paper. Taking both of them out, he unfolded the first one and discovered that it was a letter written in the Princess' handwriting.
"I have a favor to ask of you in person. Follow the secret path on the map, it will allow you to make your way to my quarters undetected. Come as fast as you can and don't let anyone see you!
Princess Zelda."
Link folded the note and put it back in the envelope. After putting it back in his pocket, he looked at the other piece of paper. No doubt this was the map that the Princess had mentioned in her letter. It must be important if she would ask someone like him to come and see her!
"Beware the Chancellor, and don't let anyone see you," he whispered to himself. "I think I can do that."
Christy wasn't getting very far and if she had to be honest with herself, all she had done so far was reach a bush to hide in. She didn't know the castle's layout and that wasn't helping her much. She had heard some talk about some sort of a graduation ceremony earlier, but decided it was best to stay hidden instead of look. Since then, she hadn't made a single move.
At first, she almost forgot why she even came here, until she remembered what she heard back at the Third Rail. The Spirit Tracks were vanishing, and if they vanished completely, then she wouldn't have a way home!
"No more stalling," the brunette whispered to herself. "I have to try to get into the castle."
The girl peeked out of her bush to get a look of her surroundings. As she did, her brown eyes widened and she quickly pulled her head back in again. She had just seen one of the guards, but she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing! The guard was clothed in green, and even wore light brown boots. The hat looked a little different, she had to admit, but the clothes on the guard reminded her of Link's clothes!
Keeping her thoughts to herself about how weird that seemed, she peeked out again. If she was careful, maybe she could reach that long bush that was to her left. When she was sure that no one could see her, she got up and rushed towards it as quickly as she could.
Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.
"Hey, where do you think you are going?" a man's voice asked from behind her. He ran towards her with his spear at the ready, just in case she was hostile.
Christy turned and looked at the guard a little nervously. "I'm… not doing anything…" she said softly.
"What is going on out here?" another male voice suddenly asked. When Christy turned to face to one who spoke, she couldn't help staring at this man. She couldn't help thinking how odd he looked to her. He was rather short, and wore red clothes with a yellow belt and a green jacket. He had orange hair, black eyes, a moustache and pointed ears as well.
However, that wasn't the odd thing about this guy. What seemed to be odd to her was the fact he was wearing two green top hats. Not only was it odd, but she couldn't help think that it looked suspicious. She had never seen anyone wearing two top hats on either side of his head like that!
"Sorry for the disturbance, Chancellor Cole," the soldier in the green clothes apologized. "But I saw this girl in the strange clothing rushing off after getting out the bush over there." He pointed to the bush that Christy had come out of.
"Well, I do know that it is suspicious of me to do that," Christy admitted slowly. "But, I had a very good reason to!"
"First I have to go through such a pointless ceremony, and now this," Cole murmured. "I really don't have the time for something like this. What are you waiting for, solider?"
The soldier just nodded and stepped toward Christy, grabbing her arm. "Hey, watch it!" she cried as the man in the green soldier clothes took her outside of the castle walls.
Without a word, he released her, and headed back to his post.
The brunette rubbed her arm where she had been grabbed. "Okay… sneaking into the castle isn't going to work for me," she murmured. "But now what am I going to do? At this rate, I won't get inside to see Princess Zelda."
"Hey, you!" a voice called from behind the girl.
She groaned softly and turned around to face the man that spoke. Unlike before however, she had to look up this time. Who was this guy? The way he was dressed reminded her of a pirate!
"You just came from the castle, didn't you?" the man demanded. "Have you seen Link?"
"Link?" Christy repeated slowly. She didn't expect to hear that name mentioned. So he was at the castle too? She shook her head. "No, I didn't. I didn't even really get into the castle, honestly."
The man sighed softly. "The Royal Engineer Graduation Ceremony should be over by now," he remarked. "What is taking him so long?"
"Royal Engineer Graduation Ceremony?" the brunette thought to herself. "Was that the ceremony I heard them talking about earlier? And is it Link's ceremony? I've never heard of Link as an engineer before!"
