Ok... this chapter is a bit long, i really like it though. Also, i got a review mentioning the content of the first few paragraphs of the first chapter which actually reminded me that i was going to rewrite it. I think i have mentioned this before but i will say it again- that introduction really has absolutly nothing to do with the story, i just couldn't think of a way to start the story. I was going to repost the first chapter before i posted this one but i got lazy... so hopefully by next chapter it will be corrected : ) However for the time being i hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the reviews: )
Chapter Twenty-five: Heartbeat
When Zelda awoke the next morning it took her a moment longer than normal to remember where she was. She blinked her eyes as she untangled herself from her sheets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Something was wrong. Why was she feeling so peaceful? It was as if she had just woken up from a hundred year-long sleep, fully revived, dry eyes… light headed. There was something wrong. She wiped her hand over her face, brushing her long hair away from her eyes and yawned; but it wasn't a yawn of fatigue, it was one of contentment. But then her eyes quickly fell to the small chest of draws beside her bed, instantly noticing something out of the ordinary.
She got to her feet and made her way dreamily over to the drawer. Picking up the small purple glass vial between two fingers she brought it closer to her face to study it curiously; her mind still swimming with the unusual feeling of calm. Just as she raised it to her nose to try and identify the mysterious liquid with her other senses her door swung open without warning, causing her to jump with a start.
"Good morning princess, how are you feeling?" Impa chimed as she made her way casually into the room and spread a simple, white dress out on the princess' bed for her to wear for the day.
She studied Impa curiously, her eyes narrowed. After a while she just shook her head, dismissing the thought and raised the vial in front of her to show Impa. "What is this?"
Impa looked at the vial then at the princess and then quickly back again as if she had been caught doing something she thought she would get away with. She turned and began to pick up a few scattered clothes from off the floor distractedly, "It's a potion", she said after a while, placing the clothes in a neat pile on her bed then turning to tidy something else up.
"What kind of potion?" Zelda asked, suddenly suspicious.
"Just one for calming down"
Zelda returned her eyes to the glass and began to put two and two together.
"I'm sorry Zelda", she said guiltily, "It's just that… you couldn't see yourself last night. You were truly a mess. I have never seen you so bad; if I didn't give this to you, you probably would have ended up making yourself sick… or at least passing out", she took the vial from the princess' hand and slipped it into the small bag at her hip. "It was probably the only way I could have gotten you to calm down and definitely the only way you would have ever fallen asleep"
Zelda's eyes widened as her memories began to flood back into her mind. What she had said, what she had given, what she had nearly taken, and most of all, what she was told. She slowly put her hands over her face to confide in the soothing anonymity of darkness. Link, she thought. Oh no, what had she done? She waited for the pain and anguish to flood back through her veins like the tidal waves of emotion she had become accustomed to in the past few months, but surprisingly it didn't come in such a concentrated blow. She was expecting it to knock her off her feet and cause her to crawl into a ball on the ground and cower, but instead if floated over her like a gentle breeze. By no means was it peaceful, but still it wasn't painful like she expected it to be. But that was what was worrying her – she should be screaming right now; she should be running for the door and preparing herself for the spontaneous and stupid thing she was about to do in her panic. Link believes she is dead; she wrote in her own hand that she was committing herself to her tragic fate and by now she should, in all rights, be dead! She groaned as she thought of Link. How could she be so stupid? Goddesses, she could only imagine what Link must be going through. The potion running through her veins began to suddenly become ineffective as the overpowering final thought she remembered having last night ran through her mind. It's too late. He thinks I'm dead. She clasped her hands to her head. No. She couldn't think that. She wouldn't let her mind run a way with thoughts like that. But she knew only too well how Link coped with bad situations. She cringed as an image suddenly floated before her eyes. A stab of mental pain rolled through more than just her mind. She was suddenly so glad that Impa had doped her up with potion; she hated to think about the quivering mess of screaming, falling, breaking nothingness she would be right now with out it.
