Hiya! You had a good day? Tired? Yep, me too.

Random person: Oh look she's talking to herself again.

What's that I hear?

R.P.: You're hearing things again.

0_0 I am?!

R.P.: Yep.

Okay then...I don't have anyone to talk to so...yeah...((MOVE ONTO THE STORY BEFORE THIS GETS AWKWARD PLEASE!))

Disclaimer: I only own any OCs I create.

Chapter 14: Surprise

"We're finally here!" I declare, once the familiar wooden door to the bar is in sight. Light escapes through the small crack of the door.

When we approach the door, I can see that a sign on the door says the bar is closed.

It's closed? I think to myself. On a day like this? The day of the Festival?

Maybe she's sold out of food and drinks. Yeah, maybe.

I knock on the front door, expecting to hear an answer.

I don't.

"Is it usually like this?" Samantha asks me curiously.

"No," I reply. "It's usually busy here."

"Is she nice?" She asks. "Telma, I mean."

"Yes, she is. She helped me during my, uh, travelings."

"Okay." She responds, keeping silent afterwards. After a few seconds of no answer from inside, I take the handle and open it just a bit more. I peer into the bar.

It's empty. That is, empty of people. All the chairs and tables are in the same place. But where is everyone? Telma would never leave the bar unattended.

"Where is Telma?" I ask, but no answer returns. I was half-expecting Telma to answer that question, yet I knew she wouldn't. I turn my head back to where Samantha stood beside me to find...her missing? "Samantha?" I whisper urgently, completely whirling around. "Samantha, where are you?"

No answer. I seem to be getting those quite a lot lately.

Panic arose in me.

She didn't run off did she? Why would she? It isn't because of...what happened earlier...is it?

Or maybe something happened to her? Was she kidnapped?

Where is she?!

Keep her safe, Rusl said. I obviously didn't fulfill that favor.

What am I going to do?

A sharp tug causes me to fall back through the now open door I stood in front of. Immediately thinking the worst, I try to grab behind me for my sword, only to catch nothing. Then I remember I had actually left my sword with Epona. This momentary distraction causes me to trip and fall onto by back, the wind getting knocked out of me in the process. I instinctively try to get up and try to regain my breath. I manage to succeed in getting my breath back, but I pause on my elbows when an outstretched hand offers a hand up. "Hey there, clumsy." The person says.

I laugh. "You're the one who knocked me over."

"But I didn't pull you that hard." She laughs. "You tripped over your own two feet." I take her hand and get up with smiles adjourning both of our faces. "You better watch out." She says, a crooked smile appearing on her face.

"What—" I don't get to finish that thought as I was quickly turned around by Samantha.

There Ilia stands with a cream covered pie in her hands. The impact comes before I realize what's happening. She hits me right in the face. I can feel the cream slide off my face and onto my green tunic.

The traitors they are.

I bet I look ridiculous now, thanks to them.

Ilia drops the pie and they both start laughing. "You...should have...seen...your face!" Ilia tries to say in between breaths. I wipe off my face as best I can, cream covering my hands.

"Thanks a lot guys." I say.

"No problem, want another one?" Samantha asks once she calms down.

I chuckle. "No thanks, please have mercy on me." I say putting my cream covered hands up in front of me defensively.

"Haha, mercy? No way!" She laughs.

Footsteps are heard behind me, and a chorus of voices shout out the phrase I had been hearing all day.

"Happy birthday, Link!" The voices shout out from behind me. I whirl around to see Telma, the Resistance, and...Princess Zelda? What is she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be, you know, at the castle?

She wears a long, light green dress with simple decorations on it. Her hair is pulled back into her usual semi-braid that falls down her back. Her golden crown is placed upon her brown-golden hair.

Then I remember how ridiculous I look.

I have cream and pie all over me and I'm standing right in front of her beautiful majesty.

I'm totally not embarrassed right now.

I notice the tall man standing among the group.

Beside Princess Zelda stands a man I have never actually met before. I swear I've seen him at least once before in the castle, I just don't know his name.

He is clad in heavy armor, suggesting that he is a knight of Hyrule, or at least, a knight in training. His helmet is off, revealing a face that could make women go crazy. His wavy jet black hair is pulled back neatly into a small ponytail behind his head.

I glance back to Telma, who has a cake in her hands. "You're not going to dump that on me too, are you?" I joke.

They all laugh, as they had all witnessed Samantha and Ilia's evil scheme. "Oh no, honey, this one is for eating!" Telma reassures me.

I laugh along with them. "Okay, thanks."

She sets the cake on a table beside her. She goes behind the bar to, most likely, grab utensils.

Is it bad to think that I had expected this surprise? Not the pie part of course, I mean the actual 'surprise'.

Samantha comes up beside me. "You have something...right...everywhere," she giggles, as she holds a towel out to me. "Towel?"

I take the towel from her and wipe myself off. "Thanks," I mutter. "You know I'm getting you back for this, right? You and Ilia both."

"Oh, I'll hold you to it." She responds, a goofy smile on her face. I give her my own smile and turn to face the others.

The Resistance gives their greetings to me, as we have not seen one another for quite some time. We shake hands, we talk, we laugh...to put it in short, we were 'catching up' with one another.

A hand on my shoulder distracts me. I turn my head to see Princess Zelda with her hand upon my shoulder. Well, that is, upon the clean shoulder.

"Sir Link, may I, um, have a word with you?" Her formal words drip with urgency.

"Yes, your majesty?" I ask, once we've stepped away from the group.

"I hate to be rude, but isn't Shadow well...deceased?" Her eyes seem to be glancing over to the blond-haired girl who stands among the others.

"What are you talking about, your majesty? Who is Shadow?" I ask.

"You don't remember?" Confusion shows clearly on her face.

"No, your majesty." Then I remember the item that Samantha let me borrow. "Oh, I do have this choker, which supposedly came from someone named Shadow." I pull the black choker out of one of my adventure pouches and hold it out to Zelda. She seems taken aback as she takes the item from me.

"Where did you get this?" She whispers urgently.

"Why are you so concerned over this small item?" I question, not answering her question.

"Isn't this the—" she cuts herself off as she realizes something.

"Excuse me, your majesty?" I ask her curiously.

"Tell me, where did you get this?" She demands, ignoring my question.

"I guess you can say that I'm borrowing this from her." I say, gesturing to Samantha.

"What is her name?"

"Her name is Samantha, your majesty." I reply.

"Samantha..." She trails off, eyes focused on the blonde-haired girl, who is talking to Ilia. She hands the black leather choker back to me. "Excuse me, I think I will have a talk with this Samantha."

"Yes, your majesty." I respond, nodding my head towards her as I make my way back to the others.

She knows. She knows what's going on. She nearly admitted it. Yet, she won't tell me.

Why is this? Why all these secrets? Don't I deserve to know?

I have to find out.

Actually, scratch that. I need to find out.

And I intend to do anything for all those missing pieces to this puzzle.

Is the party getting crashed? Party crasher, much?

I'M ALMOST TO THE MAIN PLOT, ARE YOU PROUD OF ME?!

R.P.: No.

AWWWWW... BUT THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER SO FAR...NYEAHH

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Cya later!