Beautiful Blades

Chapter 37: The Great Escape

There will be a moment in your life where you will just doing something very, very stupid. For some, it happened when they were toddlers. They thought it was smart to jump off that table, so they went for it and ended up with a scar on their forehead. For others, the real stupidity doesn't happen until much later in life, and that's fine too. Everyone does something really, really dumb.

And for Dark, it wasn't this moment in life. Let's not be mistaken, he completely blurted out something inappropriate at this moment in time, but it doesn't even reach the top ten things he did or will do. Oh no, his moment of absolutely stupidity will happen much, much later.

But for now, he was frozen in his tracks, his heart racing in his chest, absolutely horrified about what he just confessed to Link. In the heat of the moment, he blurted out the very thing he wasn't sure he would ever tell Link, and now the two boys were staring at each other, both in extreme horror for two very different reasons. Link was still sitting on the bed, unmoving, trying to process what Dark had just said.

Dark very much wanted to take it back, but he couldn't think of anything to cover his tracks with. He didn't just confess to Link; he confessed with the princess standing right there. While he was in a dress. After getting punched twice by both members in the room.

What a winner.

So after some silence, Dark found his voice again, and was stuttering for some form of recovery. Since he was still in shock, he didn't really form words. He kind of just made noises as he messed with his hair, with the occasional word being coherent.

"Mumble mumble…. Kidding, mumble…" was all Link and Zelda heard, watching him being unable to make eye contact.

As for Link, he simply couldn't wrap his head around this. It was hard to pinpoint just where exactly his mind was at this moment, but what does one think when the person they had grown to despise suddenly confess to them that they had loved them? Especially when you thought that person was the one who tried to have you killed. And now, he wasn't really sure of what to think. He knew he didn't have the same feelings for Dark as he had since their duel out in the meadow, and those hateful and doubtful thoughts still lingered in his mind.

But something had to be said back. A response was necessary. There was no real way to ignore a declaration like that; Dark particularly screamed it out the window. It would have to be profound, right to the point, and perhaps even delicate.

Therefore, after taking some moments to collect his thoughts, Link settled with, "… What?"

His question stopped Dark's muttering, giving the boy a chance to take a deep breath. He realized that it was out there, and both Zelda and Link clearly heard it. There wasn't any doubt in anyone's mind that Dark's confession was one of friendship; it was love, pure and simple. With his lips pressed together and his head slightly down, Dark decided to try to answer that perfectly justifiable question.

"Um… Well, when I mean love… Er, what to say is… There was no way that I could have set a trap for you… Cause… I like… you…" Dark trailed off to barely above an audible whisper, still unable to make eye contact.

"… Are you kidding me?" Link asked, "You honest to god have feelings for me?"

"… Yes?" Dark sort of asked, unsure if he should really be responding with that or not.

Hearing that, Link suddenly stood from the bed and began to pace in front of Dark, shaking his head rapidly as he talked. "But that just doesn't make… I mean, this whole time… Since when? No, wait, I don't want to know," Link said. He ran his hands down his face. "I can't even process this right now."

"I know it's a bit surprising-"

"A bit?" Link interrupted, giving a dry laugh, "In the middle of me hounding you for being a traitor, you just blurt out that you love me. To say in the least, that's really surprising."

Well yeah, Dark could give him that much. He watched Link pace a few more steps, before finding the courage he needed to seek into it further. "How does that… make you feel?"

Link stopped his circling, and Dark quickly spoke back up to clarify. "I mean, do you… have…. Arg, man, I can fight grown men but I can't bloody say it!" he agonized, pulling on the sleeves of his dress to try to calm himself down.

"Are you asking me if I like you back?" Link asked. "Don't you think that that's a little inappropriate right now?" He then turned to face Zelda. "Care to weigh in?" he asked, unsure if he should feel angry, happy, or a bit of both.

