"More sugar, love?"

"Do not call me 'love'."

Lord Quentalin gives me a smugly dashing smile as he lazily stirs the cup of tea on his saucer. "Whatever you say, darling. Would you like more sugar or not?"

"Yes, please," I say pleasantly through gritted teeth. He holds the ornate sugar bowl out to me and I reach for it, but he swiftly grabs my hand with his free one. I try to tug away. His grip is iron.

He smiles again. "You know what, I can take care of it. I wouldn't want to burden your dainty hands."

I'm so angry that I feel my face grow hot. I could use my dainty hand to slap him across his perfect face. Instead, I finally wrestle my hand from his and pull it close to me almost protectively. He always makes excuses to touch me. It makes me sick.

Quentalin looks at me. His gaze seems perverted─no, he's too respectable for that; it's more lustful than perverted. I feel like I can almost see what he's picturing flash across his eyes. I suddenly feel the urge to cover the skin exposed by the neckline of my dress. His eyes are crawling all over me and I want nothing more than to dissolve completely.

After a much prolonged moment, he drops three cubes of sugar in my tea. I take a sip, and it's so sweet that I resist the urge to gag. "Thank you."

This is our sixth meeting. Each one is longer and more painful than the last. Impa told me that my father personally invited Lord Quentalin to stay at the castle. The only thing that angered me more than having to put up with the awful man in front of me was that my father invited him in person. What has he done to deserve even a few seconds in my father's presence that I have not?

I gulp down the rest of my tea. "You know, Zelda," Quentalin coos, "you really are a vision. The goddess herself envies you."

I can't take it anymore. "I'm sure that's not true," I say tersely.

He looks at me in that awful way again. "Oh, I assure you that it is." His tone is suggestive and dark. I need to leave.

"Well, I really must be going. It's been lovely." I jump up, knocking the table and causing the tea set to rattle.

I turn to leave, but damn it all, Quentalin grabs me again. His fingers close around my wrist, and I know better than to struggle now. I duck my head to avoid his dark eyes.

I think he expects me to say something, and when I don't he puts his other hand on my waist. The skin where he touches me is on fire. Every instinct I have is saying go, go, go. "Zelda…" he begins, but I cut him off.

"Let me leave, Quentalin. Right now."

His charming smile turns cruel. He laughs humorlessly. "Oh, this is good. I knew you had a feisty side, darling." His grip on my wrist tightens uncomfortably. "Care to show me more?"

"Let me leave," I repeat.

With a sigh, he releases me. I darted toward the door immediately. The farther away I get, the lighter I feel.

I know even just the thought is melodramatic, but the idea of another meeting with Lord Quentalin makes me want to run away and never return.

I've been so busy that I haven't gone up to the rickety balcony in the wardrobe in several months. I reach the hallway, which is miraculously empty of guards, and look at the plain wooden doors of the wardrobe. It takes a bit of effort, they creak open with a dull whine. I climb inside.

At the top, I finally let tears fall that I hadn't known I was holding back. I haven't felt this hopeless since…since…

With a shuddering sigh, I finally stop holding back a thought I haven't allowed to cross my mind for three years.

I miss Link.

I miss sneaking out of the castle. I miss learning how to fight. I miss Castle Town. I miss looking at the stars with him from the roof of a barn. I miss his stubborn sarcasm and dry wit. I miss his floppy blonde hair and dark eyebrows. I miss his rare laugh and the feeling it gave me to be the cause of it. I miss the look he gave me when I had a panic attack in the forest when I thought I was going to die.

I've missed Link every day for three years, and I know I'll miss him every day for however many years I spend in this godforsaken castle. The idea of spending the rest of my life here amplifies my hopeless tenfold.

A sad voice comes from the part of me I had kept locked up for so long. Maybe I really should run away.

No, that's foolish.

I could probably do it, though.

I'd be found within a month.

I could definitely do it.

No, within a week.

I'm going to do it.

"You want...what now?"

"Please, Jas, please. I'll give them back as soon as I'm done."

"Don't bother; there's really no point if you're popping the lenses out. I have a multitude of pairs anyway. I just pray to the goddesses you don't need them for what I think you need them for."

