Haaa... I am sooooooo sorry for not updating. I am not going to give you guys a long list why. Actually, I'm not going to even bother. And since I made you guys wait for so darn long for this chapter, I made it a long chappy. I did not edit this.

Thanks to neruchan94, mikumikunishiteageru, and TwiliCuckoo for reviewing last chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I wouldn't be writing this if I owned Zelda now would I?

Spirit Tracks Chapter 10: To be A Princess. Part 1

~Haha...This is a MUST-BE-HERE interlude. Sorry!~

"..."

"..."

"...It's nearly evening..." said Alfonzo.

"..."

"I think there is a chance Link might not here anymore..."

"..."

"Umm...Your Majesty...?" Alfonzo tried to get the King to answer him in a polite way. But sadly, the King still did not answer. The King was sitting on his throne, his elbows resting on the arm rest, and his hands clamped together. He was thinking. Of what? Meeeh, you'll find out.

Alfonzo got up from the steps he was sitting on and turned to the King. Taking a short bow, he said, "Your Maje-"

The King cut him off. Straightening, he said, "Tell me, Alfonzo. Why won't the boy speak?"

Alfonzo blinked. He had a confused look on his face before realization dawned on him. "Oh, I thought someone had told you that Link is mute."

There was a thick silence.

"What?" asked the King, as if he didn't quite catch what Alfonzo had just said. Alfonzo nodded.

"He's mute." he said. It was the King's turn to blink.

"What?"

"Your Majesty, he cannot speak." Alfonzo said, saying his earlier answer in a different way. He furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion.

"WHAT?!" The king shouted, standing abruptly from his seat when he overcame his shock. "My daughter had allowed a mute—a mute—child to-to—" Here, he curled his hands into fists. "—to graduate as an engineer! The boy is not only just a child, but mute for Spirit's Sake!"

Alfonzo stepped down the steps to steer clear from the King's outburst. In all truth he was scared of the King. I mean, who in their right mind would attempt to interrupt someone's rant. Obviously for Alfonzo, that is the very last think to ever resort to.

"And he still became an engineer?!" continued the King. He was now pacing, worry and concern written all over his face. "This is unbelievable! This is against our law!"

Alfonzo gave a confused look. "Since when was that part of our book of laws, Your Majesty?"

The King spun around and pointed a finger at him, yelling, "The moment I found out he is MUTE!"

Suddenly, the door slammed open and an orange bearded man walked in with a dark clothed child under his arm. Both the King and Alfonzo nearly had their eyes pop out.

"What did you do to Link?!" Alfonzo yelled once he recognized the hair style the boy had (but he did note that the child's hair was black). Russell, the Captain of the guards, took a step back with one hand in the air.

"Woah, woah!" he said, "Before you say anything Mr. Alfonzo, this isn't who you think it is!"

Alfonzo spluttered over his words before saying, "What? What in the world do you mean?"

"Well—" Russell started before Alfonzo cut him off.

"I know who you're holding is Link! I don't know why you would change his appearance, but tell me what happened!" Alfonzo pointed an accusing finger at him. The King, who was watching the scene before him, raised a hand to silence Alfonzo.

"Do not go assuming things, Alfonzo of Abode Village!" bellowed the King. The said man immediately quieted. Taking a deep, calming breath, the King gestured to Russell. "I believe you have some explaining to do, Captain Russell."

The captain saluted him with his right arm across his chest, and with a slight bow and a raise later, he began his report. He placed the unconscious boy against a wall and faced his king with a grave look on his face.

"Your Majesty, this boy here is most definitely not the boy we have been ordered to search for." He said. The King narrowed his eyes but said nothing. BUT, Alfonzo however…

"Then who is he?" asked Alfonzo with a raised voice. The raised his hand again to silence him. Russell continued by answering the asked question.

"We have no idea. This boy was attacking four of our guards at the front gate."

"Attacking? This young child?" asked the King. Russell nodded.

