Disclaimer: I'm lacking in clever quips at the moment, probably because it's Valentine's Day. I hate Valentine's Day.
No ownership here.
Chapter III
The day of the banquet at Hyrule Castle was already well underway, with King Daphnes presiding. Guest from almost all over Hyrule had come after they had been invited by the King himself. The exceptions had been the aquatic Zora and the cave dwelling Goron tribes. The cheeriest of music was being played in the background by the city orchestra and the main hall was filled with guests. Daphnes was closely guarded by Impa due to Princess Zelda having yet to arrive for the banquet. Impa herself suggested that the Princess wasn't properly dressed and was likely still in her bedroom. The King was also searching around for Ganondorf, who apparently had also yet to arrive.
Eventually, Princess Zelda herself arrived. She was dressed in a radiantly decorated white and lavender gown with matching arm sleeves. She was also wearing a set of gold braces on her shoulder as well as tiara on her head. A pair of finely groomed pony tail were slug over each shoulder while the hair of her hair was combed behind her. By and by, Zelda could practically be the object of desire for every man in the hall. Many of them were practically swooning over her, and Zelda took to ignoring them as she approached her father, who was speaking to a man who was clearly from far away.
"Ah, here she is at last," Daphnes said with a smile and embraced his daughter. "I was worried you arrive in time, Zelda."
"My apologies, father. Finding the right outfit for this banquet was more difficult than I'd hoped." Zelda exclaimed.
Daphnes smiled and turned to the man he'd been speaking with. The man was adorned oddly enough in a mostly feathered ensemble. His bushy eyebrows and slightly pointed nose made him appear like a wise owl. "Kaepora, I trust you remember my daughter Princess Zelda, yes."
"Of course," Kaepora cheerfully exclaimed. "It is a pleasure to see you again, my dear. By the goddesses, you look as radiant as your mother did so long ago."
"It's good to see you as well, Kaepora," Zelda replied. "How have you been since we last met?"
"Quite active as you can see," Kaepora said while display his ensemble but somewhat gaudy-looking attire. "I've spent deal traveling from place to place, seeing the many vistas beyond Hyrule. One such land is called Termina. A beautiful land to be sure, although the moon often seemed a bit closer than normal."
Zelda was only mildly interested in Kaepora's words. "That sounds quite interesting. If you'll excuse me…"
Zelda quickly walked away from Daphnes and Kaepora and wandered about the hall. There were so many guests around that it was pain to maneuver around them. Zelda was jokingly contemplating asking Impa to cut a path through them. At least the cheerful music kept her from going crazy. She hated these sorts of gatherings since the death of her mother, which Zelda still had trouble believing to have been suicide. Zelda decided to focus on something a little more cheery and not some depressing, like the long table that was loaded to the brim with all sorts of eatery.
Much of the delicacies came from the townsfolk while some more came from Kakariko Village. Zelda didn't allow herself to salivate over all of it. She did take a small crumpet from a plate and took a tiny bite out of it. It tasted a pinch stale but she wasn't going to judge whoever made it. It was likely something the castle chefs made. Out of the courtesy with which she was raised, Zelda finished the crumpet in small but wholesome bites until it was gone. She'd have to wash the stale taste from her mouth.
"I hate these get-togethers," said a cold voice, and Zelda realized that it belong to Ganondorf. He was standing right behind her like a dark shadow. "They're ever so sickeningly dull, aren't they?"
Zelda swallowed hard and replied, "I see you've finally arrived out of that lifeless desert you call home, Ganondorf." She turned to face him.
"Still charming as ever," Ganondorf said with a sly grin. "I have to say you look ravishing in that gown, Princess. Just like your late mother."
Zelda was already feeling ill with the Gerudo chief so close to her. "Yes," she said. "Well, some children do tend to take after their parents. Others go their own way and choose their own path," Zelda looked around the hall for a moment before saying, "I'm surprised your little bodyguard hasn't accompanied you."
"Nabooru has never been much for banquets, and I don't need her to shadow me all the time," Ganondorf said and then inched closer to Zelda. "Besides," he said. "I was hoping for a brief one-on-one with you."
That was the final straw for the Princess as she pulled away from the Gerudo chief. "It will have to be another time, Ganondorf. I suddenly feel quite ill so I'll bid you farewell." Then she quickly stormed off through the guests.
"Must you really depart, Princess," Ganondorf said aloud. "You're going to miss the festivities; I'm sure they'll be rather entertaining."
Zelda stopped for a brief second to contemplate the words of Ganondorf. Ganondorf, who was still smirking toward the Princess behind her back, suddenly turned and sauntered away when Zelda turned. She watched him saunter off as if nothing happened. Her first impulse above all else was to speak to her father. Her first words to him would be that Ganondorf wasn't as he seemed. But there was a problem; Ganondorf was already meeting with Daphnes. If she tried to say anything about Ganondorf, Daphnes would likely dismiss it and Ganondorf would deny it. Left with no choice, Zelda retreated from the banquet on her way back to her chambers. She knew now that something was wrong.