As if her surroundings had only just fazed back into focus, she suddenly noticed the wary expression adorning Impa's neat face. It was as if she was beginning to doubt the effectiveness of the potion and was expecting to see her break down any second now. "Impa, you must help me", Zelda breathed desperately, grabbing hold of her top as she pleaded, "you promised me, you promised you would help me", tears began to drip down her face despite her relatively calm appearance. She let go of her suddenly and began to pace the room anxiously, her hands shaking by her forehead and her mouth as she fought to keep control of her rapidly diminishing restraint.
"What if it's too late… what if he's…" she stopped in her steps and scrunched her eyes closed in mental pain; she couldn't think like that; she couldn't. She took a deep breath and turned back to Impa, who hadn't appeared to have moved since she piled the clothes on her bed; she looked like she was afraid to move; as if she thought any sudden movements would cause the princess to burst into a panic… more of a panic. "Impa, what am I going to do?" she sobbed hopelessly, "I don't know where he is; I don't know how to find him- I can't find him; he could be anywhere… there is no way for me to tell him that I…" she trailed off. "What if he never comes back here?" she looked up into Impa's eyes, desperately searching for an answer she knew she didn't have, "what if he takes my words as true and doesn't come back? What if…" she fell painfully silent as a forbidden thought ran through her mind again.
She felt Impa place her hand tentatively on her shoulder. "Zelda, I promised you I would help you", she said earnestly, "I don't know how much I can do… I mean, we don't know where he is", she stated honestly. She hesitated before she continued and diverted her eyes, "I don't know if I can… well… find him before… this afternoon", she looked back up hesitantly at the princess. She watched as the princess' expression slowly sunk as she began to understand what she meant.
"I'm not staying here, Impa. Either way I am leaving and I am leaving today", she breathed in a shaky breath as she tried to compose herself, both physically and mentally. "I am not going to wait around here to get married" she stated with tenacity and finality.
Impa sighed as she weighed up her options. "Ok fine", she whispered finally. She turned and picked up the dress from the bed and handed it to the princess. "I will let you get changed then I will come back here in a little while and we will work something out, ok?" she raised her eyebrows, hoping for some sign of obedience. Zelda just took the dress from her hands, her own ones shaking uncontrollably from fear and so many other emotions she had experienced way too much of over the past few days. She forced a stoic smile to her lips and Impa placed her hand gently on her shoulder in unspoken comfort then left the room for her to get dressed.
When she heard the door click shut she turned and pulled off the sleeping gown she didn't remember changing into last night and slipped on the dress Impa had given her. It was a simple cotton dress which tightened like a waistband under the bust; the hems and sleeveless straps adorned simple white lace and the back tied up with a thick ribbon. It looked more like she had just changed into another nightgown rather than a dress which explained why it was so comfortable… and easy to wear… and easy to run in… She sighed but didn't dismiss the thought straight away, instead she saved it for a last resort, just in case she couldn't get away as easily as she would have liked.
A knock at her door awoke her prematurely from her reverie, causing her to jump with a start for the second time this morning. She placed her hand over her chest to try and quiet her frenzied heartbeat. Goddesses. Even with the potion still circulating through her bloodstream, her tense mind and emotions still found a way of overcoming the progress it had made in soothing her.
She sighed. When Impa had said she would be back soon, she thought she would at least give her enough time to get dressed. She quickly and awkwardly tied up the ribbon on her back as she made her way over to her door. But when she pulled it open she was actually quite surprised when the face that stared back at her was not Impa's.
"I'm sorry to disturb you princess", a slight, mousy looking maid mumbled nervously, "but… I-there is… um… someone is here to see you", she looked up tentatively at the princess as if she was expecting her to start yelling at her for interrupting her.