"Yes, it's true. I was shocked when I heard the sounds of fighting and I found this boy doing as I have mentioned before. It took us awhile but we were able to not severely hurt the boy." He gestured to the knocked-out child. "A good smack in the head seemed to have worked."

The King spared a glance at the boy as Alfonzo knelt next to the boy and checked his head.

"Must've been a hard smack. There's a huge lump on the back of his head! I'm surprised he isn't bleeding…" he said. The king turned his attention back to Russell as he continued his report.

"And… we know he isn't the boy we were searching for. Oh, definitely not!" Russell shook his head in great disapproval. Both the King and Alfonzo shared a look of confusion. The captain continued on.

"He was yelling and spatting curses at us with a lot of energy! He managed to knock out two of us and injure one!" The King and Alfonzo stared at said boy in shock. He was still unconscious, but they were finally starting to see the huge differences between him and Link.

Link has blonde hair, lightly tanned complexion, and wore the green standard uniform. And he can't talk. The boy still "sleeping" has black hair, was definitely paler than Link, and he wore a black version of Link's attire. But, they both had the same face and the same body structure. If those two were together, anyone would think that they're twins.

"Then…" Alfonzo took a step back, "who is he…?"

The boy's hand twitched before finally stirring. "What the h*ll…?"

._._._._._.

My footsteps echoed through the large circular room I found myself in. It was HUGE. There were four tall doorways with a single bulb of light of a color hanging above. Ancient carvings were framed on the walls. Taking a closer look, it was already chipped in several places, making it hard to read. Well, it's not like I can read it anyway.

But to be honest, I paid no attention to the carvings and focused more on something a LOT noticeable in the room. In the center of the room was a life-sized train statue. I stared at it in awe as Princess Zelda appeared at my side.

"This place…" she trailed off, also looking around. Her eyes stopped at the train and she stared at it in wonder. "…is overflowing with magical energy. Especially that train."

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at her obvious comment. "Your Majesty, I am fully aware of that."

"Eh? You can feel it, too?" she asked. I nodded as I raised my hands to my upper arms to warm them a little. The air was both summer warm and freezing cold. I couldn't really tell which one was good or bad. But going with logic, warm is good, and cold is bad. My logic proved me right when the air slowly grew warmer and a faint sound of an engine running came from behind the train.

"Hoho~ I'm surprised you two can feel the magic of the spirits' train." said an elderly woman on a wheelchair that appeared behind the train. I stared at her in surprise. Her pale pink hair was up in a swirl on top of her head and her nose was sharp. Her eyes were closed so I can't say what color they were. She wore a purple tunic with her hands folded together, sitting on her lap.

I easily felt at ease with her when she smiled warmly. Princess Zelda stared at her in shock.

"You can see me…? Could it be that…you're the sage of the Tower of Spirits?" she asked the elderly woman. She opened one eye and smirked in a way.

"Well, one would put it that way, but I wouldn't say. Although, I do protect this tower. My name is Anjean. It's a pleasure to meet you." she said. I noticed how she was focusing more on me than the princess. It bothered me a little, but it just made me begin to wonder if I met her before.

"Oh, am I glad to see you! We came to speak to you about something." said the Princess, floating up to her with happiness shining in her eyes. I nodded in agreement. Anjean opened her other eye and listened to what the princess had to say.

She sat and listened intently as she explained the tracks were disappearing, the tower breaking, and the people we met. She gave me a couple glances when the Princess got to the Evil Leprechaun part. I just stood and waited, ignoring her looks at me.

"Hmm…You're quite pale, my Princess." she said with a small frown. The princess nodded vigorously. The frown slowly melted to a smirk. "Or should I say… horrendous."

"HORRENDOUS?! How dare you speak to me this way!" the Princess snapped, clutching her fists together. I cleared my throat to clear a silent laugh, hiding my smile with my left fist covering my mouth. Of course, the princess noticed and glared at me. I only gave her a questioning stare (but I was still smiling).

Anjean's smirk grew. "It seems the enthusiasm still runs in your family, my dear. But there's no need to have your temper up in the air for all to see."

