Trivia Answer: If you typed "I love you", then you were correct!
Kingdom of the Dragon Arc
12: An Unlikely Rescue Party
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
The angered shriek of the woman echoed throughout the halls of the castle, setting each and every guard on edge as they recognized their Oracle's voice. And the subject of her anger was just as surprising as her ire. The Sheikah woman that had grown to be so feared throughout the castle now seemed to shrink before the irate Oracle as she explained just why her son was nowhere to be found within the castle grounds, or the town for that matter.
Saria glared at the woman, her emerald eyes flashing dangerously, "Did you even think to inform me before the day was out that you sent Link out into the wilds he's unfamiliar with after the princess?" She demanded, "And why in the world would you keep it a secret? If the king knew then - "
"Then I'm sure that half of Hyrule would be searching for the princess," Impa nodded, keeping her composure. "I'm sorry, Lady Saria, but if Ganondorf caught wind of her disappearance, then we would be in more dire straights than we are now." She said, "He's planning something that involves her, and I have no intention of allowing him to get his hands on her."
Saria crossed her arms over her chest, scowling, "I realize that you look at her as a daughter, Impa, but I raised Link from a mere babe! You cannot expect me to happily smile when I find that you have sent him off, alone I might add, when it's so dangerous for him right now considering this King Dragmire wants him as much as he seems to want the princess. Did you not think of that?"
"In truth, I did think about that," Impa nodded, "But I also know that Link is well within his abilities to take on a few monsters if he has too, and perhaps even best a trained Gerudo." She said, much to the woman's dismay.
"And yet he promised to have her back within an hour, and here it is, dusk," she said, looking out the window across the plains of Hyrule. Impa stood beside her, and would have said something had she not caught sight of a bright red flash of flames in the sky, miles away from the town walls.
=x=
Several Hours Later (Zelda)
Zelda's head ached as she came awake to the heat of a fire burning brightly in front of her. She nearly gagged at the smell of old sweat and filthy skin wafting all around her. The grunts and growls of Bokoblins drew her attention to the slumbering creatures around the fire, the Bulbo mounts sleeping not far from them. The remains of some poor animal lay close to the fire, the bones picked clean by the creatures.
Her own stomach let out a small growl, making her wonder how long she had been unconscious. Her hands were tied behind her back, making it impossible for her to see the knot keeping them that way. She tested her bindings, hoping to wriggle free of the ropes, her arms were too weak to accomplish that.
Her fingers then blindly searched the ground around her hands for something, anything, sharp enough to cut the rope. Unfortunately, she was out of luck, and found naught but grass beneath her fingers.
She wanted to scream in utter frustration as she slumped, her head resting in the grass. Though if she did that now, she'd wake her captors. The thought of worming her way out of the camp crossed her mind, but then she had no idea where she was. Most of the Hylian countryside was familiar to her, but she had no way of knowing where she was now without a proper map.
'Still,' she thought, looking over at the grotesque creatures, 'It's better to be wolf bait than sitting here with these things.' She growled around her gag, and started inch-worming her way toward the bushes. Her thoughts turning to Link. She wondered what had happened to her brave little Page after she had lost consciousness, hoping against all odds that he had survived the attack.
A snort from behind her froze the girl in her tracks, but when she stilled, and looked over her shoulder it was only to see one of the Bulbos twitching its ears this way and that. Finally, however, she reached the bushes...and promptly tumbled down a small hill, giving off a muffled squeal as she landed with a thump.
"Hey!" Shouted a tiny voice, making the princess jump near out of her skin as a tiny form flitted up out of a rotting log, "What's the big idea!?" Demanded an irate Fairy. Zelda was more than stunned. She had never ever seen a Fairy before, not even when she was in the Kokiri village. The one yelling at her at the moment was a tiny little red-head, so small that she could fit in the palm of one of her dainty hands. Her wings were that of a dragonfly's, and she had the tiniest blue eyes she had ever seen. It was then that the little fireball of a Fairy noticed that the clumsy oaf that had woke her up was in fact tied up, and gagged. "Oh, my goodness! Are you alright, dear?"
Zelda didn't, couldn't, answer, only mumbling around her gag, and wriggling against her binds frantically.
The Fairy was quick to understand, and flitted down and pulled the dirty rag from her mouth, and then zipped behind her to get rid of her binds. Surprisingly, as Zelda waited, the Fairy was quick to release her hands and feet, which she rubbed soothingly to get the circulation going again. She then flitted back up, and landed in front of the girl, "There, that's better, isn't it?"
"Yes," the princess smiled happily, "Thank you so much for saving me, Miss."
"Call me Felicia, honey," the Fairy said, "And what are you doing way out here? And why in the world do you stink of Bokoblin sweat and Bulbo filth?"