"Hm?" Zelda looked up, having been deep in thought. She glanced between the two of them, then gave an awkward wave of her hand. "Oh, not really. It's just… everything makes sense now." She didn't say that last part to anyone in particular, except perhaps herself.

"Look," Dark said as he decidedly ignored that last part, "I was surprised too. It's complicated and I can explain it later, but-"

"Stop," Link said, holding his hand up. "I really cannot handle this right now. I'm not even sure if I can still trust you. For all I know, this too is a ruse. But," he sighed, "if Zelda brought you here, then she must trust what you are saying." Then, remembering what Dark had said before the confession, Link found himself sitting back down on the bed. The confession had sort of cleared his anger a bit, giving him more rational thinking. "I just can't believe… Pipit would do that."

"Link, Pipit cares about us," Zelda said, kneeling down in front of him so they were eyelevel. "I know that for a fact. But my father also chose him to be our caretaker for a reason. He's loyal."

When Link didn't look convinced, Dark added, "It didn't sound like he wanted to do it to me. But it doesn't matter. The king is planning to take you out tomorrow." He dared to take a step closer. "I know this is a lot to handle, but I really do have the feelings I said I have. Please believe me, I want you out of this place now."

"I have to second that," Zelda said with a nod. "And although I've had a few surprises concerning Sir Dark over there, he is our best ticket to get you out of there."

"So I'm just useful," Dark mumbled, giving Zelda a rather sassy look. He was sort of past being respectful at this point.

"Yes." She gave Link a huge smile. "So let's pack of your things and get you out of here, alright?"

"But what about you? What will happen to you if I go?" Link asked. He could not hide his worried expression; he had no doubt in his mind that if he vanished, Zelda would suffer the consequences. He couldn't bear to put that on her, no matter how strong she was.

"Trust me, I'll be fine. I'm the princess, my father wouldn't dare to do anything too awful. But to you two, if you don't get out soon before the window of opportunity closes, you won't be so lucky."

"That's true…" Link glanced over at Dark.

Seeing him do so, Zelda patted his arm. "Don't worry, I'll help you both get down to the castle walls. From there, Dark will take you out of the city… hopefully. You won't be alone with him until you reach the town, and even then you will quickly be surrounded by people."

"Hey," Dark folded his arms and frowned. "I'm not an animal. I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"Your track record suggests otherwise," Zelda muttered under her breath. Giving a small smile, Link gave a nod.

"You're right," he said, standing up. "I guess this is my chance. Even if there is no plot to kill me… now's my chance to get away."

Zelda smiled, thankful that Link finally agreed to run. She got to her feet and started to make her way to the door, sweeping up Dark's wig from the ground and grabbing Dark's arm as she did. "Ok, so you get dressed quickly and grab anything light to carry with you. Be ready to go in five minutes," she told him.

"Hey, what are you… " Dark struggled in her grasped, but his dress prevented him from getting a good stance to fight back. Within moments the door shut behind him and he suddenly found himself pinned against the wall by Zelda. His heart raced as her arm pressed against his throat.

"Listen, frosting boy," Zelda hissed, "You will stand here while I grab something. Meanwhile, remember this. If any, any harm comes to Link at all, I will personally hunt you down and slaughter you like the pig."

The princess waited no time to threaten him. "Do you honestly think I'll let harm come to him, especially after all this?" Dark growled back, trying not to gulp down his fear. He didn't want any physical signs of it.

"I don't care what feelings you have for him," Zelda informed him, "Even if you hadn't confessed, I still would have made sure I looked you in the eye and make sure that you understood just how important Link is to me. He's like my brother. And he's suffered enough. So you will get him out to safety and nothing more, got it?"

Dark gave a nod. He didn't like the threat but he at least understood it. Frankly, he wasn't sure if he would trust himself either if he was another person. With his affirmative response, Zelda withdrew her arm. She shoved his wig back into his hands. "Put this on, just in case." She gave him one more death stare before retreating to her room to grab whatever she said she was going to get. The moment the door closed behind her Dark's hand raced up to his throat to rub it slightly, letting his fear go out through a relieved sigh.