Zelda just stood there silently; her heart beginning to beat faster and faster with every passing second; her thoughts running together so fast they were almost indistinguishable. Could it be? Did he really come back for her? But then if so, why would he walk straight into the castle and request to see her? Was he trying to get himself killed? She shivered as she realised that the thought actually held more relevance than she intended it to. But Link wasn't stupid; if he thought that there was any chance at all of finding her alive he wouldn't have walked into the most secure building in the land and just hopped he would be able to reason his way through to find her; he would have come directly to her room. But what if he was growing desperate; what if he wasn't thinking straight? She felt her stomach turn as a sudden thought crashed through her system; what if he had given up on her? She had told him she didn't care about him anymore. What if he decided to accept this and was planning to move on? If he thought she was dead then what else could he do but move on… unless he decided to take matters into his own hands…
"Princess… are you feeling all right? You don't look too well", she stated anxiously, "Would you rather I told the visitor to come back another time? I'm sure she would understand"
"She?" the princess repeated weakly; her hopes suddenly shattered.
"Yes", she replied timidly, "she is actually quite young. She told me to tell you that it was important but she refused to elaborate on the matter… I can tell her to leave if you like; you must be very busy preparing for the wedding, I'm sure her presence will just serve to irritate you"
"She…" Zelda repeated again, unable to disguise the utter disappointment within her words. She sighed and closed her eyes wistfully and replied without interest, "Did she reveal her name?"
"Uh… no… she just keeps saying that it is important and she wants to speak to you… she is probably just here for the wedding and wants to give her congratulations personally. She claims she has travelled quite a distance to see you…" she trailed off; misreading the princess' expression. Did you want me to tell her to leave?"
Zelda opened her eyes but kept them narrowed curiously. "How old did you say she was?"
"Uh… I'm not quite sure… she doesn't look very old… maybe ten… eleven…"
"Ten?" Zelda's eyes widened, "and she's here on her own?"
The maid suddenly shrunk down nervously, intimidated by the princess' vehement response. "… As far as I know… yes… um… I can go and find out… or if you wanted me to pass on a message… or something… um…"
"Where is she now?"
"I took her to the library to wait… and told her that I would enquire as to your availability… I told her that you were quite busy, but that's ok, I can tell her to leave if you like"
Zelda shook her head. "No that's fine", she said as she made her way back over to her bed. She crouched down and pulled out a pair of simple leather sandals- her wardrobe had drastically reduced in variety ever since her violent lack of discretion a few days ago; it would probably take a few more days before it was plumped back up to royal status. She sat down on the edge of her bed and began to wrap the straps around her ankles as she glanced back up to the maid wavering timidly by the doorframe; her eyes downcast respectively. "I would like you to take me to her though, if you aren't too busy"
"Of course princess", she bowed narrowly as Zelda made her way over to her and turned to lead her to the visitor.
On the way to one of the libraries, Zelda passed a Hylian woman about the same age as herself; her eyes were lowered, trying to look inconspicuous and her cheeks were flushed behind yesterday's makeup. Her clothes were dishevelled and her short black hair was ruffled in disarray. As she passed by the princess she glanced back over her shoulder guiltily before quickly hiding her face once more after unexpectedly meeting her gaze. She picked up her pace as she stumbled awkwardly towards the front doors; no doubt hung over from last night's party. Zelda narrowed her eyes curiously as she watched her disappear out the doors before turning to see Ash make his way smugly into the hall; his smile instantly turned to one of fake innocence when he saw her staring at him. She glanced back at the doors then to Ash again as the pieces began to fall into place.
When she reached the library's large wooden doors she had worked herself silently up to the point where she was on the brink of turning back around and hunting down her 'fiancé' with a sword and spear; it was unusual that she was feeling angry over this; she already knew about his unfaithful nature and she had never cared about it especially if it resulted in isolating him from her; maybe it was the fact that he continued to get away with it; he had everything his way, no matter how decadent his morals were.
She pushed open the doors with a little more force than was required and then all of a sudden her anger evaporated from her system; any thoughts plaguing her were instantly dispelled when her eyes fell to the young girl sitting by a small table. She looked up instantly when she entered, but waited patiently for the princess to join her.
