This chapter has some filler, or, at least, information about a filler character, of that makes any sense. I have to start studying for the SHSATs, so things might be delayed a bit. Anyways, enjoy.
"Yes, Link, let's go." Ilia smiled at the driver and motioned for Link to go inside. Link patted Epona's back. "Be good girl. Remember, we have to be quiet now, alright?"
The chauffeur closed the door behind the royals, then glanced around to see if the famous Sheikah was still there. He saw her a bit further down the road, gazing off into the distance. The young man stood there for a while, observing the girl. Sensing someone was watching her, Zelda turned around halfway. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she stared at him expectantly, foot tapping the stone pavement. The driver's eyes widened, a blush creeping across his face. "R-Right! Um…we are all ready to go." Hurriedly he jumped onto the driver's seat and snapped the reigns. Epona snorted slightly and started off with a brisk trot. They would break out into a run after they entered safe territory. That is, if the prince's slave could keep up with him. He doubted she'd be able to match one of Hyrule's finest horses, even if she wasn't in the state she was in.
Zelda rolled her eyes at the awkward driver. His strangely green hair was slicked back, creating a very polished look, which wasn't a bad quality to have if you served the Royal Family. Thick eyebrows the same color of his hair complimented very large brown eyes. He had a huge nose and rosy cheeks. Zelda had seen most carriage drivers sport the same outfit, a dark blue coat with beige pants and brown boots, but he also wore a blue scarf around his neck with a red and gold piece to tie it together. Zelda quickened her pace to catch up with the large carriage, looking around every so often to ensure that no monsters were around. They were close to the drawbridge, so she wouldn't have to worry for too long. Then again, there was always the chance that their enemies would follow them outside of the palace grounds. This would cause quite a bit of problems.
Luckily, there were no problems with escaping from the castle, and they soon met up with the vast Hyrule field. After walking several minutes in the spacious plains, the young driver had gathered the courage to speak to Zelda.
"Um… I-If you would like, you can r-ride up here if you need to take a break or something…"
Zelda, who had stayed silent during the entire trip so far, looked up nonchalantly. "There isn't time for breaks. I cannot let my guard down like that." she answered emotionlessly.
The driver was taken aback by her response. "But, aren't you tired? It's around four in the morning…"
"No, I'm fine."
"It wouldn't be a problem, you could just sit on the edge of the driver's seat, I wouldn't mind…"
"That would change your position, disrupting your control over the horse."
"It wouldn't matter; we're pretty safe for now. Besides, you look like you're exhausted."
"But I'm not tired." Zelda replied back stubbornly. She wasn't going to give in to her desire of sleep.
"It's about a three-hour trip to Kakariko. There really won't be any other time to rest."
"I'm fine."
"But, you could collapse in any second! I mean… girls shouldn't have to work so hard…like…"
Zelda's head whirled to face him, eyes glaring. "My job is to protect the prince. I intend on fulfilling that responsibility, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tempt me to retire for the night." she snapped.
The driver was in shock at her sudden change of behavior. "I…I'm sorry to have upset you….please accept my apologies."
Zelda hesitated before responding. "Apology accepted."
"W-Was it because of something I said?"
"Hmph. You could say that."
"Um… well… the name's Fledge…"
"Speak louder."
"M-My name's Fledge!"
"Zelda."
"I know. I mean, I hear about you all the time, you're all I talk about, heck, you're all anyone ever talks about!"
Zelda eyed him suspiciously. Wait, what did he just say?
Fledge turned a bright red again. He had slipped up, again. Now he must appear to be like some sort of stalker.
"Um… well, you know…not literally of course…" Fledge said hastily, fraught for an excuse.
Zelda raised her eyebrows. "Right… of course…"
"Um…well…I guess since we have a lot of time, I guess we can talk?"
To be honest, Zelda wasn't sure what to think of this guy. He seemed to lack self-confidence, and clearly needed a lesson on how to make conversation with people. It was unclear to Zelda as to what his motives were for talking with her. but, in his own weird way, he was a good kid.