But his heart still raced. His head felt light and confused, and he was unable to remain still as he started to pace back and forth a few steps in the hallway. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, repeated in his head as he tried to wrap his head around his own confession. He simply couldn't believe that he did it. That he actually blurted out his feelings to Link, right there with Princess Zelda observing. With shaking hands, he attempted to put his wig back on, but since he didn't have a mirror or experience it looked sad and pathetic. Like a large rate died on his head. But he didn't care.

Oh my god.

Shit, why couldn't he reverse time?! Just start over, make it so it never happened…

Just as he thought that the door opened beside him and Link stepped out, adjusting his belt as he did so. He looked up from his task and paused, and Dark did the same. Link looked like a boy again in his outfit; he wore his wig and tunic, which was badly ruined from the previous encounters Link has had. Torn (and poorly patched) and covered in dirt, and his short sleeves made it easy to see that the bruise Dark had caused was still there, but healing nicely. On his back Link had his old sword, and attached to his hip was that Keaton mask. Link quickly looked away as to not make eye contact.

"… Where's the princess?" he asked, hating the silence between them right now.

His question jolted Dark back to reality. "Oh…. Um…." He jabbed his thumb in the direction of Zelda's room.

Link pulled on his belt one last time, confident it was secure, before quietly closing the door behind him. He didn't want the sounds of doors opening and closing to attract unwanted attention.

"Link…." Dark started to say, feeling like more needed to be said, but he didn't get the chance to when Zelda emerged from her room. Dark wasn't sure what she grabbed, because he didn't see anything on her, and he guessed that she wasn't going to tell him either.

"Alright, let's roll," Zelda said, waving for them to follow. "You two stick close to me, and neither one of you say a word."

Wondering what she had planned but deciding not to ask, both boys nodded silently. Dark had a small flashback to when Ashei told him to silently follow her, and hoped that this time it wasn't going to be as… shocking. Zelda began to descend down the stairs, and Dark swept his hand in front of him, indicating for Link to go ahead. Link folded his arms, giving him a sharp glare as he shook his head and gave Dark a small push. Link didn't want Dark behind him; he wanted him right where he could see him. Dark quickly got the memo and felt a bit down, but complied. He didn't want to push Link mentally into a place where he wouldn't return from.

In a single line, Zelda, Dark, and Link quickly made their way to the base of the stairs. Zelda made sure no one was in the hallway before she let the boys come all the way down, and they shuffled quickly along the wall as to avoid attracting too much attention and making too much noise. Dark kept his head. Although he was dealing with many issues, during times like this he could occasionally keep his focus. Luckily for the three of them, so was Link.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long until a servant was walking towards them. Zelda froze when seeing him, clicking her tongue in frustration. Her hand flew up to halt the boys behind her as she looked for an escape route. Of course, though, there was none. It was a long, empty hallway, and they would be unable to find cover in time to avoid detection by the servant.

Zelda mouthed 'servant' to Dark and Link, and with her hands told them to stay put. Dark glanced nervously back towards Link. Link had a same sort of nervousness about him. He had never wandered long in the castle as a boy, and servants and royalty alike to do not take kindly to strangers wandering the halls.

It was a good thing Zelda was quick on her feet. After a deep breath, she stepped around the corner, keeping her chin high. "You there," she called out, smiling nicely.

The servant looked up from the piece of paper he held, freezing at the sound of his princess. He looked utterly shocked to see her in this part of the castle, but there was no doubt in this mind that this was Zelda. "Y-your majesty!" he stuttered a bit, not prepared to greet royalty. He bowed low as Zelda looked a bit embarrassed.