Jaspar gave me a poignant look, and I could tell he knew exactly what I was planning to do. He handed me a pair of glasses from his desk and sighed heavily.

I smiled widely. "Oh, thank you so much! I promise I'll be fine. Really."

It had been a few days since my near-breakdown on the balcony, and as soon as I had come to my senses I realized that running away forever was an extremely stupid plan. I decided to only leave for a day or two. I knew it was still foolish, but the risk was considerably less than my original idea.

Still, even running away for a day requires a lot of preparation. I needed Jaspar's glasses as part of a disguise. Already, I had obtained a wig that now only needs to be dyed black. It was a gray powdered wig that used to be commonly used in formal, aristocratic situations. I had taken out the pins that styled it, but it still looked a bit...odd. I think I'll just cut off the longest ends, wear a cloth over the top, and pray no one studies it too closely.

Even my plainest dress seemed to be too much, so I stole an apron from the kitchen in the middle of the night. It feels like too much work for a simple disguise, but I really don't want to take any chances.

I left the library, clutching the glasses close to me. I looked through an iron-barred window. It was just past midday. I cursed silently. The soonest I could continue preparing was nightfall.

Quentalin had a business matter to attend to in Castle Town, so our next meeting had been postponed. It was not a coincidence that it had been rescheduled to the day I planned to escape. The longer I don't have to see him the better.

Only two more nights before I leave. Two! I practically skipped to my room. Why couldn't time go faster?

I checked to make sure Impa wasn't nearby before pulling out the small chest from under my bed. She didn't know what I was planning. It felt strange keeping a secret from her, but I needed to do this alone. What kind of queen would I be if I couldn't do anything by myself?

The chest had originally only housed the wig. I had found it a year or so ago and Impa had told me what it was for. There hadn't been an occasion that had required it since I could remember, but it was still under my bed just in case. Now, the stolen apron was shoved in the tiny wooden box as well. I carefully set the glasses on top and pushed the chest back under my bed.

Fixating on my escape isn't a good idea, but I just can't think of anything else. I can't focus on anything else enough to even read a book.

Under my pillow is a map of Hyrule with my path to Faron inked in a spidery blue line. If escaping and doing something independently with this trip is hitting two birds with one stone, going to Faron and facing my fear of the forest would be yet another bird. This is the part of my journey I've planned least. I'm afraid that if I think about it, I'll back out of going at all. I need to have courage.

The day seems to crawl on forever as I hide my time. Finally, when the sun starts to fade outside of my window, I let out a long exhale. I feel as if I've been holding my breath all day.

That night, I paint my wig with black ink in the bathroom of a rarely used guest quarters. The ink got all over my hands, but I wear gloves around the castle so no one but Impa will see.

The wig, truthfully, doesn't look awful. It was a lot of work for what I have, but I don't want to take the risk of being recognized. It might be just enough to avoid being recognized.

The next day was a haze of my exhaustion and excitement combining into delirious euphoria. Just one more day and I would be free.

Before falling asleep on my last night, I told Impa that I was going to be ill for the next two days. She looked at me, alarmed.

"Do you feel unwell?" she asked, scanning me as if looking for something wrong.

I thought a moment before responding. "I will just be...unable...to attend any of my engagements."

Realization flooded her features. "Oh dear. Are you positive?"

I heard her question for what it really was: Are you sure you want to do this? "Absolutely."

She nodded grimly. "Very well." Then, with a knowing twinkle in her eyes, she added, "Feel better soon, dear."

Because of my anticipation, I wake up before dawn. I wake up early regardless, but I'm grateful for the extra time. I plan to be gone before breakfast.

After pinning up my hair and changing into the plain dress, I pull the chest out from under my bed and haul it out of my room. Stumbling through the quiet hallways puffing from the effort of carrying a heavy wooden box, I almost stop to laugh at the thought of watching myself do this.

Clumsily, I enter the yellow flower garden as the sun peeks out over the treetops of the wood surrounding this side of the castle. I stay close to the wall so anyone who happens to look out a window doesn't see the princess of Hyrule putting on a wig and glasses in the middle of a courtyard. How did I talk myself into this? It's utterly insane from every perspective─other than, arguably, my own, which is that I'll go utterly insane if I don't escape. I cling to this thought as I pull the wig over my head, pop the lenses out of the glasses, and tie the apron around my waist.