Zelda turned to the maid and dismissed her with a slight nod before making her way over to the table; curiosity, intrigue and utter fascination driving her forward. She could not believe her eyes; were they deceiving her? The girl- definitely no older than ten- possessed a beauty never meant for someone so young; her eyes were the richest of brown; mercurial in nature and endlessly deep; her hair was short and of the same rich colour as her eyes, spiking naturally in every direction above her shoulders and lining her elegant face; every feature looked as if it had been intricately carved from marble or shaped flawlessly in porcelain. She wore a light brown cloak over her shoulders; the hood pulled back allowing her face to be seen.
As Zelda approached her she couldn't help but stare in admiration; she had no idea how to greet her; she suddenly felt actually a little intimidated… by a ten year old. But there was something about her, even disregarding her infinite beauty, which set her aside from the average ten year-old; though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She got to her feet as the princess approached her and bowed slightly as she spoke. "Hello princess", she greeted in an almost musical voice, "thankyou for agreeing to meet with me… I'm sure you must be very busy…" something about the way she said it made Zelda think that maybe she knew more than she should. Zelda just nodded politely- still too lost for words to reply in any audible way- and sat down opposite the young girl at the table. The brunette loosened the ties and removed her cloak, hanging it on the back of her seat before sitting down.
If the breath hadn't suddenly caught in her throat, Zelda would have gasped. Though passing out seemed like a probable second option. She could not believe what she was seeing; she wouldn't believe it… no, it had to be some kind of cruel joke; someone was finding amusement in making her suffer. She stared back at the young girl… well not so much at the girl herself, but her clothes; she was wearing a green tunic, secured with a brown belt around her narrow waist and if she were to look under the table she would have sworn on anything that she was wearing a pair of brown boots as well. She knew this attire all too well; she could tell you where every crease was made or where every stitch was sewn; she could still feel the texture of the material on her fingertips and its exact colour she saw before her eyes whenever she closed them; she was not just making something up to soothe her distressed mind; she couldn't be… The girl stared back at her so intently, yet her expression was calm; it was as if she was reading the depths of her soul through her eyes, which right now, Zelda was sure were wide open in shock.
"Who are you?" was all she was able to muster when she finally regained control of her ability to speak.
"My name is Saria", she said placidly, "and to answer your next question, no, I am not here simply to congratulate you on your marriage today… actually, that would probably be the last thing I would ever want to insult you with… I think you know why I am here", she said lowering her voice to a near-whisper.
"Link", her voice shook as she spoke. It was not until she heard her own voice that she realised she had answered.
Saria entwined her fingers and placed her hands on the tabletop in a formal fashion. "I just had to come and see if it was true", she spoke, not looking away from the princess' eyes, "but as soon as I saw you walk through those doors, any doubts I had were instantly dispelled"
Zelda screwed her eyes shut and placed her face in her hands. Her fears had just been officially confirmed; Link had found the letter. Painful scenarios began to play over in her mind, each one becoming worse than the last until finally she had to smother the vivid images from her mind by forcing reality back in. She ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to stop it from shaking and looked back at the girl before her; her expression had softened slightly but her posture remained unaltered. "How is… how is Link coping with…" her voice trailed off; she couldn't bring the words to her mouth to utter.
Saria shook her head slowly, diverted her eyes and then finally closed them. "It depends on how you define the word 'cope'", she whispered forlornly; whatever was running through her mind must have been bad because her expression turned to one of hopelessness.
"It has been five years since I had last seen Link", her eyes glazing over as she began to speak, "he was only young when he left the forest… but he said he needed to leave; he needed to get away. At first I thought he just meant he wanted to leave our village and I could understand that he might have thought he didn't feel like he belonged there anymore… but then he told me he was going to leave Hyrule altogether. He said he needed to leave behind his past and try to move on with his life… but I knew that he would never be able to move on; that leaving Hyrule was just an attempt to distract himself from everything he was leaving behind. He had no plan, no idea where he was going… every plea I made to him to stay he refused… and then he just left. There was not one day which passed that I didn't worry about him"
She looked down at her hands, pausing before she continued. "One year latter he returned to Hyrule, but he didn't return to the forest… he worked as a blacksmith in one of the old workshops in Kakariko for a few years… he lived almost as a recluse; he didn't talk to anyone; he rarely ever left his house; he lived only to pass the days assigned to him", she sighed, "but he did come back, I knew he would… no matter how much it hurt him to live in the land he practically rebuilt from nothing with it's princess-" she glanced up at Zelda then back down at her folded hands, "-he could never stay away. To leave behind Hyrule is to forget the life that he once had and to forget it is to deny that it ever existed… and if nothing else, he wanted to remember.