Zelda looked back over her shoulder, worried that the Blins would hear them, and stumbled to her feet, "Because I was kidnapped," she whispered, inching her way into the forest, and away from the camp, "I need to find a way back home, and fast. My...my friend was with me when we were attacked, and I don't know what happened to him."
Felicia flitted up to her should and perched herself there, "Well, maybe I can help," she offered, "Where're you from, kid?"
"Hyrule," the girl supplied, making the little Fairy whistle.
"Girl, you are a long way from home," she said, pointing back the way she had tumbled, "Hyrule is close to a hundred miles that'a way."
Zelda blanched, 'A hundred miles?!' She sank to her knees, "I'll never make it," she moaned, "with all these monsters around, they'll catch me for certain!"
Felicia giggled, "Not with me around, they won't, Sugar." She then zipped back into the air, "Now come on, we need to get you away from those smelly critters before the sun's up, else we won't get very far."
"Where are we going?" Zelda asked.
Felicia turned and smiled at her, "Lot's of people don't know it, but there's a Korok village pretty close to here." She said, jerking her thumb toward the forest, "If you ever ask a Korok for help, you're sure to get what you need, and then some...say, I never asked your name?"
The young princess smiled at her self-appointed guide, "My name is Zelda." The girl said, following after the little Fairy as quickly as she could, more than willing to leave the Bokoblin camp far behind her. "Where exactly am I, anyway?"
"Well, you're in Holodrum territory," Felicia said, making the girl flinch, "Yeah, for a little Hylian like you, this is not a nice place."
Zelda cocked her head as she followed after her, "Why is that?"
Felicia sighed, "Well, let's just say that Humans here have a different view of your kind than others do." She said, crossing her little arms as she floated along. "Old Onox catches and enslaves any Hylian that's dumb enough to set foot in his kingdom. The Humans here are just as bad about as he is. I haven't seen any Hylian without a collar around their neck in a long time."
Zelda unconsciously reached up to her neck, gulping back bile.
"Yeah," the little Fairy nodded, seeing the girl's reaction, "You can be certain that I'm not lettin' you go anywhere near any of the settlements around here. Even Gorons and Zoras are barely tolerated."
"But the Humans back home have been peaceful ever since the war ended," Zelda said, and ducked under a branch, "Why would Onox keep other races as slaves?"
Felicia just shrugged and fluttered over to a small tree, "I don't know, really. He used to be nice a long time ago." She said, smiling, "He was the last of the White Dragons, and - "
"Dragon?" Zelda questioned, looking at the little Fairy in surprise, "I thought he was just an extremely old Human, at least according to our history books."
Felicia shook her head, "Nope, Onox is a Dragon. A powerful one, too." She sighed, settling herself on a small branch, "There used to be lots of Dragons in Holodrum. I loved watching them fly. They didn't even need wings."
"The Dragon I know back in Hyrule was really nice, though." Zelda said, thinking of Farosh. "He even gave me a magic artifact...though I'm not all that good with it."
Zelda's stomach then rumbled as the girl blushed, and Felicia giggled, "Hungry, huh?" The little Fairy darted off into the bushes, worrying Zelda for a moment, before she returned with ripe red apple. "It's not much," she said, setting the piece of fruit in her hands, "But at least it's something. It's getting late in the year, so most of the fruit trees are dropping off like flies."
Zelda didn't mind at all as she bit into the apple, delighted at the sweet taste. "I wonder how long I was out," she said as she ate, "It feels like I haven't eaten in days."
Felicia perched on her shoulder, "If you came from Hyrule, then I'd guess at about two to three days." She said, making the girl frown, "That's about how long it takes someone on horseback. On foot? Give it about a week. But if we're going to get you home, you'll have to avoid the main roads if you don't wanna get caught by Human slavers."
Zelda was barely paying attention, however, having finished the apple, she now felt extremely tired for some reason, even though she had been out cold for days. The tiny red-head saw this and smiled, "You're probably exhausted from all of this stress, huh?" She flitted from her shoulder, and circled around a small patch of grass, causing it to weave into a bed-like shape. "You can rest here for the night. I promise, I won't let anything or anyone harm you as long as I'm around."
The girl nodded, and slowly crawled onto the grass mat, laying her head down on her arms, and drifting off almost immediately. Felicia smiled at the girl and fluttered down to kiss the top of her head. The act immediately set her wings to glowing brightly, thoroughly shocking the little Fairy. She zipped back up, and regarded the child curiously, "Strange, I haven't seen a mortal with this much magic since...nah, couldn't be. What would one of the royal family be doing out this far from home?"
Shrugging it off as a coincident, she fluttered back down and nestled herself against the little girl's neck, using her hair as a blanket, and soon she, too, was asleep.