Princess Zelda's expression softened, turning into curiosity. "Oh, have you known someone in my family?"

"Like a pirate she was! Of course, I knew one of your ancestors." Anjean said with a smile. "I met her when she came to this country to find a new world worthy of a kingdom. We were good friends for quite a long while."

I stared at the elderly woman in shock. "But that was…"

"But that was nearly a hundred years ago!" said Princess Zelda. I nodded with her.

"You were here that long ago?" I asked. Anjean snapped her head toward me and gave me a loooooooooong stare….. I stood in my spot and looked at anything but her.

"That is a story for another time, my child." she said, giving me a cautious stare. I blinked at her answer. Her voice was guarded, obviously being careful with what she was saying. Something was up, but I couldn't say it was. "We have a more important matter that needs our fullest attention."

The Princess floated closer to me as Anjean continued. "What do you two know about the story of this tower?"

I shared a glance with the Princess and she raised a hand to her mouth. "Well, only what the ole folktales say…"

"A long time ago, the Spirits of Good and the Demon King were tied into an endless war. But the Spirits couldn't beat him. Although, they managed to trap him in the Tower of Spirits." I mentally said. I ran a hand through my hair. "If I remember correctly, someone once told me that it's not chains that are keeping him locked up, but the energy that's in the tracks itself. Connecting with this tower and the four temples that are built throughout the land… Am I right?"

"Wait, the Spirit Tracks-! They carry that energy?!" The Princess stared at me in shock. "You knew this the whole time, Link?!"

I bit my bottom lip and turned away from her gaze. I couldn't look at her. Yes, I knew. For some odd reason, I knew. I knew that the Spirit Tracks carried that power. I felt its energy slowly fade over the past couple months, but that doesn't mean I knew what was really going on.

Anjean stared at me with that same cautious look. "You are well-informed, my boy. If these tracks disappear, the tower's energy will gone, along with the Demon King's prison. By now, you two should understand that this is what our enemy is after."

I nodded with the Princess. "The resurrection of the Demon King, Malladus."

Anjean frowned slightly before continuing. "As we speak, I'm using my energy to keep him imprisoned, but I do not know how much longer I can keep up his chains. And they need a very important piece to complete the resurrection… like…" She trailed off, staring at Princess Zelda with determination. The Princess raised a hand to her bottom lip as Anjean pointed at her.

"The descendant of the royal bloodline from Ancient Hyrule that possesses the Sacred Power. You, Princess Zelda. And yes, that means…" She didn't really want to finish that sentence. I knew what she was going to say since I caught on. I looked at the Princess and she was giving me a confused and shocked look.

I stared at her wide-eyed. "You must be joking." I signed. She raised an eyebrow.

"What? What is it? I get that they need me but… what's with the weird look, Link?" she asked, sinking a little lower. I took a deep breath and mentally told her…

"It means your body, Your Highness…" She furrowed her eyebrows.

"My body? What for?" she asked. I looked at Anjean and she just smiled at me as if to encourage me to say it. Sweet Good Spirits….

"….."

"Well, Link, say it."

"….Ah…"

"Just spit it out already!" the Princess yelled. I flinched and said it before I could stop myself.

"Malladusisgoingtoinhabityourbody!" She blinked.

"What…?" Darn it Princess! Stop making this harder than it is already!

"Malladus is going to inhabit your body! Inhabit. Live. DWELL…In…your….bod—"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I shoved my hands to my ears to protect myself as Princess Zelda rocketed upward. Anjean only stared up at her in mild amusement. The Princess did NOT stop there.

"The Demon Kind is going to run around the world in my body?! BLECH! I can't even put into WORDS how DISGUSTING that is!"

Silence… Both me and Anjean shared a look of dread (well, she was smiling). My gut told me that I should run. Right about…

Princess Zelda shot back down to Anjean with a fierce determined look combined with anger and disgust. "We HAVE to stop them! We can't let him be resurrected!"