The final part of my escape requires a horse. I'll never get to Faron by the evening on two legs instead of four. I follow the still-familiar path out of the castle and through the woods that Link and I used three years ago. Rather than go all the way to Castle Town, I go to the barn instead.

Keeping secrets from Impa and Jaspar is the part in all of this I feel the guiltiest about, but a close second is what I'm about to do. I prefer to think of it as unexpectedly borrowing a steed rather than stealing one. I creep over to the stable, watching out for any signs of movement. Once inside, I survey my options. I settle on a brown and white mare. She seems reliable rather than regal, which is exactly what I need.

I lead my new traveling companion to the front of the stable where I saddle her and change into riding boots. My other shoes seem like flimsy slippers in comparison to the hardy leather boots. Saddling the mare was easy thanks to years of riding at the castle. I would have brought my own horse on this journey, but the disappearance would have seemed suspicious.

Just as I am about to leave, I eye the slightly muddy traveling cloaks hanging on the wall. I take one and put it on. I can't help but smile; it feels so right.

I leave on the opposite side of the stable, which was thankfully at the edge of the property. I lead my steed to the edge of the woods before climbing on. We ride for a while before coming upon a fairly deep stream. I throw my old shoes in the water and watch as the current pulls them farther and farther away until they're out of my sight. How great it is to be free.

I pull my map from one of the apron pockets. The other holds rupees and a compass. Following the course is easier than I had thought it would be. I give navigating my full attention to avoid my surroundings. The shadow of tree leaves dapples my horse's back as the sun climbs in the sky. Suddenly, I'm 13 again and panic is rising in my throat. This time, there isn't a reassuring voice and a pair of blue-gray eyes to pull me back from falling apart. I'm on my own.

No. I have nothing to worry about. I swallow to ease the tension in my neck and shoulders. I'm nearing the border to Faron, and soon everything will be just fine.

I hope to find a village with an inn where I can stay. I hadn't planned anything to do while I was gone from the castle so I could have as few responsibilities as possible. All I needed was food and a place to sleep.

I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed crossing into Faron. The forest looks the same but almost feels more alive, as if it holds more life than meets the eye. It doesn't feel dangerous, though. Just full of potential and anticipation.

A merry laugh rings through the trees. I pull the reigns of my horse, signaling her to stop moving. Was that one of the inhabitants of the wood? I had read old legends about forest spirits that took the form of small children, but I thought they had only been stories.

I ease my horse forward slowly. A gentle rattling fills my ears along with snippets of conversation. I follow the noise until I come across a dirt road cutting through the forest. I glance down at my map. There is no road plotted, but this map is very old. The road probably didn't exist at the time of the map's creation.

I look farther on down the path. A wagon rattles slowly along, echoing the same voices I had heard earlier.

I think it's time to test my disguise.

"Hello?" I call. I edge my steed toward the wagon, urging her to move a bit faster. "Excuse me?"

A red-haired face peeks around the side of the wagon. "Papa, slow down! There's a girl behind us!"

The cart halts. I slide off the mare's back and pull her by the reigns toward the wagon.

In the front of the wagon sits the red-haired girl and a large man with a bushy mustache. The girl's hair clashes spectacularly with the green of the forest─which I sort of love─and her pale blue eyes seem friendly and bright. "Hiya, little miss. What can we do for ya?" she asks, smiling in a way that shows she really is as kind as she looks. Her voice is accented in a way I've never heard; her speech is all drawn out vowels and trailing off at the last sound of a word.

"Um, I-I've never been in Faron before," I say. "I was wondering if you could direct me to the closest village? Preferably one with an inn."

The girl's mouth forms a small O. "You sound mighty posh, miss. You're from Castle Town, aren't 'cha? I reckon this is your first time anywhere!" the girl laughs, clearly not meaning any sort of offense.

Posh? I never thought of someone knowing where I was from just by the way I talk. I smile sheepishly and say, "You're right; before today, I'd never set a toe outside Castle Town." I try to mimic her speech pattern a bit. I read somewhere that it makes people feel more comfortable.