"W-Well, my parents died when I was about four. Our village was attacked during the Great War, and surprisingly, I was one of the few survivors. They sent me to live with my aunt and uncle in Castle Town. But they were always drunk, hardly having enough money to feed themselves, let alone another Hylian. They would send me…they would send me out in the streets to go and beg for money…since I…since I was a child and would get more sympathy from the world…" Fledge started tripping over his words, getting close to tears. Zelda's eyes flickered with unreadable emotions, but Fledge didn't notice. "And then…" Fledge stuttered unceremoniously, "If I didn't come home with much, they would say these hurtful things, and start beating me…"
"One day, the Royal Guards came knocking at our door. I'll never forget that day. I walked over, wobbling slightly due to a recent punishment. They gave me this concerned look, then asked if my aunt and uncle were home. My uncle staggered over, he was like 'What'er you studs want eh?" Then he grabbed the back of my collar and pulled me backwards. The force was so strong; I hit my head against the wall. Then my aunt came in, yelling at my uncle for Din knows what. The police just stood there, watching them argue. They made fools out of themselves. I had never felt more embarrassed in my life. I wanted to die right then. The look of disgust on the soldier's faces made me want to melt into a giant puddle on the floor. My aunt and uncle ended up getting arrested for child abuse, selling illegal drugs smuggled from Gerudion, and for drinking on sacred holidays. However, they had no idea as to where I should go."
"The only living relatives I had left were in jail. So they sent me to a special school to become a knight. But physical activity was never really my thing, and I'm not much of a strategist. The only thing I was good at was dealing with animals, mainly horses. My teacher said I should be carriage driver. And…here I am now."
Fledge turned to Zelda to check and see if she was paying attention. She wasn't looking at him, but she seemed to be deep in thought. "Zelda?" Fledge asked quietly.
Zelda glanced up. "Hm?"
"Um…so… d-do you have any stories to share…?"
Fledge thought he saw Zelda pale for a second, but even if she did she quickly regained her composure. Zelda stared at him with her bright red eyes. They had a different look in them, a look of sadness and sorrow locked up behind the doors of pride and time.
"I'm afraid that is something I cannot confide in with just anyone."
"O-Oh…" Fledge turned red again, feeling guilty for asking such a personal question. One could only guess where she got her honed martial arts skills and her cold-hearted appearance. "We're about halfway there anyway."
The rest of the ride was silent. Zelda tended to stay ahead of the others, leading the way as if she knew where she was going. As if she knew these lands better than anyone else. They were, in fact, heading in the right direction, but coming from a girl found wandering the forbidden deserts of Gerudion, it was a little strange.
Link leaned against his chair inside the carriage. Sitting across from him, Ilia was fast asleep. Her eyes had drooped closed the second they had left Lanayru Province. As for himself, Link couldn't fall asleep no matter what he tried. Thoughts and possibilities clouded his head. He feared for all who weren't able to make it out as safely as he did.
What had become of Impa and Captain Auru? They had stayed behind to fight off enemies so he and Zelda could make a quick escape. But what happened to them afterwards? Were they assigned to do something else? Did any of them get injured? Did they even survive? No, that couldn't happen. Both of them had too much pride to give in the depths of death that easily. Yet still, Link couldn't help but feel concerned for their well-being. And what about all the other people who attended that ball?
What happened to King Ganon and Queen Nabooru?
Link decided not to think about the mysterious desert dwellers. There was too much on his mind for him to worry about them. Instead, Link watched as the dark blue sky slowly became painted into a soft white just above the horizon. The white stripe gradually began to rise, revealing a dull orange stripe below it. Off in the distance, a little white arch perked right above the icy mountains in the Peak Province. The white arch slowly rose, revealing the bright sun. Orange light surrounded the sun. It was an extremely long process, but since Link had the time he was able to sit through it all. It distracted him from his worries, even if only for a short while.
Link gulped as memories of him and his parents watching the sunrise as a child flooded his mind. Of him complaining the sun was taking too long, and his mother chiding him to be more patient while his father chuckled at his son's childish antics. Even if Impa had said they boarded a carriage to Kakariko safely, Farore knows what would've happened to them on the way. They could've gotten ambuscaded, or…
Link jumped as the carriage drove over a particularly large bump in the road. Dear Farore, that scared the living daylights out of me. When I become king I'm going to have to speak to the Council about road work. This brought a new idea to his already troubled head. What if the driver had crashed? Ever since the Great War, not many settlements were left in Hyrule, only Castle Town, Kakariko Village, and Ordon Village remained, along with Zora's Domain and Goron City. There were also a few other houses scattered around Hyrule, but those were usually occupied by small businesses and such. So, if they were to crash, there wouldn't be anyone around really to help them. Link sighed sadly. He could only pray that his parents were safe.
"Prince Link, we are almost at Kakariko Village. We should arrive in several minutes. Link poked his head out the window, and sure enough, the two cliffs that served as a gate for Kakariko Village came into view, along with the treacherous Death Mountain, with its infamous ring of smoke surrounding its peak. Just looking at the massive landform made it seem even more impossible to climb. Despite it being called a "mountain", it was well-known throughout all of Hyrule that huge lava lakes lay inside rocky structure, along with valuable ores sought by merchants everywhere.