She looked up at the princess for what seemed like an eternity; Saria sat so still; her expression fixed and unwavering as she observed the affect the story was having on her. Zelda could barely breathe. She could feel her hands shaking on her lap even though they were balled into fists to try and control them; at that moment everything around her seemed to blur out of focus; all she could think about was Link. It took every ounce of her being to prevent herself from crying, knowing the amount of suffering she had put Link through without even realising it. Saria's voice was what reclaimed her attention.
"And then eventually one day he just disappeared… no one knew where he went, no one saw him leave; it was as if he had just vanished; gone without a trace… and that was the last I had ever heard of him" She began to shake her head. "… and then one night, over two months ago, he came back", her face crumpled into an expression of pain. "I had never seen him as bad as I did that night… he was a mess… he could barely even function properly… it was days before he even spoke to anyone… and then he told me what he had done…"
Zelda could feel warm moisture dripping down her cheeks; she could no longer see for the blinding tears blurring her vision. She hid most of her face behind one hand as she silently fell to pieces. Saria could see what her words were doing to the princess but she continued to speak; it was as if she was determined to tell her everything… that was why she had come here; to let the truth be told… all of it.
"During the days he was practically a useless mess, if that. He couldn't do anything, it was as if he was slowly shutting down, refusing to operate… if someone didn't make sure he ate each day he probably would have died from starvation… when we saw him he was emotionless and drained of all the life we used to see in him when he was younger. I thought that time would be enough to heal his wounds and eventually we would see Link when we looked at him instead of the shell of the person he once was.
However, during the nights he left the forest… no one knew where he went… no one even dared to ask him… but this happened every night for about a month before he stopped leaving…
For weeks I had been trying to convince him to go and speak to you and to at least tell you the truth", Zelda shivered; it was the first time Saria had acknowledged her directly, "but he refused to listen to me. He kept saying that it is like this for the better and that it was too dangerous for you to be anywhere near him… but I could see it in his eyes whenever I said your name; he wanted more than anything to tell you the truth… even if he could never stay with you he still wanted you to know that he loved you. But after everything that has happened he adamantly believed that you had gotten over him and that you no longer cared"
Zelda shook her head. "No", her voice breaking into sobs as she tried to bring the words to her mouth to correct her. Saria stared at her for a moment before lowering her eyes once more.
"But he had to try…" she whispered, shaking her head slowly backwards and forwards in regret. "When he came back last night he didn't say a word… the look on his face said everything. He began to pack his bags; he was going to leave and it terrified me even more than the last time. He was so emotionally weak that it didn't take too much to convince him to stay… but that was what scared me the most. Link was always so level-headed and in control… last night he just seemed as if he had given up. Whenever I would try to reason with him he would just say, 'she doesn't care', and his eyes would glaze over and he would not hear a word spoken to him. He sat down in the corner of his room with a small, red book, just staring at the cover as if hesitating over whether to read it or not…"
She looked back up at Zelda with a sense of finality before saying, "He believed you didn't care, but I had to find out… there was no way this would have happened if he had told you the truth and I knew he hadn't… That's why I came here, Zelda, I had to see for myself if you still cared"
Zelda could feel herself shaking uncontrollably; her once-warm tears had turned cold on her face. She began to shake her head as if she was trying to expel the raw emotion getting in the way of her understanding something which right now wasn't making any sense. "That's why you came?" she breathed, her voice still uneven.