But that was all the boys heard. When Zelda approached the young man they voices dropped down in lower tones, and neither Dark nor Link could make sense of her words. They stayed where they were, though, with Link occasionally glancing behind him to make sure they were not going to be surprised from behind. After a few minutes of chatter, Zelda peered around the corner at them. "Let's go, he's gone."

"What did you-" Dark started to ask, but Zelda used her finger to simulate zipping lips, and snapped her fingers at him from her other hand. Dark let out a small grunt of irritation, but kept his silence.

As they moved swiftly through the empty corridors, Dark was starting to see a pattern. Zelda was taking them on expected abandoned hallways. Most of the servants and guards would be closer to the party, and not in this part of the castle. This made avoiding people easier. He wondered why they weren't taking any secret routes through the walls as they did to get to Link, but he was sure Zelda had her reasons (and of course she did. The routes would take them out to a direction she didn't want Link to escape from).

Eventually, the trio found themselves in a more familiar area to Dark. Now able to see the courtyard from their position, Dark knew they were getting close to the exit. They were so close to completing this mission; then he could get out of this ridiculous outfit and into something more comfortable.

Link, however, was feeling a strange sense of dread. He had dreamed of freedom for years, but now that it was suddenly happening he felt…. Unusual. He couldn't call it fear. But he didn't feel ready. He didn't feel ready to suddenly leave the only life behind he knew. It was a terrible life, but it was his and in a strange way he had grown comfortable with it. So as they continued along Link suddenly stopped in his tracks, feeling dizzy.

Both Zelda and Dark heard him stop, and they halted as well. They turned to see Link staring blankly in front of him. Zelda internally moaned in frustration. Now was not a time for Link to shut down. "Link," she hissed, keeping her voice down. There may be no one in the hallway, but now that they were exposed to the outside someone could hear them. "Come on."

When he didn't move, Zelda tapped Dark's shoulder. "We don't have time for this. We are closer to the gate, which means more guards circling this area."

"Couldn't we have taken a secret route?" Dark whispered back, but Zelda shook her head and opened her mouth to speak when their worst nightmare came true. She snapped around when she heard footsteps again and voices coming their way. "Shit, Link!" she whispered a bit louder. There wasn't enough time to get out of sight, so she leapt forward and grabbed Link's mask and shoved it onto his face. Link's hand flew up to his mask in surprise, holding it there out of habit, just as three figures rounded the corner. Dark took only one look, and one look was all it took for his heart to drop into his stomach and his face to turn away.

Oh damn it all, it's Groose!

And Groose it was, with his three lackies following. They had been chattering quietly among themselves, and the escaping trio only caught a bit of it.

"…. Glad we dumped all the work on that Fledge kid, now we can enjoy food!" Cawlin was saying, but he didn't say anything further when he noticed Princess Zelda, a masked boy, and a woman with terrible, terrible hair. "Whoa, er… Princess Zelda!"

Within an instant of that announcement, Groose was kneeling in front of her, taking her hand gingerly between his. Zelda's jaw nearly dropped when he did; since Link was the normally the one who interacted with people in the castle, she wasn't used to… Groose's advances. Normally, this would have been funny but they were all too on edge to find the humor.

"Princess Zelda! What are you doing away from the party?" he asked, his eyes sparkling. "Did you, perhaps, come out to see me?" His eyes shifted to the left to see Link standing behind her. "… Who's this?"

"Oh, Sir Groose!" Zelda exclaimed, unsure how Link normally reacted to these situations. He had told her from time to time, but in person it was a different story. "Um, this is my new…. Personal guard!" She glanced behind her to give Link a big smile, trying to silently tell him to play along.

Link was completely confused, almost pointing to himself to make sure she meant him. He caught on quickly, though, and to try to sell the look he broadened his stance and stood with his arms folded.