"Lucky for you, my papa and I left Castle Town just this morning! We were just headin' home to the ranch, and there's a pretty little village just near us. You could ride with us, if you'd like," the girl offers.

"Oh, my. That's very kind of you, but are you sure? Is your father fine with it as well?"

Next to the red-haired girl, her father grunts, but it isn't unkind. "Awh, he's just fine with it. Hop on in! You can tie your pretty little horse to the side of the wagon and she'll trot along beside us."

I thank her and fasten my steed's reigns to a bit of wood sticking out of the wagon. The bed is empty but for a few bits of cloth and wooden crates. The stolen mare eyes the two gray horses pulling the wagon curiously and snorts.

Holding the hem of my dress, I hurry back to the front of the wagon. The red-haired girl holds out a hand to me. I clasp it and set a foot on the edge of the wagon, and she hoists me up with a surprising amount of strength. She plops me down next to her, which puts herself in the middle of the now packed seat of the wagon.

"What's your name, miss?" she asks, looking at me expectantly.

Sweet Farore, how could I have forgotten? In all of my meticulous planning, I hadn't thought of a fake name. "I─uh, H-Hilda?"

She chuckles. "Nice to meet you, Uh Hilda. I'm Malon!"

"It's just Hilda…" I say awkwardly, but she smiles at me and I realize she was joking. No one I know makes jokes other than maybe Jaspar, but he has a very specific sense of humor.

To cover my stupidity, I ask, "So, why were you and your father in Castle Town?"

"Papa and I make a trip every season to sell stuff from the ranch to you uppity folks. Mind, you don't seem very uppity to me. I like you," Malon said approvingly.

Goddesses, we've known each other for fifteen minutes and she's already made up her mind about me. I wish I could be that trusting.

"I don't know," I teased. "I'd say I'm pretty uppity."

She waved a hand in front of her as if batting away a fly. "Naw, you're just proper. Proper is different than uppity─a lot nicer, too."

We chat the whole way back to Malon's ranch. I'm having a lot of fun. Malon is much more clever and funny than the farmgirl stereotype I had initially expected her to be. I hadn't even realized that I had made such an upfront judgment about her. Maybe I'm more uppity than she thinks.

I can see the ranch in the distance well before we arrive. It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be. I check my map. The ranch lies on the edge of Hyrule Field, the trees of Faron making a wall behind it. I think it's early afternoon now.

Malon's father directs the wagon through a simple wooden archway. Something is carved on the arch in an old Hylian dialect I'm not familiar with. Malon pokes me and points out of the wagon. Trying not to let her see my hesitation, I jump out of the wagon. I go to untie my horse, but Malon stops me.

"Leave her, my papa can put her with the others." Her voice doesn't seem like it could ever sound unkind.

"But I need to go to the village and find an inn," I protest.

Malon shakes her head and grabs my wrist, dragging me toward what I'm guessing is her house. "Don't bother. You can stay with us tonight!"

Before I can argue, she puts a finger to my lips with her other hand. "No, no, no. This way you don't have to pay. This old house is way too big for just me and Papa anyway."

She takes her finger away and continues pulling me to the house. She pulls open the door with a dull creak. The inside smells nice; the only way I can think to describe it is clean laundry. It's lit solely by the natural light coming in through numerous windows. White paint is peeling off the walls, but it doesn't look shabby or neglected. It seems safe and peaceful here, just like a home should.

"It ain't much. Definitely a lot less than your Castle Town house," remarked Malon.

I shook my head. "It's perfect. I really like it."

"Pshaw!" Malon bats her hand in front of her. Her face is slightly pink at the compliment. "Lemme show you where you'll be sleeping."

Sorry for the abrupt ending! Originally, this chapter and the next one were supposed to be one combined update, but it got waaay too long. I wasn't planning on updating until both chapters were finished but I just couldn't wait! I've been excited to write this part of the story since I outlined the plot two years ago. Also~ TWO YEARS? Man, I really need to update faster...

A HUGE shout out to all you lovely people, by the way! 50 followers? That's completely unreal to me, so thank you so much! This story is probably somewhere around halfway done, and I'm very excited to see where the other half takes us. Whether you've reviewed, followed, or this is your first time reading, thank you again. :D