"Of course princess", she nodded once.
Zelda could feel her breathing accelerate; her mind began to spin. There was something wrong with this situation; something so wrong. She felt as if she was choking and any words she tried to speak her mouth refused to vocalise. She ran her hands over her face; her skin was burning and at that exact moment she knew that the last of the potion circulating through her veins had just run dry. Her thoughts were overpowering her restraint. She doesn't know. She doesn't know.
She leaned forward and put her face in her hands on the table; she was about to pass out, she could feel it coming; she could feel the soothing numbness begin to take over her mind, ready to put her out of her misery. But then she felt Saria place her small hand on her shoulder, causing her to nearly scream. She jolted back, nearly falling from her seat; she could still feel the spot on her shoulder where she had touched her; it felt like the sensation left after a burn – her hand was so hot.
"Zelda, what is wrong?" her expression was one of confusion and anxiety as she got from her seat and came around to comfort her. She didn't touch her this time but she bowed down slightly so her face was level with the seated princess'. "Zelda look at me, tell me what is wrong"
Zelda put her hand to her forehead as she choked out the words. "When was the last time you saw him?" she asked desperately.
"Last night, why?"
"Before or after he read the book?" she pressed.
Saria paused, her eyes lingering carefully on the princess', trying to understand what she was leading to. "Before. I haven't seen him since", she replied.
Zelda put her face in her hands again. That was the last thing she wanted to hear.
"Zelda, I don't understand. Why does it matter?"
Zelda removed her hands and shook her head regretfully. "This is all my fault, how could I be so stupid?!"
"Zelda, what is it?" she said, growing more anxious.
"I thought he didn't care anymore; I thought he left because he didn't care", she sobbed hopelessly. "I wrote him a letter and now… he… he thinks I am dead", the words caused her expression to crumple into remorseful pain.
Saria stood there as still as a statue; her expression slowly sinking as she began to realise the consequences of what she had told him; she knew as well as Zelda the extents Link would go to end his suffering. She closed her eyes as if trying to will away the situation; either that or she was trying to understand how she could have overlooked this inevitable response from Link; or maybe she closed them in defeat; maybe it was too late.
"That's why I thought you were here", Zelda disclosed; her voice sounded pleading, as if she thought somehow Saria could make the situation better if she begged her, "I thought he had told you; I thought you came here to see if I was alive"
Saria took a step back, her eyes still closed. She pinched the bridge of her nose; her forehead pursed in thought. It seemed like all perpetuity before she finally spoke, and when she did she realised just how serious the situation had become.
"We have to go, now", she said. It was not a suggestion, it was a demand. "You have five minutes, grab what you must, I will meet you by the staples", she said as she went to grab her cloak. Zelda got to her feet; her mind racing; it took her longer than usual to coordinate her mind with her body to allow her to walk; and even when she finally could, she felt as if she was just going to collapse onto the ground. She struggled to follow after Saria who was already half way to the door; she had to focus more of her concentration just to manage putting one foot in front of the other.
She began to run as Saria turned out of the room and into a corridor. "Wait Saria", she called desperately causing the young girl to stop in her tracks and turn to her. "What if it is too late; what if…" her voice trailed off.
Saria looked down at her feet as her mind succumbed to the thought that she refused to let herself imagine or accept as true, but only for a second. She quickly rebuilt her countenance and composure and looked back up at the princess. "Five minutes", she reminded her and then turned and hurried away, leaving Zelda standing there and fighting once again to gain control of her actions. Her heart was telling her to run; to get out of the castle as fast as she could and to find Link; while there was even the slightest hope of optimism left, she had to take it. But her mind was telling her that it was too late; she had done this to both of them and now she had to suffer the consequences of her actions; it was too late… too late. But like always with Link, her heart overruled and she ran; she accepted to hold onto that tiny ray of optimism before it too disappeared; maybe it wasn't too late… maybe…
As she ran through the hall on the way back to her room, she was completely oblivious to the hundreds of maids hurrying backwards and forwards, busily preparing for the approaching wedding. They fussed over flowers and food and dresses and the layout of the hundreds of guests and the music and every other petty accessory, completely unaware that they would be left without one of the most important participants of a wedding – the bride. But they weren't the only ones left unaware of something. In her blinding haste, she didn't even notice Ash in the room. He looked up with surprise as he watched the princess bolt through the crowded room; his dark eyes narrowing suspiciously before following after her.