"This runt?" Groose asked, not looking pleased by this news. He got back to his feet and stepped in front of Link, towering over him like a wild bear. Link wasn't afraid of bigger men, but he was afraid of getting caught in this moment. He wasn't sure if he looked the part. He was wearing a tunic that was in bad shape and a blade that was dulling. He hoped he wasn't sweating. "Why is he wearing a mask?" Groose asked.

"Maybe he's ugly," Cawlin snickered. Dark nearly jumped him for that, but he remained outwardly calm. There was no way Link was ugly, and Dark wished he could sock him in the mouth for saying that.

"It's a gift from me," Zelda lied, finding a way to step between Link and Groose. "So he's wearing it for the party. He's very kind like that."

Even though Zelda was now between them, Groose did not take his eyes off of Link, trying to intimidate him. "Well, if you will permit me to say, princess, I don't trust a man whose face I can't see, especially after the last disaster."

The a-hole was taking about him right in front of him, Dark realized. He let out a small growl in anger, while Zelda was racking her brain to figure out the best way to stop this conversation and get moving. But hearing the growl, Groose turned and saw Dark. "Lady Maya! What happened to your hair?"

Dark's hand slowly rose to his wig as he remembered that he stupidly threw it off his head earlier. He then quickly lowered his hand and raised his fan, glad he still had it with him. "I fell," Dark said as effeminately as possible.

His female voice was atrocious, and Link had to work hard to stifle a snort. Dark could see Link's shoulders move slightly in laughter, and he felt his face flush red. But it was convincing enough for Groose, and Groose looked horrified at the news.

"That's terrible! Are you alright?" he asked. He gave her a small bow. "Don't you worry, my lady! Strich will take you somewhere where you can recover." He winked at Zelda. "Meanwhile, I will escort the princess instead of this…. boy."

"No!" Dark cried, in fear of being separated. The three idiots turned in shock upon hearing a male voice, and Dark instantly realized his mistake. He shrunk back behind his fan, waving it quickly. "I mean," he said in a high voice, "no thank you."

Now, while Strich was no genius, he was certainly smarter than the rest of the crew. He self-studied from books and took a great interest in bettering his knowledge in areas where he took a liking too. He was the most observant from the group. And from his angle behind Dark, he could see a strange lining in his hair. It didn't really take long for him to put two and two together, and so with one step forward and a flick of his wrist the wig was ripped off of Dark's head and the veil with it, revealing the male underneath the disguise. Feeling the weight gone from his head made Dark stiffen, as Groose and Cawlin nearly had heart attacks as they instantly realized they had been fooled.

"What the hell?!" Groose roared. The sound of metal sang through the air as the knights pulled their swords out from their sheaths. "What the hell is going…. Dark?" Groose finally recognized. "How… what… how did you escape from your cell?!"

"… Oops," Dark said, realizing the game was over. But now it was time for something he was much more familiar with. These three were not going to let him go without a fight. He threw his fan aside and grinned at Groose, feeling the familiar, joyous rush of adrenaline that he loved so much. He went for his sword…

And remembered that it wasn't there. It was back in Telma's bar.

Oh shit.

He paled as he slowly raised his hands. "Ok, so let's not get too crazy here…" He eyes wandered to Zelda, seeing her looking just as horrified as he felt. Link looked frozen in his place.

"Groose, put that away," Zelda ordered, but Groose would not listen.

"The criminal was trying to get close to you, princess! But don't worry, Groose will take care of it!" Groose roared, and surged forward, blade raised.

Dark saw him coming, and knew he had only a split second to make a decision. He could not avoid the attack; Groose was too close and Dark's dress prevented him from moving fast. Running wasn't an option, but if he didn't defend quickly he was going to be seriously hurt. Groose was ready to kill him.

But in the heat of the moment the mind can do funny things. It almost seems to move faster, making a decision on its own that it learned from before and you wouldn't consider doing normally. And so Dark remembered for only a second his fight with Ashei, and found himself reacting the way she did during their duel.

And he raised his hand, stopping the blade from digging into his shoulder as Groose swung downward.

