A bit of a short chapter. Oh well.
There was a violent thud on the table. Zelda awoke, immediately standing from her chair, finding herself automatically preparing herself to send a charge of magic at the first sign of danger. She very quickly saw, however, that the only thing she was in danger of was a very frustrated looking Cole, who had just slammed an accounts book on the meeting table. She relaxed and let out a sigh of relief, slumping back into her chair. The reaction only proved to annoy Cole further, "Don't relax just yet – you need to make sure everything has been paid for, it isn't the time to take another nap!"
An unintentional groan escaped from the princess's mouth, one she immediately wished she could take back. "Oh, all of a sudden getting cold feet about-"
"No!" She stared daggers at Cole as she snapped. Yet the ferocity died down quickly and was replaced with a dread exhaustion. "I… I just feel under the weather, is all…"
Awful little Cole scoffed, "Oh, planning to work yourself to an early grave like your father?" The comment was enough to get the princess's temper to flare, but even she knew Cole was doing it on purpose. "If you're really feeling as absolutely wretched as you look, I am perfectly capable of handling things without you!"
Every word out of his slimy mouth had caused Zelda's gloved hands to clench, but tired as she was, she couldn't deny that she knew what he was trying to do. Cole was incapable of speaking a nice word to anybody he didn't need to brownnose, and so this was his way of showing a rather foul concern for her well-being. She stood again, this time pushing her chair out and giving an apologetic curtsey, "In that case, I shall leave things to your capable hands for today, Cole. I really am feeling unwell, so I apologize for the inconvenience."
Cole dismissed her with a huff, and she nonchalantly made her way out of the meeting room. But as soon as she left the room, she dropped the proud façade she had been wearing. Her shoulders slumped and her face fell, and her feet felt as if she'd been dragging Gorons by her ankles. She had been trying to maintain that strong front, but as each day passed it became increasingly more difficult to keep it up.
Zelda had managed to drag herself to her quarters, resisting all temptations to throw herself onto her bed. Doing so would have been painful. As it was, she'd had to hide the cuts and bruises on her person through long sleeves or gloves and trailing skirts. On top of Vaati insisting her training be in the dead of night, every night at the Four Sword Shrine, she'd had very little sleep. Her mind and body were straining under this pressure…
Vaati's method of training had proven to be very… hands on. Vaati had not been exaggerating when he said "Hopefully, you'll survive it," in regards to his training. He was a strict and harsh teacher, leaving no room lenience. If she didn't get it right the first time, he made his displeasure known and saw to it that she would learn – even if it meant threatening her life. His reasoning being that "The Moblins will threaten your life, so why can't I?" She had to admit it was sound reasoning, but there had been instances where she had thought he would actually kill her. Goddesses knew that that first day, she truly thought it.
It had started off simply enough, with Vaati explaining that her bloodline, as well as the remaining Light Force, ensured her natural element to be light – an element she could bend to her will in a variety of uses from shields, blinding effects, to physical weaponry like the bow and arrows she usually carried. As soon as he had finished explaining this, he said it was best to learn by doing and immediately threw his own magic at her. She had gone to the Shrine wearing boots that she had not broken in yet, not expecting that she would have to run. They had bit into her heels mid-sprint, toppling her onto the stone and allowing Vaati's wind blades to shred her arms and legs. He then proceeded to yell at her for allowing herself to fall and not even attempting to bring up a shield. She found she was unable to conjure up even the weakest of shields until the third day.
She had given it a week, confident that she would be able to handle the insane pressure… But she didn't think she could anymore, emphasized by the grudging pains that radiated throughout her body as she attempted to lie down on her bed. The princess groaned in her discomfort, finally coming to a conclusion in her head. I need to tell him that I can't keep this pace. It's impossible. Vaati had proven himself to be… reasonable, under certain terms before. Surely he would understand if she just explained it to him. She already had so much on her plate. He'll see reason, I'm certain of it. She had thought to herself sleepily. After all, within the next month or two, Labrynna and Holodrum would arrive… it wouldn't do to have such low energy reserves…
Her thoughts drifted and drifted until she finally slept.