Link looked at the map and slowly nodded his head. Right here seemed to be the place alright. The young man had made it to the second floor of the castle without being seen. Before him was a flight of stairs that went upward. After looking over the corner to make sure he couldn't be seen, he folded the map and placed it in his pocket. Then very carefully, he walked up the stairs.
As he got closer, he could hear a beautiful sound. He could hear the different notes being played into a wonderful melody. It had been some time since he had heard such a sound, and the closer he got, the louder the sound was. When he finally reached the top, he pushed open the wooden door.
The room itself was small, yet it was well furnished; a red carpet covered the floor, a conformable bed, and there was even a dresser and a table. Standing next to the wooden table was Princess Zelda, with her back turned to the young man.
Link stood there for a moment and allowed himself to listen to the music. He didn't want to disturb the Princess, and it was obvious she was playing some sort of instrument. After a while, she stopped playing and turned to face the young man. In her hands were some wooden pipes that were actually known as pan flute.
"Oh, Link! There you are! I'm so glad you could make it. None of the guards saw you, did they?"
Link smiled as he approached the Princess. "No, they didn't. And I didn't run into Chancellor Cole either."
"Oh, that's great!" Zelda exclaimed as she sighed in relief. "Listen, you are the only one that can help me."
"Me?" Link questioned, pointing to himself in surprise. "You need my help, for what?"
"You know that the Tower of Spirits have protected our kingdom for ages, right?" Zelda asked the young man.
"Yeah, I know about that," Link agreed nodding his head. "The Tower of Spirits connects the Spirit Tracks that cover the land."
"That's right," the Princess replied. "And have you noticed that they seem to be vanishing from everywhere?"
The young man shook his head. "I didn't really notice it. But I have heard some people talking about it."
"I see," Zelda murmured. "Well, I think that something must have happened to the Tower of Spirits to cause all this. I wish to investigate, and want to meet the sage that they say guards the tower. I'm sure she could shed some light on what is happening here."
The Princess suddenly sighed and put her hand to her chin. "However, I have a problem. Chancellor Cole forbids me to leave the castle. Says it's about 'safety concerns.' However, I think he doesn't want me to go to the tower. I'm not sure why, but I think he's hiding something. I have a feeling that something awful is going to happen."
Now that Zelda mentioned it, Link had a terrible feeling about it as well. If the Spirit Tracks were truly disappearing, then there was bound to be trouble, and not just because people wouldn't be able to use their trains for transport.
"This is why I need to get to the Tower of Spirits!" Princess Zelda went on. "So, I was wondering if you could take me on your train."
Link didn't even really think about it as he nodded his head. "Okay."
"Thank you so much, Link!" Zelda gushed happily. Putting the pan flute on the table, she rushed over to her bed, and pulled back her blanket, showing a pile of clothes. There was a green tunic, a black belt, white pants, a pair of brown boots, and a green hat.
"This is a recruit uniform," the Princess explained. "I took it when no one was looking. You should put this on right away! The guards will think you are one of them if you wear it!"
Link smiled to himself as he picked up the clothes. That will make it easier for him, but probably not Zelda though. If what Zelda said about Cole was true, most likely the soldiers wouldn't be happy to see their Princess trying to leave the grounds.
But he tried to stay positive about the situation. After all, if he could sneak to the Princess' room, surely they could sneak out!
Christy had to keep herself from blurting out some things as she talked to this man named Alfonzo. The fact that Link was going to be engineer really surprised her. From what she could understand, this man had been Link's mentor and teacher when it came to being an engineer.
When he asked about her, she was honest that she was sneaking into the castle. But she also explained, before he tried to accuse her, that all she wanted to do was meet with Princess Zelda. She had a problem, and she was sure that the Princess herself would be able to help her.
Before she could go on however, Alfonzo called out, looking passed the brown haired girl. "What took you so long, Link? Did you really keep me waiting just so you could change clothes?"
Christy turned around and gasped when she saw Link standing there. He didn't look like an engineer that is for sure! He was dressed like one of the guards she saw at the castle! And nearby, she saw another familiar person, Princess Zelda!
"Oh, Your Highness!" Alfonzo cried. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello, Alfonzo," Zelda greeted with a smile. "Have you been well? I'm sorry we haven't spoken since you left the castle guard. You used to bellow orders across the courtyard, and honestly, I miss that."