When morning came, the Bokoblins would find that their hostage was long gone, and would search the surrounding forest for hours before riding off in search of her. Little did they know that Fairy magic could distort things from how they normally appeared. What appeared to be a lively green shrub with golden flowers in full bloom was, in fact, the very thing they were looking for as the young princess slept soundly under the protection of her new friend, and protector.
=x=
Hyrule Castle (Link)
Link opened his eyes slowly, his head throbbing horribly.
"Hey, he's waking up!" He heard someone say, much too loudly for the pounding going on in his head. Almost like a Goron pounding on a drum.
"Thank Hylia!" That was Saria, and he also though he heard Arn shouting somewhere nearby as well as Rusl and his two friends. "Link, dear, can you hear me?"
Blinking away the pain, his vision cleared and he found the Oracle looking down at him tearfully, "M-Mother?"
"We're here, too, ya know?" Groose said grumpily shoving his way into the room, "How come you didn't tell us you were going out after the princess?"
Link blinked in confusion for a moment, "The princess..." the it dawned on him, his eyes widening, "The princess!" He bolted up out of bed...or tried to at least before a vine wrapped around his middle and hauled him back into bed. "Mom, let me go!"
Saria huffed, "Link, I don't know what happened out there, but it was bad enough that you've been unconscious for four day straight!" She griped, looming over him with her hands on her hips as Arn and Rusl rushed into the room. "And what in the world possessed you not to tell anyone before you tore out of here like a frightened Keese! You could've been killed!"
Link pouted, something Groose, and Pipit, who was by his bedside, had never seen him do, "Impa told me not to tell anyone because she thought Ganondorf would try to take her."
"Which he did," Impa said, appearing in the room behind the Oracle.
"Would you stop sneaking up on me like that?!" Saria snapped angrily, thoroughly frazzled by the entire ordeal, "It was utterly stupid of you to send him out alone! He's gifted as a warrior, yes, but you expect too much of him!"
Impa huffed, "I couldn't have foreseen him getting ambushed by an entire horde of Bokoblins any more than you could, unless you have the gift of Foresight, Lady Saria."
"Don't you get smart with me, I'm your elder!" Saria snapped.
Arn looked like he want to say something to his son, but Rusl gave him a look, a small gesture toward the two women and frowned, 'Do not get in the middle of that.' Needless to say that Arn gave a silent nod to his former apprentice as the two women argued, all the while Link was trying to untangle himself from the vine Saria had wrapped around him.
Pipit and Groose sat themselves on the bed, regarding their friend with slight worry, "So," Groose said, crossing his arms, "What the hell happened out there? And why did Zelda suddenly take off like she did?"
Link shook his head, "Zion had something to do with it," the young apprentice said, sighing, "She really didn't wanna come back, either." He said, catching Impa and Saria's attention. "She just wanted to keep going until she found someplace that no one knew her by sight, or could recognize her as the princess."
Groose whistled while Pipit winced, "Jeez," the younger of the two said, "How did you convince her to come back?"
Link frowned and laid back against the pillow, "Doesn't matter...I didn't bring her back like I promised Impa."
The woman in question softened her gaze, "Link, my child, you know that wasn't your fault," she said in comfort, "Saria is right in that I shouldn't have sent you off on your own after her. Even your two brothers in arms would have been better than just you yourself."
"And the king is sending his best men out to find her," Saria continued, placing her hand against the boy's forehead, "We'll soon have her back."
Link looked at her, "They were heading South with her, but that's not in the direction of the desert."
"South?" Arn asked, pushing his way over, and looking down at his son, "Are you sure of that, son?"
Link nodded. "Of course I am," he grumbled at the man, "I always know which way I'm going."
"He meant no offense, lad," Rusl said, stepping in to his friend's rescue, "But the men we've dispatched to find the princess have all gone toward Gerudo, and if she's gone South, then she could be - "
"In deeper trouble than you think," Link growled, tugging against the vines again, but Saria pushed him back down.
She shook her head, "Link, please, you need to rest." She told him, rising, "We'll be back in a few minutes after we've told the king what you've told us. Groose, Pipit, you keep an eye on him."
"Yes, Ma'am," the boys said in unison.
The adults then left the room, closing the door behind them. The two boys waited for a few minutes, keeping stalk still until they couldn't hear their footsteps anymore before springing into action. Pipit bounded to the door, cracking it open to peer out, "Alright, the coast's clear," he hissed back to Groose as the larger boy took out a dagger and started cutting Link free. "That'll buy us about twenty minutes before they come back. We need to get a move on, or they'll catch us!"
Groose looked at his friend, "I thought you were all about honor and rules, Pip?" He grinned as Link staggered to his feet, "Taking off like this seems like a very dishonorable way to break the rules."
Pipit stuck his tongue out at him, "Just shut up and let's get down to the stables."
Link frowned as he looked between the pair, "What're you guys planning?"