Dark sucked in his breath before releasing an agonizing cry. Unlike Ashei, Dark didn't have armor to protect his hand. Dark saved his body, but it didn't come without consequences. His hand burned with metal and pain as he felt a trickling warmth down his arm. He didn't need to see it to know what it was.

Oh hell, it hurt… it hurt so bad. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming further as Groose ripped the sword away from Dark's flesh. Free from the blade, Dark quickly brought his hand to his chest and gripped it tightly, trying to slow the bleeding. "Ah…. You…you asshole…" Dark strained to say. "My dominate hand…."

"Groose, stop!" Zelda ordered again. "Do not hurt that boy!" She rushed forward to grab his arm, but Cawlin got in the way.

"Sorry, Princess, but that boy is a criminal that clearly sought to hurt you," Groose said, preparing for another attack. "I will protect… you?" Groose stopped as suddenly Link as moved between him and Dark, his own blade up and ready to defend. Dark found himself staring up at Link's back. Link… was protecting him.

"I knew it," Groose snarled, "You're an enemy too." He got into position. "I'll be sure take you out too."

Link, as a response, took a stance as well, wordless.

Around and around they went. Back and forth they twirled. Over and over again did they laugh. Like ants. Ants following one after another, only knowing to follow whoever was in lead, until they forgot who was ahead and find themselves caught in a vicious circle. Such phenomenon's only end in death, but while through the king's eyes he saw nothing but many, many, mindless followers, all eager to please, they would likely not be dying tonight by simply dancing.

So thought the king as his subjects went through the motions of this particular piece, some honestly enjoying themselves and others only putting on a face. He knew such events were important to keep the morality of those who follow him high, but he hated to prepare for them anyways. A waste of time, he thought, especially when there were those on the borders of his kingdom who were surely plotting to take over and slaughter his people.

Most people didn't know, but the king did. As royalty, he was privileged with many secrets. He knew what happen many years ago with those cursed Gerudo. Villages burned, children were slaughtered, the land was covered in darkness and fear. It was true that those times were of… times of magic, though he dare not say that aloud to others. Magic was dead; dying since the days the golden power first vanished from the control of the royal family. Although the king had no qualms about the loss of magic, he did care very much that such a great power was no longer at his disposal.

But he digresses. It didn't matter. What mattered now was what he did with what he had. A powerful warrior for his general who shared his hate for those on the borders, an army at his disposal (the largest in history, he may add), and the water shortage working as a distraction from the war. Although to be fair, he had no wish for his people to suffer. They suffered in fear of dying of thirst, his whole city running on the drops of water scrapped from the bottom of the barrels. If he could, he would solve the problem, but again and again he has been advised against it, and so he did not act. He had solved the problem another way, giving him the chance to worry about more important things.

Speaking of important things, the king could not see him. The boy. The boy he took in out of the kindness of his heart to be the princess's stand-in for all petty events such as this. He should have been here by now quite some time ago, yet the boy must be lingering in his chambers since the king has yet to spot him. He allowed himself to scan the room again to confirm this. He could have sworn he may have seen him about 10 minutes ago or so, but if he had been here at all he was gone again.

Hm.

He gave a small flick of his hand, and within moments his advisor was at his side. "Your majesty?" he asked, giving a perfunctory bow with his torso. "What can I help you with?"

"Have you seen the princess yet?" the king asked.

"No, my king," answered Norland.

Without moving his head, the king continued, "And then what were my orders if this was the case?"

The king could see Norland keep his cool, and he didn't blame his need to. No one likes being spoken to like a child, not even his loyal advisor. "To send Pipit, your majesty."

"Then do so," the king ordered yet again. "She is to be present at this event."