The man reached up and slowly rubbed the back of his neck. "You are too kind, Your Highness. I'm sure hearing me yell all day was not pleasant. However, you shouldn't distract me with the old days." Alfonzo lowered his hand and looked between Link and Zelda. "I'll just come right out and ask; what are you doing out here without a proper escort? Do you have something to do with this, Link?"
"She asked for my help!" Link exclaimed. "That's why I did it!"
"That's right," Zelda agreed, nodding her head. "And I would like to ask for your help too, Alfonzo. I would feel much safer if you were by my side. Could you come with us to the Tower of Spirits?"
Christy, who had remained silent because she didn't know what to say, was even more surprised. Alfonzo had been part of the Royal Guard before? Had she known that, she would have asked for his help! Yet, with the way he was dressed, she never would have suspected it. But the way that Zelda spoke to this man told her that he was definitely trustworthy.
"The Tower of Spirits?" Alfonzo asked. "Whatever for?"
"We don't have time to talk about it now," Zelda replied. "I'll tell you on the way."
Before Alfonzo could speak, Christy quickly took a step forward. "Please, could you take me with you too?"
Link looked toward the brunette and eyed her curiously. "Do you have to go to the tower as well?"
"Well, not really," the brown haired girl confessed. "But, I've come a really long way. And it was suggested that I meet with Princess Zelda. It's very important."
"You need to see me?" Zelda repeated questioningly.
"Well, yes," Christy said slowly. "But you look serious about going to this Tower of Spirits place. That's why I want to come along." She had to admit, the Princess seemed a bit younger than she expected, maybe twelve or something like that. But still, she had known every Zelda to be wise, so surely she would know something!
"I don't see why not," Zelda agreed with a nod of her head. "How about you, Alfonzo?"
"I don't know," Alfonzo murmured. "What if something happens?"
Christy nervously stepped forward. "Well, this may not be my place to say, exactly," she admitted. "But, I'll bet that is the reason she wants you along."
Zelda nodded quickly. "She's right, Alfonzo. You were once the best swordsman in the whole kingdom!"
"That was a long time ago," the man remarked. "Now, I'm an engineer living in the countryside. I can't be more than that. But, I'll come along with you if you wish."
"Thank you, Alfonzo! Now let's go to the Tower of Spirits!" Zelda exclaimed. "All aboard!"
"That's my line," Alfonzo murmured, causing Christy to giggle slightly.
Christy, Zelda and Alfonzo walked into the wooden steam train. Link jumped to the gear and saluted, then he started moving the train. The brunette had never seen anyone actually salute when going into a train before, but that was not the point.
As the train chugged forward, Princess Zelda told the other two what she told Link; that she was sure that something may be happening to the tower, which would explain why the Spirit Tracks were disappearing. Christy was shocked to hear that the Tower of Spirits had a connection to the tracks, but it proved her theory. If Zelda knew about this, then she would probably know how to fix her problem!
Just before she could open her mouth to speak, she heard Link gasping from up front. Slamming on the emergency brake, they were forced to come to a stop. The train shook, causing the passengers to fall down inside the passenger car, while Link fell to the grass below, staring at the blue sky with a dizzy look on his face.
The passengers slowly got off of the train, and Christy looked to the ground. "Oh, no!" she gasped in horror. "The Spirit Tracks disappeared!"
"Your Highness!" Alfonzo cried as he pointed to the tower in the distance. "Something is happening to the Tower of Spirits!"
Link slowly got his feet and joined the others as they watched what was happening. A dark cloud appeared above the Tower of Spirits. It spiraled downward and the darkness that began to surrounded it brought out some electricity, causing the tower to break apart! The other pieces continued to float above the piece that was still at the bottom.
The darkness thickened as something seemed to come out of the cloud. It was a strange, yet at the same time, horrifying sight. What appeared to be a black train came out of the cloud, and it had lights for eyes and even a nose. Everyone ducked as it got closer to them and over their heads.
"Are you out for a leisurely stroll, Your Highness?" asked a familiar voice as the group got their feet. "You know that is not allowed."