Zelda pushed open her door with such force that it slammed back into her wall; the sound reverberating throughout the hallway. She collapsed onto her knees as she reached under her bed for the simple, black bag she usually took with her when she stayed in Kakariko for a few days. She tossed it onto her bed and began shoving clothes and whatever else she put her hands on into it. She pulled open draws hastily and without looking at what she grabbed she continued to cram them into her bag; most of the items within her arms fell onto the floor even before she could make it over to the bag. She zipped it up and was about to throw the strap over her shoulder when she heard a voice that made her freeze in fear.
"Going somewhere?" the dark voice she knew all too well asked from the doorway. Zelda turned slowly; her hands shaking as she silently prayed to the goddesses that the voice she heard was just her imagination running away with her… but her luck was never that good.
Ash stood like a statue in her open doorway, his expression firm and his eyes ominously dark. His arms were folded in front of his broad chest; he couldn't have possibly looked any more threatening even if he had worn a suit of armour or was holding a dangerous weapon in his hands. She couldn't help but silently tremble in fear as she noticed he was blocking her only exit.
"Why are you packing?" he asked coldly; not moving from the guard-like position he held.
"I'm not", she lied; her voice sounding weak next to Ash's. She knew that every piece of evidence around her pointed to the fact that she was lying, but her mind's ability for quick-thinking responses had just failed her.
His dark eyes bored into hers as he stood there silently, never moving, not even an inch. Zelda was afraid of what was running through his cruel mind right now; afraid of what he would do to her if she tried to leave. She felt like a lamb, cornered by a hungry wolf; the prey never survives.
"What's in the bag then?" he demanded coolly. He knew he would win this; the look in his eyes told her that he thought he already had.
"Its none of your business Ash, now will you please leave my room", she tried to sound brave and like she actually had some power over what he could and couldn't do, but it came out timid and almost pleading. But that was ok, as long as she didn't provoke him.
Ash moved forward and went to grab the bag from her hands but she wrenched it away just as his fingers grazed the coarse material, "No!" she screamed and pushed him away from her. As soon as she saw his face she realised she had just broken her own rule; not only had she provoked him but she had infuriated him to the point where his eyes seemed to ignite with rage. For the spilt-second before he reacted she could have sworn his stare paralysed her in her position; if she had any control over her body she would have ran; he was away from the door; she could have made it; she could have…
Ash moved forward so fast she didn't even see him. He grabbed her around the neck with one hand and slammed her back against the wall causing her to yelp out in pain; she didn't realise what had happened until he had her pinned up against the wall with no chance of escaping. She had never believed that Ash could be violent; never in her most horrific nightmares had she ever considered it, but now as she fought to just breathe she had to accept that anything good she had once seen in Ash was gone forever; not even the shadow of the man she once knew, the boy she once befriended was left. Nothing.
"You're going back to him, aren't you?!" he spat maliciously. "You're going back to that slave!" Zelda began to choke and gasp as she tried to push him away from her, but he was too strong; her life was quite literally in his hands; he could kill her somewhat easily and going by the look in his eyes, that is exactly what he intended to do. Her vision began to blur as her grip on life began to weaken. She could feel her body begin to shut down; her throat was raw; her head felt light; her limbs were numb. She closed her eyes. To her it felt like hours had passed in only the few seconds which truly did before she felt a searing pain flash excruciatingly through her knees and up her legs. When she opened her eyes she realised she was on the ground, gasping for breath; every inhale and exhale was painful but it was keeping her alive.