It only felt like moments later when she realized there was a racket from her balcony doors and she shot up with a start. She looked around wildly, panicking at the darkness all around her until she realized night had fallen. Her eyes had little time to adjust to the darkness with the noise from her doors, but luckily she knew the layout of her room by heart. She went to the doors, catching the silhouette of bat-like shapes slamming against her doors. A pit grew in her stomach and she hesitated. What time is it? In her head, however, she knew. She knew why his little beholders were at her door. Her hand took the handle, and again she hesitated… But she turned it, and no sooner had she turned it than the beholder had thrown her doors open.
"I've no patience for tardy students." The beholder was centimeters away from her face as Vaati's voice boomed in her room.
"I-I'm sorry-" she stuttered, "I overslept, I didn't mean t-"
"What are my rules?"
Zelda winced, her mind racing in a panic trying to recall, "A-attend lessons every n-nigh-"
"And what are you not doing?!"
"I-I'll get going right now!" She hadn't finished the sentence before charging out of room, scrambling through the halls in her panic. If anyone saw her or heard her, a barefoot princess in a billowy gown with a wild look in her eyes, she had not noticed. She had run to the stables, ignoring the sores developing on the soles of her feet. To her great relief, Poe was there, having readied Epona for her and urging her to get going as quickly as she could.
"Hurry, hurry, the Master is very angry!" The soldier said, his voice shaking uncertainly.
"I know," she groaned as she accepted the helping hand Poe offered to mount Epona. She had gotten herself settled on the horse and then took off, leaving the worried looking Poe behind.
Poe grit his teeth, and he glanced upwards at the beams in the ceiling. Several of Vaati's beholders sat, wings rustling and solitary eyes gleaming. "Please, Master, I'm begging you not to be too harsh on her."
The eye of a singular beholder fell upon him, and through it he could feel the glare of his Master. It flew off of its perch and hovered by Poe's face, "She wastes my time, Poe. I fail to see a reason why I should condone it." The tone was curt, as if Vaati was using all his available willpower not to explode in a fury.
"It's true, Master, your time is precious but… Master, if I may speak freely?"
"No."
"Please."
Vaati remained silent. Poe decided to take a chance, "It's just that… she trusts you, I think."
"Don't be absurd." Vaati spat, the little beholder he was speaking through flapped its wings before Poe's face in indignation.
"B-but Master, you've said it to her countless times – you're the only one that hasn't lied to her!" Poe began again desperately. "She doesn't trust me like she used to, and she's isolated herself from everyone else in the castle. Master, whatever you've been doing, slowly but surely I think she is coming to regard you warmly! That can only work to your benefit!"
The beholder again flapped its wings threateningly before Poe's face, causing the soldier to flinch. "I'll hear no more of your nonsense."
And Poe kept his mouth shut then, nodding only once in confirmation before the beholder and its siblings flew out of the stables and into the night. The soldier could only hope that Zelda would come out relatively unscathed – it would be hard to explain to her father if she came home bloodied and damaged…
"Poe?"
He jumped at the sound of the familiar voice. "Gibdo?"
His brother was peering around the corner of the doorway. "So it is you, Poe… were you speaking with someone just now? What are you even doing here?"
"Eh? That's none of your concern." The younger brother said tersely. "But if you must know, I got the late shift tonight and I'd heard a racket coming from in here. It looks like some brats from town snuck in and let Epona loose."
Gibdo looked around, seeing that the princess's mare was gone and the stable door wide open. But something about it was odd… "… I could have sworn I heard you talking to someone else."
Poe rolled his eyes, "No one here but me and the rest of these flea ridden horses." He walked past Gibdo irritably, "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta report this to the stablemaster."
The elder brother let the younger pass by without issue, though he lingered in the stables. Because Gibdo knew that his brother had lied. He knew he had heard two voices, though he could not make out words. He also knew that while Epona had left, her saddle and bridle were also gone. The princess… had the princess gone somewhere? In the dead of night? The second voice he'd heard with Poe sounded like a man, however… And Gibdo could not help but remember when the princess had come to him, asking him about Poe's loyalties. Was his brother really… disloyal to the crown? If he was, why was the princess getting involved then? What was happening…?
