Hello, everyone.
My goodness. It's been a long time. What, 4 years now? But I'm sure you've been waiting for this, whoever is still left, so I'll speak more at the end. Until then, enjoy this chapter that has been on hold for far too long.
I have to move.
I have to run.
Every second I waste is a second closer to his death.
A second more of torture to his undeserving being.
I'm not going fast enough.
I have to go faster.
Lexi was sprinting. Her feet thudded against the dirt path, blood pounding in her ears as pure adrenaline pushed her on. Her jumbled mess of thoughts was held together by the singular need to get to the castle before anything unchangeable happened to the person who had grown more dear to her than she would ever outwardly admit. She did not dare to stop and catch a breath. It was only when she arrived panting at the front gates of Hyrule Castle that she finally slowed to a halt.
The guards stationed by the entrance exchanged a bewildered glance as Lexi neared. She had stopped close to the guards, finally pausing for a moment as she clutched at the stitch that had formed in her side. Her face was hot, cheeks flushed from exertion. But she stood straight soon enough and made as though to walk inside the castle.
The sharp tip of a spear was raised in her direction.
"Not another step closer, miss," said the guard welding said spear. "What is your business here?" His voice had a slight squeak to it, and Lexi would have been amused had the situation not been so grave.
"I must speak with the Princess immediately! My business here doesn't concern you," Lexi gasped, brushing back the sweaty bangs that had fallen over her violet eyes. Her breathing was still hard from her mad dash to the castle.
"W- what? Miss, you can't honestly expect me to just let you in to have an audience with the Princess!" The guard exclaimed, taken aback.
After she had caught her breath, she peered at the guard. "Are you new or something?" She arched a brow, knowing full well that he must be new given how young he looked. "You do realize I work here, right?" She pointed to the sash she wore around her waist embroidered with the golden triforce emblem to prove her claim.
The young guard sheepishly realized his mistake, a bit slow to collect himself from his blunder. "Heavens to Hylia, you have my apologies!"
Lexi managed a small smile, more than a little relieved that the guard was not planning to hold her back. "It's fine," she said, growing anxious again. "Now, if I may…?" She looked past him to the grand front doorway of the castle, itching to get inside.
"Of course! I'll have a messenger sent to alert Princess Zelda of your presence at once," the young guard promised, stepping aside to allow Lexi entry.
"Thank you," Lexi said. "Please have the messenger tell her that Lexi's back."
The young guard nodded, and she called a final word of thanks to him before disappearing into the castle. She made her way down the hall, and as she did so it struck her how it had actually not been that lonk since she had last been in the palace. Her eyes shone with something unsaid while she looked around. It had not even been a week, but it seemed like her life as a palace guard was a different one from the life she was now living. It felt as though she had been journeying with Vaati for the better half of her lifetime. This return to the castle was a harsh slap to the face of reality.
It was strange, because so much had occured since she had last been to the castle. So much had changed.
But, of course, no one could understand this but her. No one except Vaati, if she had altered his life as she knew he had done to hers.
The changes she felt within her were small, but there were so many that they were impossible to ignore. A little shiver made its way up her spine as a light, unnatural breeze brushed against her arms. The element of air was one she found herself strangely attuned to now, and it sent a pang through her heart. Beautiful, mysterious, and most of all…
Breathtakingly delicate.
Ganon was going to break her poor friend.
Lexi bit down hard on her lip to center herself, and she was on the verge of beginning to nervously pace. She wished she was in Vaati's place, because she could not stand the thought of him suffering. The longer she was left alone in the hall, the more her mind filled with the vast multitude of wretched horrors Ganondorf could be inflicting upon her dear friend as she stood idly by, precious minutes ticking down by the second.
"Princess Zelda will see you now."
A voice broke through her trainwreck of thoughts. Lexi looked up, jolted so suddenly from the unspeakable images in her mind. A different guard now stood in front of her, beckoning her to follow him. She forced a smile and fell in a few steps behind him, doing her best to keep her emotions in check. It would do no good to appear unnerved in the presence of the renowned and mighty Hyrulean monarch.
This was one of the only moments in her life that optimism was proving to be difficult.
Lexi took a deep breath as she came upon the throne room. The guard pushed open the large doors and allowed her entry into the heart of the castle. It was an absolutely stunning room, filled to the brim with dazzling tapestries and rich decor. The throne room never ceased to amaze her, for even though she was a palace guard, the amount of time she had spent in it had been limited. The guards stationed there were only the most competent, and she had yet to work her way up to that highly sought-after position.
The guard who had held the door open for her stepped off to the side as Lexi entered the room. There, in the midst of the majesty, Princess Zelda sat upon the throne with poise befitting only the most regal of women. Beside her stood Link. Lexi felt herself shrink as his strikingly icy blue eyes bore into her, as if he was searching inside her to discover the secrets she kept within.
Suddenly feeling self conscious for the first time in days, she instinctively raised a hand to smooth a flyaway strand of hair. It was pointless, and her hand fell to her side again. She struggled to find the words to properly speak what she needed to make known.
Then, to alleviate poor Lexi, Zelda broke the silence first.
"Lexi," Zelda began calmly. Her voice was light and warm, albeit woven with the thread of curiosity. Lexi instinctively straightened, pressing her shoulders back in the vain hope of appearing to be at least half as collected as the lovely young woman seated before her. She could feel the scrutinizing gaze of both Zelda and Link on her.