Link felt like he was wronged in some way. There he was with Malon and Talon and a bunch of lower-mid level individuals in the lower levels of the castle, just sitting around doing nothing while the banquet was underway upstairs. This was all Talon's idea when he told the kids about the supposed clean-up duty they'd be tasked with when the banquet. Unfortunately, as Link believed, a banquet like the one he was missing was sure to go on until well into the very late evening. Maybe even into the next morning, he thought. Link spent the past 15 to 20 minutes looking up the only staircase leading to the upper floor, with a pair of castle guards at the bottom. They were frequently denying access to the upper floor to several people at once.
Rolling his eyes Link returned to Malon and Talon, the latter of whom was napping again. Malon was humming Epona's song to herself when Link approached. "I cannot believe there's a banquet going on up there while we're down here doing nothing but waiting," he said, but Malon just ignored his griping. "Malon, aren't you even a little bit annoyed? Are you even listening?"
Malon stopped humming and said, "I am listening but there's nothing that we can do. We weren't invited to the banquet and the guards aren't going to let anyone up from down here. All we can do is sit back and wait until it's over."
"Ugh but I'm so bored just waiting down here." Link whined although Malon just ignored him.
Frustrated, Link looked back at the bottom of the stairs where the guards were stationed. Then he heard a faint sound coming from an unscrupulous looking sort. He appeared old with a graying beard, a balding head and bushy eye brows and he was waving Link over to him. Link usually knew better than to talk to strangers, but something about this character just seemed to resonate with him. Against his better judgment, Link approached the old man.
"Name's Gaebora, lad," he whispered. "You lookin' to get upstairs to the banquet, are ya?"
Link wasn't sure what to make of this fellow. "Are you talking to me?"
"Ain't no one else nearby," said Gaebora, looking around and then added, "I can distract the guards; you can sneak upstairs. They'll never the wiser."
"Somehow, I know this is going to end badly." Link muttered.
What 'cha got to lose, lad," The Gaebora got up and grabbed a nearby stick that he was likely using for walking. He stumbled over to the guards and shouted, "Hey you young fellas. 'Mere; I wanna ask you something.
"Sir, we'll have to ask you to step back from the staircase." one of the guards said.
"Don't presume to boss me around, you young welp," Gaebora snapped. "I was fighin' in the greatest battles while you were still in your mother's womb."
The guards weren't the least bit sure of what to make of the seemingly crazy old man. He didn't let up from there. He went on a verbal tirade that drew the attention of the other people in the room, including Malon. Talon was still napping nearby. As all of this was going on, Link quietly and carefully went up the staircase. Gaebora was still distracting and berating the guards, apparently getting angrier over time. Link reached the top of the staircase where he was confronted by the door. He opened it and, after taking one last look at display by Gaebora, snuck through the door. The people continued to watch the old man's tirade with amusement. Even Malon was starting to crack a smile… until she realized that Link was nowhere in sight.
"Link," she said and then looked up at the top of the staircase. "He didn't…"
The banquet was still going on for what seemed like hours, though it was about an hour and a half at the most. The many guests busied themselves with nothing more than idle chatter about random things that no one cared about at all. Link managed to peak his head out and he looked around at all of the people in the hall. Every last one of them seemed to wearing all formal wear, while he was wearing the clothes he probably slept in the night before. Well, he made it up to the upper floor, so the question was; Now what?
The first thing on his mind was to get at the table with the abundance of food, but there were a few too many people between him and it. Plus, there were other guards patrolling around the hall. Link caught sight of a woman with silvery white hair and wearing blue and white clothing standing close to a man in royal garments. Link assumed that was the King himself and the woman was his bodyguard or his mistress; maybe both. Sneaking around the hall between the pillars, Link was inching closer to the table while skillfully avoiding the guards. Then he saw the man in black armor again and he froze in place.
The man in black armor turned toward where Link was standing, but he wasn't there. Link slipped right back behind the nearby pillar miniscule seconds before he was spotted. But the man only sneered, because somehow he knew Link was there. Link was trembling in his boots. His eyes were darting back and forth looking for a way out of the hall. He spotted an exit but was too afraid to make a move. The man in black armor was starting to inch closer to the pillar when one of the guests, a large woman in a yellow gown, stepped in his way. When she moved on, the man continued his advance on the pillar and one he got there, the boy was gone.
Link managed to slip away into another hall of the castle. It was just like much of the rest of castle, with a series of very decorative pieces hanging about the walls. Link wondered through the hall he was in while taking an account of the décor. Much of it was comprised of portraits of the Royal Family, many of which displayed the monarchs that came before the current King and his family. Link stopped at a portrait of a beautiful woman. He realized the woman was the late Queen Vera and at her side was the then-young Princess Zelda. Link had never met either of them.