The girl had arrived, and Vaati was no less irked with her than when she had stuttered her pathetic excuses. He had made his displeasure very known with her, making sure she recited his rules with each wind blade he sent soaring after her.
Attend lessons every night.
Practice spells during every available opportunity.
All surprise "tests" are to be passed.
Failure is not an option.
Unfortunately, she was failing. Terribly. For each wind blade thrown at her, she struggled to conjure up shield with that blasted light magic of hers. His blades tore through the shields like paper, slicing the pretty skin of her arms and legs. She would scream each time, which only made him want to send his wind at her vital areas. "Well?! What are you doing, flailing around and wailing like a dying cat?! Strike me!" It's not like he wasn't giving her opportunities. He wasn't relentlessly sending his wind at her, much as he wanted to.
But she simply looked at him with wide eyes, more full of fear than he'd ever seen them before. In any other circumstance, it would have been delightful. Now it only annoyed him. That fire she had to learn from him seemed to have all but died out. And he could tell from the sloppy stance she took to make one of those pesky light arrows of hers that she was only striking because he had told her to. The arrow she sent flying at him fizzled out before even reaching him halfway.
And that was the final straw. He could no longer contain his disgust at this pathetic "student" he had taken on. With a careless wave of his hand, he sent a wall of air crashing down upon her, forcing her to the ground. She cried out, a sound he found most unpleasant to his ears at this time. "You are weak." He spat.
"Please…" she may as well have been whimpering as she struggled to push herself up. But she couldn't, and fell to the floor again pathetically. "I-I can't take this pace…"
"I have no time for would-be students that waste my time."
And then he saw it again, that fire he was so used to seeing from this despicable girl. It flashed behind those bright blue eyes of hers, that flickering light of determination. "I have a life outside of these lessons of yours, you know!" Her voice rang out strongly, barely a tremble of that fear she'd been displaying earlier. "I have a gala to pl-"
He cut her short, "You mistake me for someone who cares."
Whether it was pride, anger, or a mixture of the two, he could not tell, but the girl had pushed herself up. "I can't take this pace!"
The mage smirked, before willing the wind to slam down upon her again. She had expected this, and managed to keep herself straight for half a moment before falling to her knees on the ground again. He circled her, "You came to me because you sought power. Power is not to be taken lightly. Do you think it's simply something that can be cultivated overnight, controlled so easily?"
"That's no-"
Vaati stomped forward, causing her to flinch back. "That's not what you meant, I know – but it's what you are saying. I have no time for a would-be student who would not put the proper time and energy into their learning!"
"But I don't have the time!" She cried out, her voice trembling more with desperation than anger. Pitiful.
He looked down upon her with contempt, her form reminding him of a mewling kitten rather than the proud monarch she so pretended to be. "You think because you're the princess you would get some sort of 'special' treatment? That you could simply be exempt from earning your power because you're 'busy?' No, you make the time, or else you prove to me you're nothing but a waste of time and the very little patience I have!" The wind had picked up with each word he spoke, until it was howling around himself and the girl, the surrounding trees creaking and groaning from the force of his temper.
By the time he had finished his rant, the girl had been forced to shield herself by curling into a ball. She had a sense of self-preservation, he could give her that. The winds died down as he reeled in his temper, and he stood idly, waiting for the girl to sit herself up. But she did not. The princess had kept herself in her ball, and he could see the way she shook. The girl was downright terrified, as she should have been – he was a dangerous presence after all, it was about time she learned he wasn't to be trifled with. Even so, it was disappointing to him. For all her talk, Vaati had expected her to have more backbone in her.
And that was when he'd remembered his ever so irritating servant, Poe, and his pleas for mercy on behalf of this whimpering little gilt. She had begun to regard him, Vaati, the most feared and powerful sorcerer Hyrule had ever seen…warmly. He could only smirk in pride knowing that surely she would not make this mistake again. She would stay in her crumpled little ball and leave him to his devices – she'd wait patiently like the good little noble lady she was.
Or that's what he had thought.