"Very well," Norland said, knowing perfectly well where the young knight was. After giving the king another bow, he departed in search for him. He made his way through the maze of people and out one of the side doors, swiftly moving towards the knights' quarters were Pipit was to be. That is where he usually was since he was a knight with a… special task. He didn't have the duties of regular soldiers and knights, so he spent his free time on call, studying or sparing with a straw dummy to keep his skills up.

And as he expected, upon entering the quarters, the freckled knight was sitting on his bunk, cleaning his sword diligently, although he rarely had ever need it in his particular line of work. But even with his job he remained faithful to his training and duties. It was no wonder the king chose him to be the caretaker of his daughter. Besides the fact he's brilliant with a sword and that he was loyal like a dog.

Pipit looked up, and when he recognized Norland he stood quickly and placed his sword down to give a polite bow to him. He gave a smile, but before he had Norland had seen a greatly pained look on his face, like he was suffering. But as any knight would know, it was best to not show what you were feeling to your superiors, and so Pipit wore his smile well.

"Your grace, I was not expecting you," Pipit said. "What can I do for you?"

Norland glanced around to make sure no one else was present. Seeing that it was clear, Norland cleared his throat. "The princess has not emerged from her room, and her father requests that she be present for the party."

Pipit, as Norland anticipated, looked surprised. His eyebrows furrowed together a bit with confusion. "Princess Zelda has not come down?"

"She has not been seen. Please go retrieve her and bring her to the party."

"Of course," Pipit answered, but his mind was no longer there. He quickly strapped his sword to his waist and started on his way to Link's room as he pondered the reason as to why Link was still in his room. He was usually at these events, even if he hated it, because he knew it could get him in trouble if he didn't. Was he sick, perhaps?

Thinking of Link hurt a little. It was hard not to feel about this. The king wanted him to kill the boy he practically raised. He never felt like a father to Link, since he was only a teenager when Link came into his care, but he loved him as one would family now. Him and Zelda. And now, he was expected to slip some poison into Link's food tomorrow.

That thought alone halted him in his tracks. Murder…. He was expected to murder someone, and not just anyone. A poor, innocent boy who was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone like him, who was sweet and pure of heart, didn't deserve such an end to a miserable life he has lead for ten years. Not him.

Pipit balled his hand into a fist and hit the wall beside him hard in frustration and in a confliction of feelings. Damn. Damn damn damn damn DAMN.

He stayed that way, fist against the wall and his chin downward and eyes on his feet, taking deep breaths to calm the pain in his chest and stomach and wishing that there was another way. Couldn't the boy live? Why did he have to die? Why?

It took him some time to calm down, but when he did he continued to complete his job. He soon found himself climbing the stairs to Zelda and Link's rooms, and knocking on Link's door. He didn't want to force Link to join today, but orders were orders.

Silence.

He knocked again, but didn't receive any indication of life. Frowning, Pipit opened the door slightly and peered in. "Link?" he called gently. Then he flew open the door in horror.

The bed sheets were on the ground and Link's nightdress was thrown across the bed. A brick from the wall had been removed, revealing a small cubby Pipit had never known to be there. He raced over to see the hole, and saw dust prints of several objects that had been in there not long ago.

"Oh my god," Pipit gasped, quickly running out of the room and forcing his way into Zelda's room. The princess wasn't there either. And there was no indication of where she may be and if she took anything with her. Unlike Link's room, it was pristine. Pipit breath rapidly, feeling the panic rising through his body like hot air, as he ran down the stairs to inform anyone that the princess was missing.

Thank you for reading. Poor Pipit isn't good at thinking outside the box.

And love between warriors isn't easy! Well, Link hasn't found his true warrior side yet, but we will see what happens, won't we?

I may be taking a break soon because I'm running out of steam, but we will see how things go. Just a quick heads up. I will be sure to inform you when/if I do in a following chapter.

For news and updates concerning this story, check out my page.

Look forward to the next chapter. Chapter 38: How to Prevent The Kidnapping of a Princess(es?) A.K.A. Groose Sees Double