He continued to wonder around the castle, not having the slightest idea of what he was really looking for. He was starting to think coming up to the upper floor was a bad choice. Link then came to a sudden stop at a large spiral staircase. It led up to the next floor and Link gazed around. There were no guards approaching, but Link was feeling reluctant to go up the stairs.
"You came this far, Link." he said to himself.
Then with one foot on the first step, Link started climbing up the staircase. Then he heard chatter from the far end of the hall and realized that a pair of guards were in fact approaching. Panicked, Link bolted up the stairs to the next floor, but his footsteps alerted the guards. With no choice, Link kept racing up until he was on the next floor. The guards were in pursuit of what they assumed to be a strange. Link was confronted with several doors on the upper floor and he was frantically trying to open them one after another. Eventually finding an unlocked door, Link slipped inside and shut the door just seconds before the guards could spot him.
Link though he was in the clear until he realized he had just entered the chamber of Princess Zelda without realizing it. He saw that it was decorated much like the halls of the castle, with a large bed and a dresser with a vanity mirror. Link could hear the guards approaching and knowing they likely find, headed for the windowsill. He threw it open and stopped dead when he saw just how far up he was from ground level. There was no way he could possibly get down from the window to the ground without killing himself. Then it got so much worse for Link when he heard a female voice in the next room.
"Impa, is that you?"
Now panicked beyond measure, Link frantically tried to figure out what to do. There was only one thing he could do; hide. Where could he hide? The windowsill was obviously out of the question and he couldn't hide in the closet. Link decided the only place he could hide was under the bed, so he quickly crawled under it. Princess Zelda came out of the other room in her sleeping gown, her hair loose and hanging down her back. She was looking around for whom she had believed earlier to be Impa. Then she went to close the window… wait; she never left the window open. Zelda was thinking that something was amiss while unbeknownst to her, Link was hiding right under the bed and keeping his mouth shut. He could see Zelda bare feet and then heard knock on the door.
Zelda went to open the door and one of the guards was on the other side. "Is there a problem?" she asked.
"We're sorry to disturb you Princess, but we're investigating odd noises up here," the guard stated. "Have you heard anything unusual recently?"
Zelda thought to tell the guards of the open window that shouldn't have been open at all. "I've heard no such noises," she said. "If I do, I'll inform you."
"With respect, we'd like to inspect your chamber, Princess." the guard claimed.
"With returned respect, I'm quite capable to handling the inspection of my own chamber. Now, if you be so kind as to depart…" Zelda said.
"Apologizes, Princess." the guard said before he and his cohort departed.
Zelda closed the door and breathed a slight sigh. She looked back at the still open window, still trying to figure out how it was opened in the first place. It was locked and there were gusts of wind of particular note. Zelda knew something wasn't right, but she chose to return to the next room. When she disappeared into the room and closed the door behind her, Link made his move. He scurried out from under the bed and began tip-towing back to the door. He stopped to check that Zelda was still in the next room and barely saw her. Chancing it, Link made for the door and went to open it. He peaked out the small crease and saw that the guards were gone. But he was unaware of the sharp, thin steel of a rapier sword pointed directly at the back of his next. Then came the voice…
"Do not make any sudden movements," she said coldly. "Turn around very slowly," Zelda held the rapier high at the neck as the intruder slowly turned around. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw it was a just boy that was her age. "Who are you and what are you doing inside my chamber?"
There were two guards at the front gate of the castle and four more atop the upper rampart watching their every move. Like the evening prior, the full moon was out and illuminating the front garden. This time, there were several passing clouds and a particularly thick one was passing by the moon. In an instant, the light from the moon turned to darkness, but the guards remained ever vigilant. That was until one of them suddenly dropped to the ground by the gate. The other guard went to check on his fallen comrade only to be taken down by an unseen force.
A new figure approached and yanked a set of daggers from the bodies. The intruder was Nabooru, and she wasn't alone. Then waved to the path that lead from the city to the front gate and the first thing to appear was a massive battering ram. The carriers weren't Hylian. They appeared to resemble a cross between ogres and goblins, and they wore armor. The guards on the rampart began to notice something was wrong, and those suspicions were correct when they heard the sound of steel being twisted apart. After that, there was the sound of grunting and they eventually spotted the intruders brazenly coming up the path to the castle. A woman was leading the charge.
"Moblins," one of the guards shouted. "We have Moblins approaching the main entrance. Sound the warning…"
To Be Continued...
Author's note: That's where I stop for the time being. Did you notice the names Kaepora and Gaebora in the chapter? Those are a reference to Kaepora Gaebora, the Wise Owl from Ocarina of Time.
Link finally meets Zelda for the first time. What going to happen? How did I do so far?