Vaati had stepped away from her and was about to take to the skies again when the girl finally managed to sit up straight. All logic dictated he should leave anyways… but he was curious. He stayed where he was, but lingered to see if Hyrule's so-called willful and wild princess would do anything.
"I… I don't want to be weak." Her voice still trembled, though it was light this time. "I… need to be strong. And if that means… I need to face this… If I need to face you and your… your foul temper." And to his great surprise, Zelda shakily stood herself up, and turned to him. There was fury painted all over her tear stained face. Any trace of fear in her earlier had all but vanished. "If that's what I need to be able to face anything… Then I'll do it. I'll find some way to handle all of this." She stood straight and proud, her chin pointed upwards in defiance.
At seeing this display, he couldn't help but smile at her. He felt something within him, something like pride. Perhaps it was because in this defiant face he saw, he could see a bit of himself. Of course, he noted that upon his change of expression, her own expression changed as well. It was a small thing, something about her seemed taken aback. Her chin lowered, her eyes averted to a particular space to the lower left of him. Mercy, he said? It was a foolish rambling of Poe's. Mercy gave way to weakness. But something Poe had brought up that Vaati had admittedly noticed… She responded to him well when he attempted to show some sort of… caring, he supposed. It was interesting. It could continue to be interesting.
With that thought in mind, he decided that perhaps some praise was in order. "You always continue to surprise me – I mean that in the best of ways, mind you." Her brow furrowed lightly at his words. Taking a chance, he approached her, though did not venture too close. "You have impressive magical potential, you know; Exceptional, even, for one of your bloodline. And seeing as how I've… met… with your mother previously, I think I should be a good judge, no?" She did not step back as he neared, though the mention of her mother caused her jaw to lock. But the princess pursed her lips then, and seemed to… relax, somewhat. Interesting, what is going through that brain of hers? "And it's a shame that at the castle, they can't see it. They would simply have you check seals, day in and out; dull work, a waste of your talents."
Her expression seemed to have gone far off… and hardened. Her head raised a bit, confidence returning to her features. "They've never even considered…" the rest of her statement drifted off into a whisper on the wind, but he knew enough to finish it.
And now, for the true test. He had circled behind her, and placed his hands on her slender shoulders. Immediately, his touch froze her. It was not magic, it was simply presence. In her thoughts, he had guessed, she hadn't realized exactly how close she had allowed him to approach. But even though she had tensed at his touch, she had found her voice, "Even if they could teach me more, they wouldn't. I'm crazy, after all. And they'd teach me nothing but the managing of seals, as you said. You can teach me to be the kind of strong a queen should be."
The grin Vaati wore could not be seen by the girl, and if she had he was sure her inhibitions would have risen again. "Yes, I can." He told her, feeling her relax in his grip. "Now, dear Princess, since you've found your resolve again, let's address that sloppy posture."
Zelda's face turned to look up at his, indignant in expression. He simply gave her a pleasant smile, "You could have shot me with one of your magical arrows earlier – but it vanished in the air. Your magical channels aren't used to conjuring up metaphysical arrows, so train yourself as you would if you were using a standard bow. When the channels have been properly established, then you can try conjuring them in movement."
Her unwavering expression belied that of a girl who clearly didn't believe his words. But she faced forward and brought her arms up as if she were carrying the longbow he'd seen her use before.
One last test.
He put a hand on the small of her back, and the other on her rib cage, pushing lightly. "Proper posture: stand up straight, you should know this." As per his instructions, she straightened further, and made no objections as to the placement of his hands. "Good. Now envision your arrow… and then it fly, right there into trunk of that foremost tree."
A slight nod of her head. He felt it immediately, the surge of magical warmth erupting within her body, all be channeled to her fingers, forming the arrow in her imaginary bow. The hand he held upon her ribcage felt the warmth emanating strongly – the core of her mother's remaining Light Force. Temptation swept over his mind, threatening to try and steal the remainder of that which he'd failed to take wholly so long ago. But he returned his focus to the girl's arrow. She was concentrating intently on her target. Aside from the warmth of her magic, he could feel the pounding of her heart upon her ribcage – a quick, repeating thump of apprehension. The arrow on her imaginary bow was brighter than the one she'd conjured before, shining ethereally in the darkness of the night.