"Allowed by who?" Zelda demanded, looking toward the voice that had spoken. "You, Chancellor Cole?"
The darkness let up a little bit, allowing the foursome to see the short chancellor. However, what happened next, startled everyone. He threw his head back as the darkness surrounded him briefly, causing his two hats to fall off, revealing two yellow horns on the top of his head!
"Of course! Who do you think is in charge?"
Everyone gasped, and Christy's hand shot to her mouth. She thought the two hats were suspicious, but she didn't think that they were hiding horns on his head!
A tall man with black hair came forward as Cole let out a breath. "My goodness, pretending to be human is exhausting," the short man murmured. "I never knew that 'chancellor' was just another word for 'royal babysitter!' I wanted to continue the ruse a bit longer. But you pushed me to this, Princess!" He stared at Princess Zelda directly. "And bringing these three doesn't help either."
"What are you talking about?" Zelda demanded.
For a brief moment, Cole looked shocked. He sighed and started to pace a bit. "I'm talking about your meddling. But the time is finally at hand, now that those tracks are disappearing! All we need now is…" He looked back to the Princess again, and gave her the same toothy grin he gave Link earlier. "A little help from you, Your Highness!"
Zelda gasped in horror, but Alfonzo stepped in front of her and grabbed his sword, holding it by its scabbard. "I don't know who these two are, but I'd be happy to teach them some manners, with your permission, Your Highness!"
Cole laughed as he began to fly into the air. "How gallant! How brave! How incredibly foolhardy!"
"Enough out of you!" Alfonzo exclaimed as he removed his sword from its sheath. "For generations, my family has served the Royal House!"
Cole just grinned as he turned his gaze to the taller man, whose clothes were mostly dark brown, with red and blue circles on the top right of his shirt and his tan pants. His mouth and nose was covered by a green cloth, his eyes were a gray color, had a gauntlet on his left hand and his black hair was in a ponytail.
"Melodrama bores me. Byrne, will you kindly take care of this fool?" questioned the short man.
"This man speaks the truth, Cole," the man named Byrne remarked. "His movements are not those of an amateur. But he is only human."
Byrne advanced on Alfonzo, and for a moment, they moved in a circle, staring each other down. Then Alfonzo leaped forward, attacking the other man. The black haired one easily blocked the blows with the gauntlet he wore.
"I told you that I will protect the Princess at any cost!" Alfonzo exclaimed.
"And I told you, you are only human," the other man countered. Blocking a few more strikes, he found an opening, and punched Alfonzo hard in the chest, causing the man to fly backwards and land on the stream train. He had been hit with such force that he was knocked out the moment he hit the top of the passenger car.
Alfonzo's three companions gasped in alarm when they saw that happen. The kingdom's best swordsman, bested so easily?
Cole laughed as he flew around in the air. "You know how to put on a show, Byrne!"
"It was hardly a fair fight, Cole," Byrne remarked as he headed toward Zelda.
"Help me, Link!" Zelda cried, scared for her life.
Link rushed forward the moment he heard the Princess cry out, and held his arms outstretched. However, Byrne wasted no time and he swatted Link to the side easily. The two girls gasped as the young man was hurled backward to the ground, and he knocked out.
"Stay away from me!" the Princess cried in terror.
Before Christy could even make a move, Cole flew toward Zelda and balls of purple energy came from his hands. They hit Zelda in full force, causing her to cry out and collapse. Her body went limp and a blue light came out of Zelda, and headed toward the castle quickly.
"Well done, Byrne! That takes care of the first step of our plan!" Cole said gleefully.
"No!"
Christy's shout alerted the two that she was still standing. She hadn't made a move because she was really scared, and she didn't expect this to happen to her. But seeing what happened to Alfonzo, Link and Zelda, she couldn't help but cry out.
For the briefest instant, a look of surprise seemed to fill Byrne's eyes, but he quickly got rid of it and narrowed his eyes. He slowly approached the girl, who backed up a little and fell off of her feet, after her foot connected with a small rock. He didn't stop until he was standing above her. He looked into the girl's terrified brown eyes before he turned his gaze to her neck.
"Impossible," he murmured. "There is no way. How did someone like you come across the Spirit Charm?"