Anjean nodded in agreement. "That is exactly what I want. Your body, my dear, is at the top of this tower. The Spirit of the Demon King is also there. To stop them on time, you have to restore the energy of the tracks between this tower and the temples across the land." I looked up to the ceiling of the room and tried to imagine getting to the top.

"But how?! How do we restore the tracks?" demanded the Princess. I tore my gaze off the ceiling and frowned.

"You must find the answers in the floors above us." said Anjean calmly. "There are four stone Rail Maps sealed there. Get them and use it. You should know that this tower is at the center of your kingdom, connecting the realms together."

I took a quick glance at the four large doorways. That explains a lot actually. Anjean continued on since the Princess kept staring at her. "Right now, this tower is overflowing with a dark energy. But you should be able to get a rail map to restore a small portion of the tracks if you get far enough. You can start by the stairs…."

Princess Zelda nodded with fierce determination and flew over to me. "You have a very important mission placed on top of you, Link!" She flew a little closer as I took a step back. I swallowed not because of whatever mission it is, but the princess herself.

"The kingdom is in great danger and you're the only one we'll be counting on!" I took another step back. "You understand how important this is right?!" And another step back. "You HAVE to find those rail maps and restore the tracks!" And another… "I will wait for your return here!" And another… "I'm a princess so that's what princesses do!" And another… "I know it's a lot of pressure, so don't get scared! You need to just suck it up and—"

"Ahem…" The princess stopped in the middle of her sentence and turned to look at her. "Sorry to, um, interrupt a very…encouraging pep talk, but the poor boy can't do it alone, my dear."

By now, I was already teetering of the edge of the platform, trying to keep my balance straight. To be honest, I didn't really pay attention to the Princess was saying. I was more focused on NOT losing my balance.

"What do you mean…?" asked Princess Zelda. Anjean frowned slightly.

"There traps set everywhere in the floors above. They were made to get rid of trespassers…but that's leaving out the little monster problem…"

"Oh, really? This might sound a little rude of me but can you guide Link upstairs?" asked the Princess bluntly. Anjean's frown became a slight look of irritation.

"Do not tell me you had already forgotten what I told you. I have my plate full of keeping the tower somewhat together. I cannot help you there. I'm sorry, my dear."

I rolled my eyes. She didn't really mean her apology but I can tell what she was implying…. I looked at Zelda and stayed silent.

"Oh, no… Is there another alternative? I mean, if we go back to the castle, Link may get arrested…" said the princess with a thoughtful face. My jaw hit the floor.

"Arrested?! What? What for?!" I asked but I was completely ignored.

"Why don't you just go with him, my dear? It'll make it easier for all of us." suggested Anjean. Princess Zelda stared at her.

"…Me? Go…with Link? But how? I can't help in the state I'm in!" she said worriedly. Anjean gave a light laugh as I face palmed.

"Well, my dear, you are the one who is responsible for this kingdom. Never forget that. I'm sure you'll find a way to help him."

Princess Zelda gave me a look of uncertainty. "Well…I suppose. Let's go then, Link."

I smiled to encourage her a bit. "Don't worry, Princess. I'm sure you'll be fine. And we'll find a way to save this kingdom." She returned it with an uncertain smile. Then I added while crossing my arms, "By the way, this is starting to become more than a favor…"

I began to walk to the steps when someone stopped me.

"Wait, Link!" Anjean called out, turning to me. "Who exactly told you about the energy in the Tracks?"

I spun on my heel to face her and shrugged with a cat like grin. "A person I can't remember." It is the honest truth anyway. Zelda huffed impatiently.

"Come on, let's go!" I smiled brightly before running up the stairs with the Princess following me.

Again, This was not edited. Just let me know if there's any errors that I need to fix. And I guess this is a weird place to end at but hey. I'm a bit of a rush. So, again thank you to those who reveiwed/read/only took a glance at my story. Tell me what you think of this chapter. Either if it's good or bad, I don't really care right now.

Welp, Until I update again,

-CloudyLightning

FLAMES WILL BE USED TO BURN MY SOCIAL STUDIES PROJECT!