He let her go then, and he could see her eyes attempt to dart his way. But quickly as they did so, they were focused again on her target. She loosed the arrow.
Like a golden ribbon cutting through the night, it struck the target and splashed against the tree in golden dust. The light from the arrow now gone, the Shrine looked as dark as midnight. He could see perfectly, though – the perks of being a demonic sorcerer. The princess's own eyes, however, had to readjust to the darkness. She turned around, a broad grin on her face, trying to find Vaati in the darkness. The smile on the girl wavered when seemingly could not find him. He stepped forward towards her, tapping her on the shoulder to indicate his presence.
She locked onto him then, looking like an excited chld. "I – you were right! And I did it!" Something seemed to dawn on her then, and she was back to looking like the petulant girl she was. It was enough to make his prideful smile fall to a flat line of distaste. "I did better than the other times where you just flung magic at me and just expected me to know!"
It pained him to admit that it had been a correct observation. He was rather glad she was likely still having trouble seeing his face as he conceded, "It seems I may have gotten my hopes too high in expecting that danger would help you to hone your instincts. We shall have to see about changing your curriculum then? Learn the procedure… and then avoid the danger."
He didn't have to have perfect night vision to see that she was displeased with that response, but after a moment, she finally responded with, "… Fine." It seemed she was learning that he wasn't one to radically change up what he thought was the perfect learning method. Goddesses knew her father seemed to have had a knack for picking up irritating skills while in the midst of danger. But there was a sick sense of delight in knowing that this girl could never use anything she learned here against him. And in his good mood he said, "I have to say it's the first time you've truly impressed me since we've begun."
He could tell she'd regained her night vision when she looked him right in the eyes with that irritating little spark of defiance. Vaati had to admit… it was insufferable, absolutely enraging really, how she dared to look at him like that. He rather liked it – a reminder of precisely what his grand scheme would come to. The mage had to commend her for that as well. "You've done well, Princess."
It was that one statement out of his mouth that had tied in all the noteworthy things he had observed of this pretty little princess that night. She smiled anxiously as a flush came upon her fair face – one that would have been hidden to those incapable of seeing in the pitch darkness of night. A flush that tied in how his words manipulated her, how close she had allowed him to get, to not even object when he laid his hands on her. Vaati sent the girl off then, doing his best to hide his wicked grin until she was out of sight. A chuckle escaped his lips as he echoed Poe's words within his mind, It can only work to my benefit. And, oh, how much more delight going down this path would bring.
This is the first time in the story we have seen things from Vaati's POV. I hope you enjoyed it because... well, you're probably not gonna see it again for a while. XD Hopefully, this can give you insight into the type of person I believe Vaati to be - which is not nice at all. I've said it in the first chapter before, one of the things I hate when I see a lot of VaaZel work is that it portrays Vaati as a sympathetic villain. If it's well written, I don't mind, but it's seen so often that it bothers me. I, personally, do not view Vaati as a nice person at all. And it is at this point I must begin to emphasize to everyone that the relationship that will develop in this story should not be anyone's ideal of a perfect relationship.
Anyways, I had never meant to update this so soon but it just kinda happened? Not that anyone is complaining, I'm sure. I'm just disappointed that I can't seem to be able to write for Fly Away. It's a bit infuriating, but it'll come, I'm sure. 8D
fleets, BAW IT HAS. I have been so remiss. ;A; Ahaha, don't worry, I get it. And yesssss, I am glad, glad you like this slow build up. Though it's going to be picking up the pace now. We're almost at the half way point.
AquilaMage, yeeeep, though Vaati's not the trusty type, imo. I've yet to fully figure out if he is here, tho. As for his teaching, it's not romantic in the least. 8D
Ai Star, he actually hadn't planned on that reaction at all. He really did think she would outright refuse. :3 You're on the riiiight trrrraaaaaaack, but not quite there.
Cattycheeno, it was a little past Christmas, but soon enough to still count I suppose! XD I've missed my writing too, I should do it more often... But thank you! I DON'T KNOW IF THIS PLEASES YOUR SHIPPING GOGGLES THO orz