Her eyes quickly darted up as she noticed Ash still standing there before her; she wanted to scream but her throat was dry; she wanted to crawl away but she was cornered between the wall and the man she feared. He kneeled down; hooking his arms under her shoulders and lifting her weak and limp body back up. He pressed her back roughly against the wall again; ignoring the obvious pain she was in. She leant her head back against the wall still trying to drink the air. His body was pressed so firmly against hers that what little amount of air she could actually manage to breathe he was again refusing from her lungs. His eyes studied her face with a dark fascination; amused at what he could do so simply to her. "It is such a waste", he breathed, truly disappointed. "You are so beautiful", he brought his face close to hers then his expression wrinkled into disgust. "I can still smell him on your skin", he spat. "You have no idea how hard it is to be so close to your lips", he whispered slowly, "knowing that he has kissed them… or to be this close to your body, knowing that his hands have touched you…" he looked back at her eyes with aversion, "only the goddesses know what else he has done to you", absolute revulsion dripping from his words. "But I told him that he would never have you; you are my wife, not his" He brought his lips to her neck and began to whisper. "And you know what I want from my wife…"
Zelda began to shiver against him. Her breathing had once again stopped, but this time it was not because he was physically suffocating her… She was helpless and weak; she couldn't move; she couldn't bring any force to her arms to stop him. She could feel his hands move up her arms slowly and then gently against her neck; a cruel parody of something pure; something only lovers did. She didn't have long; she had to do something before it was too late. There was only one thing she could do; only one thing which would get her out of this situation… if it worked…
Fake.
His hands were at her face now, no longer holding her up. She closed her eyes weakly and let her body fall limply to the ground at his feet. She tried to remain as still as possible, hoping Ash would not notice her shaking in fear. Out of the very narrow gaps she left open for her eyes, she saw Ash kneel down beside her again and study her 'unconscious' body curiously before letting a smile spread over his lips. He couldn't have asked for a better situation to enjoy what he wanted. He glanced over to the door, which was still wide open and then moved out of her limited vision and over to close it.
He never saw it coming. But that was the problem with Ash, he always underestimated the princess and he always overvalued his own perception. In the few seconds he turned his back on her she was able to reclaim control. He barely closed the door before she thrust down the ceramic vase over his head causing him to fall unconsciously onto the floorboards; hundreds of shards of broken pottery adorned the scene. He never saw it coming.
Zelda stood there trembling for a few seconds as she tried to come to terms with what she had just done. But a few seconds of terrifying victory was all she would allow herself before the bigger picture crashed down around her again. Link.
She had to go; she had to go now, she thought as she went over to grab her bag. But then her eyes flashed back to her fiancé lying unconsciously on the ground. What if he was to rouse sooner than she hoped; it would only take a matter of minutes before he would have the whole army out combing the lands searching for their 'missing' princess; she would never stand a chance. She dropped her bag and began to quickly claw through a draw, tossing clothes out on the ground as she searched. Her hands quickly found what she was looking for. She pulled out a long, red, silk scarf and hurried back over the prince – silk; the strongest of all fibres. She grabbed his wrists roughly and began to drag him over to her bed; she had never predicted how heavy he would be and she had to exert all of her strength just to move him the few meters he had fallen from her bed.
She dropped to her knees and began to bind the scarf tightly around his wrists and then to the bedpost. If she didn't know any better she would have actually felt sorry for Ash; without that pretentious smirk on his lips he actually looked somewhat like the man she used to know; but that was another lifetime ago and people change… and too bad for him, the princess did know better.
She put her hand on his cheek as she looked at his face, marred by so much decadence and corrupt; it seems like it is now written into his face… almost like scars; they are there for life.
"Its such a waste", she breathed his own words back to him with scorn, "You used to be human" She sighed dramatically then her expression turned into one of disgust as she lowered her lips to his ear, "and I will never be your wife"
As she pulled slowly away from him she kissed his cheek disrespectfully then got to her feet, grabbed her bag and left the room, stepping over her never-to-be husband's limp body.
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