"Rescuing the princess, of course," Groose grinned at him, sheathing his dagger, "Kind'a what Knights are supposed to do, ain't it?"
"Will you guys come on!" Pipit groused, and bolted out the door, Groose and Link hot on his heels, "We've already gotten all we need tucked away in the stables."
"How'd you guys manage this?" Link asked, visibly shocked that his friends had done something like this.
Groose turned and grinned as they ran down the halls, "We figured you'd try to go it alone as soon as you woke up when we found you passed out in the fields," he said as they turned and pelted down the stairs, "We didn't think letting you go off on your own again was such a good idea, so me and Pipit talked it over and decided to just go with you."
"No way!" Link snapped, "I'm not letting you guys get caught up in my mess!"
The two boys nearly bowled right into Pipit as he screeched to a halt just inside the gates leading to the courtyard, "Look, you don't get a choice, not this time," the boy said, looking at him, "Groose and I already know you'll be the Knight Commander unless something monumentally stupid happens, like you going off and getting yourself killed on some lame "I-Have-To-Save-The-Princess" crock and bull like some storybook hero," Link blushed, his ears flicking slightly as Pipit spoke. "I'm fine the way things are. You'd make a great Commander, and Groose and I would be your seconds. We're fine with that."
"Why, though?" Link asked, only to be throttled by Groose.
"Cause we're your friends, ya jackass!" The larger teen growled. "Besides, Zelda's been makin' doe eyes at you since you got here, and there's no way we're letting you two elope like one of those cheesy girly books Pipit reads!"
"They're history books!" Pipit argued.
"Right," Groose said, letting go of the smaller boy, "Point is, if we don't all go, then we don't go at all." He said, then peeked out the door, "Okay, it's all clear, let's get going!"
Night was already settling in as the three boys snuck their way into the stables. Epona nickered at him in greeting when she saw her rider, and the boy smiled at the little mare. "There's a path just outside the castle walls that leads out into the plains," Pipit said as he saddled up his pony, "We can make our way South from there if we keep quiet enough."
"What's in the South?" Groose asked, "I've never been out that way."
"Holodrum, and to the Southeastern border, Labrynna," Pipit said, "Holodrum's not such a good place for Hylians like us, but Labrynna's got good relations with Hyrule, so if we have to make a really quick get-away, we can easily cross the border, and make our way back home from there."
Link noticed that both of them had their gifts from Farosh strapped to their saddles, his own, the shield, Daybreaker, tucked up onto his back. He also noticed that one of them had tucked the silver/sapphire circlet into his saddlebags alongside a quiver of Fire Arrows, the ones he had left over from his race across the field, probably. It didn't matter, he could make more arrows, and transform them into their elemental counterparts later if he needed. It helped that he still had the blessings of the Great Fairies, and held a large amount of magic in his body.
"Groose, why do you have that hammer?" Pipit asked as he mounted up, noting that Groose had an iron sledge hammer strapped to his back.
The larger boy shrugged, "It just suits me better." He said, patting the spear at his side, "Besides, this things seems better for jousting than anything."
Link smiled at them, wondering why he hadn't wanted friends the first time he had gone through his life. Still, he was glad to have them at his side now.
A journey of a hundred miles begins for four young children as Zelda finds herself in a land hostile toward Hylians, thought she finds an unlikely friend in the Fairy, Felicia(See Link's Awakening), and is for the moment, safe from the dark designs of Ganondorf. Intent on rescuing her, Link, Groose and Pipit set out on an ill-conceived mission thought up by his friends in order to support him in his time of need.
Please Review!
Characters:
Princess Zelda:
Age: 11
Height: 4'9
Skills: Swordsmanship,horsemanship, archery
Magic: ?
Current Equipment:
Clothing/Armor:Climber's Bandanna, Old Shirt(brown),Well-Worn Trousers
Weapons: None
Link:
Age: 12
Height: 4'5 (He's still the shortest)
Skills: Swordsmanship, horsemanship, archery, bilingual
Magic: Din's Fire, Naryu's Love, Farore's Wind
Current Equipment:
Clothing/Armor: Hylian Hood, Hylian Tunic, Hylian Trousers, Daybreaker(shield)
Weapons: Kokiri Sword, Forest Dweller's Bow, Fire Arrows(BoTW)
Groose:
Age: 13
Height: 5'5
Skills: Strength, Swordsmanship, Horsemanship
Magic: None
Current Equipment:
Clothing/Armor: Hylian Tunic Set, Hylian shield
Weapons: Iron Sledgehammer, Zora Spear
Pipit:
Age: 12
Height: 5'
Skills: Archery, Swordsmanship, Horsemanship
Magic: Alchemy(Potions)
Current Equipment:
Clothing/Armor: Hylian Tunic Set, Wooden Shield(BoTW)
Weapons: Traveler's Sword, Duplex Bow