The carriage suddenly came to a halt, and Epona neighed loudly. Fledge quickly jumped off the driver's seat and held to door open for the couple. "Ilia…" Link whispered, nudging her cheek with his hand. "Hey… wake up." Ilia stirred for a moment, then opened her eyes.
"Hey…" she replied dreamily. "How long was I out for?"
"Bout' three-quarters of the ride."
Ilia smiled and stretched out her arms, yawning sleepily. "I'm going to sleep as soon as I get the chance."
Link laughed a bit. If it was anyone who could cheer him up in a time of crisis, it was Ilia. "Yeah? Have fun with that."
Ilia got up groggily and took Fledge's outstretched hand as he helped her down the stairs. Link jumped out soon afterwards, relieved to be on solid land once more. Link inhaled the countryside air. Hyrule Field sure was large. It stretched out as far as Link could see. Link turned towards the gate and saw his mother and father. Their backs were turned to him. Link's eyes lit up with delight and reprieve. Slowly, he began to run, gradually picking up his pace.
"Mom! Dad!" Link called out happily. The two rulers turned around, revealing the ones they were talking to. Link immediately stopped in his steps, face in complete shock. There, behind his parents, were the king and queen of the desert kingdom itself.
"Well, well, Prince Link seems to have actually made it out okay." Ganondorf said with the slightest smirk on his face.
Link returned his remark with a scowl, but he didn't have it for long before his mother enveloped him into a huge hug. "L-Link…" Queen Marin squeezed him tightly. "I…no, we, were so worried about you!" The Hylian queen had now burst into tears, and was quietly sobbing into her son's shoulder.
"Mom…" Link whined boyishly, but his mom held him tighter. "When chaos broke out… I had tried to find you… but you weren't anywhere… and we had to leave without you… I'm so sorry Link… and now look what's happened to you. You have cuts and bruises everywhere, and your suit is all torn!"
Queen Marin turned to face her husband, grabbing the prince's wrist tightly. "Look what's happened Alfon! Our son has been beaten by whoever it was that attacked our fair kingdom! We should've stayed Alfon, we should've looked for him first!"
Alfon smiled knowingly at his son, who reimbursed the smile with one of his own. "These were not cuts and bruises of defeat my queen. They were the cuts and bruises of a warrior."
Queen Marin sniffed. "You went out there and fought on your own?" she asked meekly.
Link smiled down at his mother. "Well, I had the help of Zelda. I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for her."
Queen Marin took a step back and brushed off her skirts. "Ah… I see." she replied, her voice having a much different tone from before.
Link furrowed his brow in response. As soon as he mentioned Zelda's name, the queen had changed her attitude completely. It wasn't as if she had anything against Zelda, right?
From behind them, King Ganon coughed loudly. All three Hylians turned toward him and his wife.
"Yes, speaking of Zelda, how is she? Has she adjusted to the life of a castle slave yet?"
"She had adjusted to castle life, yes, but not as a slave. I see Zelda more as a friend than a servant." Link retorted.
"Is that so? So you just let her roam around the castle with nothing to do?"
Well, that was a blunt way to put it. Link suddenly felt uneasy. "She mostly helps the other servants with their work, and she keeps me company."
Queen Nabooru took this as her opportunity to jump in. "Isn't that what your fiancée is for, Prince Link? I mean, you two will be married soon. Are you sure Zelda is just a friend? Or does your heart long for something more? I expected more of the prince of Hyrule, who knew he was starting a harem…"
Link's face turned hot. "You're one to talk! Seeing how you walk around with your undergarments on like you're gorgeous, while everyone else sees you as some sort of…"
"That's enough!" King Alfon snapped. "Link, you are free to do whatever you like, as long as it is within Kakariko Village. I ask that you do not cause any problems with King Ganon and Queen Nabooru. They are our allies and friends now, and I expect you to treat them with respect."
Link rolled his eyes shoved past the Gerudo rulers. "Oh, and one more thing Link…"
Link stopped. What now?
King Ganon stuck his nose in the air like a noble and smirked. "If you aren't giving Zelda any real work to do, and you do see her as a friend, then why don't you free her?"
Link scowled and walked away as fast as he could.
If you truly care about someone, would you be willing to let them go if it brings them happiness? That's something I ask myself a lot. I wanted to put Fledge in. I don't know why. Hyrule is supposed to look like the map in Twilight Princess, but I put Goron City as the title of the little Goron settlement on Death Mountain in TP. Check out my DeviantART account if you want to, so far I haven't posted much but I doodle a lot so I'll have some more photos up soon. They changed the way Youtube looks again, and personally I hate it, because when I want to see my subscriptions I have all these recommended videos that I never end up looking at in my way. Personal rant here. Thanks for reading!