"Where have you been?" Zelda asked. "Your absence from work has not gone unnoticed, and the worry over your sudden departure has only increased with each day you have been gone."
Lexi stiffened, frightened. She hadn't thought too much about the possible repercussions, and abruptly felt a wave of shame and guilt crash over her.
"You have never done anything like this before," Zelda continued, her voice soft but strong nonetheless. "And you are not in trouble. But I must ask… Lexi, where have you been?"
"I didn't mean to cause any trouble, your Majesty," Lexi said quickly with a small inclination of her head. "I just…" She fought to form words. "Something truly unavoidable came up. I had to leave abruptly to go and deal with it, I- I had no time to come tell you or anyone else before I left! I didn't have any sort of warning, I… I didn't mean to cause any person to worry. I'm alright, but I-" she broke off. She had been speaking so quickly, she needed a second to calm herself. Her emotions were pushing their way to the surface, and she had to continue fighting to repress them.
Zelda could tell that Lexi was holding a lot inside, and a flash of concern crossed her gaze.
"Things do happen, I can understand that all too well," Zelda said. "You are not in trouble, and I am certain you only acted with the best of intentions. You have always upheld the wonderful trait of having a remarkably reliable sense of character, and I do not doubt you remain the same. But what exactly was it that came up?" If there was a problem in Hyrule, Zelda both deserved and needed to know what it was.
Lexi shifted uncomfortably.
"Actually, that's sorta the reason I've come to talk to you," Lexi said. Her voice had grown incredibly small, and she could not shake the feeling of intimidation she faced as she stood in front of Zelda and Link with their full attention fixated on her alone.
"Go on," Zelda said.
Lexi closed her eyes for a moment as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She thought of Vaati, and doing so filled with the drive and courage she needed to speak.
"Princess Zelda, and our benevolent Hero of Hyrule," Lexi said, her voice reflecting the determination she had just pushed to the surface. "I wish to request your help. I have recently become enshadowed with a problem too big for me to face alone. A person who has recently become very dear to me was taken by Ganondorf." She heard a barely audible gasp from Zelda, and Link's eyes had gone wide.
"Although I hate to involve the both of you, I am hardly capable of taking on Ganon alone," Lexi continued. "I desperately need your help. I need to save my friend, and I fear he'll be killed if we waste much time. I've found a map of Ganon's hideout, and rumor claims it's set up as a dungeon with traps at every corner. I could not get through something like that in my dreams, but with your help we have a real chance of saving my friend. Please help me. I don't know who else to turn to."
Zelda was rendered speechless for a second. Her gloved hand covered her mouth, disbelief etched on her features. She had so many more questions. Who was this friend who had been captured? Why had this person been captured? How had Lexi acquired the map to Ganon's hideout?
Similar thoughts crossed Link's mind, too. But he was not one to sit idly while an innocent person was in danger. He knew how ruthless Ganondorf was, and he would blame himself if anyone died while he was held the title of Hyrule's hero.
"I'll help," Link said.
Zelda turned to look at Link. "Should we not discuss this first?"
"There isn't anything to discuss," Link said simply.
"But there are still so many questions, Link. And are you prepared for a battle? This is all so sudden!" Zelda exclaimed.
Link knelt down next to the throne. He looked up at Zelda and placed a gentle hand on her knee. Lexi held her breath from where she stood a few feet away, waiting for him to speak. But he did not say a word. All he did was stare up at the incredible woman who sat on the throne, his expression saying far more than any spoken words ever could.
Zelda's breath hitched in her throat, and she seemed to forget that Lexi was present as she shared a tender moment with her beloved defender.
"But if someone has been taken by Ganon," Zelda said slowly, "they might only have minutes to live." Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she leaned down to put her lips next to Link's ear. Her next words were only for him.
"I apologize. I simply cannot lose you," Zelda whispered.
"And you won't," Link promised, his voice just as soft. "I must go. It is my duty."
The pair pulled away. Zelda sat up in her throne again, and Link stood beside her once more. Zelda looked down at Lexi.
"Link will accompany you to save your friend. Since the situation is so pressing, we have no time for the questions I wish to ask you," Zelda stated. "So make haste, and may Hylia watch over you on your journey."
"Oh, thank you," Lexi said, tears pricking her eyes. "Thank you so much."
Link stood and walked over to Lexi. "So, where's that map?"
I never thought I would actually finish that chapter. Wow.
So I guess this means I'm back. I apologize for leaving for so long. I received a message from someone just last night who said they'd been constantly checking to see if this story had updated over the past 4 years, and thanked me for writing it even though it didn't look like I'd be finishing it. That was so motivating, I just... I sat down and made myself write this. And I am going to finish this story. As I explained to the person who messaged me, I took a break from writing this story for a month or so because school had become a lot and I was stressed. But then I came back to the story with the intent of updating and I just froze. I froze. I thought to myself that this story wasn't that great anyway, and that I may as well not bother with it anymore. I became very disappointed in myself and in my writing, and since it has been four years since the last update my writing has changed extraordinarily since then, and I've been too worried to update a thing.
But I've just updated and will continue to do so until this is done. A huge thank you to everyone who has stuck with this for so long. You're all amazing.