Zelda sighed as she walked down the corridor; the cat nestled against her chest purred loudly. She could still hear the festive music and cheerful voices of the visitors behind her, despite the heavy wooden door separating the corridor from the main hall.
"Why must you always wander around in places you should not be? Don't you remember the time when Father found you lapping from his wine glass during the council meeting?" She admonished, glaring down at the creature. He looked up at her, merry golden eyes twinkling, and yawned. Zelda smiled despite of herself, her annoyance melting away with the simple bored yawn.
"Princess?" A voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see a handmaiden staring at her in confusion. The girl was carrying a large basket filled to the brim with fabrics of various colors and lengths, most likely clothes that needed to be cleaned.
"I do beg your pardon, but why are you not in the hall?" She asked, awkwardly shifting the basket so that she could curtsy to the princess. A red silk shawl slipped from the basket as she curtsied, although the girl did not notice the shawl's escape.
"This little one escaped from my chambers and was wandering around the hall," Zelda replied, lifting the cat so that the handmaiden could see him. Malo complained loudly about the sudden movement, his mewl made the girl smile.
"Can you take him to my chambers and make sure he doesn't wander? I must return to the festivities," Zelda said.
"Of course, princess!" The girl quickly replied, quickly setting down the basket so that her hands would be free. The girl gently took the cat, smiling as she set him down on the fabrics. The cat purred and nestled into the fabric, closing his eyes as if he was about to sleep in the folds of the many fabrics. The girl curtsied once more before retrieved the fallen shawl, picked up the basket, and vanished down another corridor. Zelda smiled and began walking back towards the music.
"Hi, what's your name?" The girl giggled as she walked down the hall, smiling at the cat. The silver cat ignored her, although she could faintly hear purring.
"Well, my name's Maura. We are going to make a quick stop down the hall; these fine clothes are in sore need of cleaning. Are you hungry?" Maura replied. The cat's ears twitched and he sleepily turned his head to stare at her.
"Okay, maybe we can stop by the kitchens and see what we can find for you," Maura said. She continued on until she reached a dark mahogany door. After a slight struggle, she managed to open the door and was greeted by a rush of hot humid air. Several women, her elders by at least ten years if not more, were scrubbing clothes with fresh soap and hot water. One of the ladies, a heavyset woman with a bright red face, noticed her.
"Put those over there, girl," She shouted, motioning towards an open spot. Maura nodded and rushed over, depositing the basket and picking up the cat.
"Is there anything else you need?" She called. The lady glared at her, looked at the cat she cradled in her arms, and shook her head. Maura smiled and ran, glad that she had never been assigned to work there. The cat purred quietly, his head against her chest and the tip of his tail curled underneath his furry chin.
"Okay, now we shall head for the kitchens," Maura said. The cat's purrs grew louder, as if he was making sure she knew he wanted to go to the kitchens. She giggled, amused by the cat's response. She kept on walking, wondering where the kitchens were in correlation to her current location when she noticed that the cat had stopped purring. She glanced downwards and stopped, the hairs on the back of her neck tingled in sudden nervousness. The cat was glaring down the corridor, the thick silver fur on his back were standing up in thick tufts and his muscles tense. His mouth opened and a slow hiss erupted from his throat, tiny sharp teeth glimmered in the torchlight.
"What's wrong?" She said. The cat hissed slowly and leapt from her arms, raking her arms with his claws as he used her arms to propel himself forwards. He landed daintily on his paws and continued to hiss angrily, arching his back and twitching his tail in agitation. Maura looked up to see what upset him so much to see someone standing in the corridor, as if waiting for someone to arrive. The stranger was a tall man dressed in dark clothes.
"Sir, are you lost?" She called out, wondering if she was supposed to curtsy to the stranger. The head maid told her to always curtsy when in the presence of nobility or the royal family, but never went into detail on to whom she should curtsy to. The man did not respond, although he stared at the cat with an expression of faint amusement.
"Excuse me, sir…" She started to call again when she was interrupted by a shrill hiss. The cat backed up until it collided with her legs, its tiny frame shaking despite his angry hissing. She looked down at it, and noticed that the man was walking towards her; his pace was quick and even.
"Sir?" She called one last time before the cat shrieked again. In response to the cat, the man grinned. Maura felt panic flood her muscles, but barely managed a step backwards and a breath for a scream before the man struck at her. A single flash of silver streaked the air and Maura suddenly felt pain and warmth on her neck. Her knees collapsed as warm liquid sprayed down her front, so overwhelmed by the strange sensation of drowning that she did not notice the man vanish.
When Zelda returned to her seat, the festive music had been replaced by a slow formal waltz. She noticed that Nabooru's seat was empty and glanced at the crowd. For a moment, she could not find the Gerudo in the nervous men and the blushing ladies. However, she spotted her dancing with a frightened-looking man dressed in dark navy, oblivious to her partner's distress.
"Why is Nabooru torturing that man?" Zelda asked quietly as she sat down. Ruto glanced at her with a faint grin on his face.
"Well, I believe it is the issue that 'Sir' Bane asked her for the dance. He did not know she was a Gerudo until she accepted his offer and one of his friends whispered it to him as she walked around the table. Poor soul, he must be afraid she will carry him away to her fortress and ravish him," Ruto giggled.
"At least he still decided to dance with her, despite the fact that she is a Gerudo. I do not believe she would have accepted suddenly being denied a dance," Zelda continued. Ruto nodded and the two continued to watch the pair.
"Princess?" Zelda managed to keep herself from jumping, recognizing that it was Impa who had snuck up behind her.
"Yes, Impa?" Zelda asked.
"I was unable to find any information on Sir Avor from the servants, all they mentioned about him was about his appearance, " Impa stated, her voice thick with annoyance.
"What about the other Terminian representatives?" Zelda asked.
"I was unable to ask them, do you wish that I question them?" Impa asked.
"Speaking of our mysterious Sir Avor, he's vanished," Ruto interrupted, staring at the crowds. Zelda turned and scanned the crowd, wondering why he suddenly vanished. The flowing music ended during her search, the people turned and clapped enthusiastically before a lively new song began. More couples rushed to start dancing, less nervous with the faster tempo and lighter atmosphere. Nabooru spoke softly to the man and returned to the table, a bright smile on her face.
"I think you should ask…" Zelda said softly before she noticed someone approaching the table. She broke off her statement and smiled to the approaching figure.
"Princess Zelda, may I honor you with a dance?" He said, bowing low. Impa hissed something, although Zelda was unable to understand. She decided that she should ask Impa what she had muttered later when they were in her private chambers before addressing the person before her.
"It would be an honor, Prince Lestat," Zelda replied.