Chapter Eight:
"Well what do we do now? We've lost him," one of the guards asked.
"Last I saw of him was through the kitchen garden," another answered.
"Okay okay, we need to split up," Link ordered. "You three go that way, Rook, Marcus, Sanders, you're with me. Now come on, lets go. We can't let the king down." With this the group split up, both teams going in opposite directions. The gardens were dark at night, the darkest part of the castle grounds. It was no wonder the man they had met in the back alley chose to hide here. "Damn the clouds, it has to be overcast tonight of all nights now doesn't it?" Link grumbled to himself. They combed over the gardens, twice running into the other group, but alas, no sign of the suspected killer.
"This is hopeless!" Rook exclaimed out of frustration and punched the ivy-covered wall. "He's probably long gone by now!"
"We're not giving up yet Rook," Link encouraged, "come on guys, we can do this."
"But we've looked everywhere, it's dark as anything out here. We'll never find him," Sanders, the tallest of the guards, said gloomily.
"Come on man, we've got to try!" Marcus yelled at him. "We're the Royal Guards, we do not give up so easily! Now get up and do your jobs!"
"He's right!" A chorus chimed in.
Running could be heard up the path. They all turned quickly, swords drawn, only to see that it was another guard coming toward them. But as he came closer, they noticed the expression on his face. He was gasping for air, breathing hard and trying to speak at the same time.
"The…the…" He tried to force out. Link sat him down against the wall, urging him to catch his breath.
"What? What's happened?" Link asked, fearing the worse.
"King…King Harkinian is….is…"
"Is what man?!" Marcus exclaimed impatiently.
"He's gone!" The man finally let out. Link jerked backward.
"What do you mean, gone?" Link interrogated, holding the guard's shoulders. "Where?"
"He…he left with one of his advisors, just for a moment…He said he was going to be gone but a moment," the guard started to catch his breath. "He just stepped out into the East Wing Hall and then they were both gone, we can't find them."
Link patted the man on his shoulder and stood up, his expression grave.
"While we were out here chasing that man, the real assassin was inside the whole time. I bet he planned for us to be out here, chasing his decoy…Come on!" Link turned into a run back to the Main Hall, Rook and the other guards following closely. The sense of urgency was upon Link. All he could think of was hurry, and hurry he did. He tore into the East Wing Hall, only to find it empty. Link searched around almost frantically if it wasn't for his degree of focus. They could find no sign of struggle, no blood, anything. This, at least, was a good sign thought Link. He sent the guards in pairs of two's down separate corridors, telling them to search every foot of passage they led to. This left the hall empty, save for him and Rook. Link started to walk around the perimeter of the room, running his hands over the walls carefully.
"Link, what are ye doing? Have ye gone daft? The King is missing and yer feeling the walls!" Rook said hotly. Link didn't bother looking over at him.
"Just give me a minute, I think I have an idea," Link replied.
"Oh! An idea! Tha's not going ta' do us much good now is it Li---," Rook stopped abruptly for it was at that moment that Link tore one of the tapestries down from the wall, revealing a passage behind it.
"Well I'll be the daft one," Rook stared at the opening in amazement. "Link, how did ya' know tha' was there?"
"Don't think I haven't done some exploring on my own," Link grinned for but a moment before his face became serious again. "Rook, stay here, I don't want you to get hurt and---"
"I'm not a wee babe Link!" The stable hand shouted, throwing his arms out in anger. "I can help, you know I can."
"Sh!" Link hissed at him while drawing his sword out of its sheath. "There is my point Rook, this is serious. I don't know if I can trust you to keep quiet!" A hurt look swept over Rook's face momentarily before he resumed his tempered one.
"Of course I can! I'm not a bairn Link, don't treat me like one."
"Fine then, come on. And grab that torch over there while you're at it."
They ran up the stairs, Link leading and Rook close behind. The passage was an old servant corridor that hadn't been in use for years. The light from the torch swirled around them as they ran to the top, casting eerie shadows on stones that had long forgotten what light was. At the top was an old wooden hanging door built into the ceiling. With a quick flip of Link's hand, the door was gently lowered without a sound until it rested steadily on its hinges. The two pressed on.
"Where does this all lead to?" Rook whispered under his breath, the firelight illuminating the excitement in his eyes. The door had leaded them onto the kitchen loft, which was piled high with sacks of every size imaginable. It was also dark too, and the light from the flame only lit so far. Link searched around the space, beckoning Rook to hold the torch higher.
"Link, which way now?" Rook asked with tension raising in his voice.
"I'm not sure, I didn't bother going this far last time," the hero replied, eyes still scanning the loft. "But it looks like there's something under here, come help me."
Rook found an old brazier and set the torch down in it. Link lead him over to a sack of oats in the center of the loft and together, they hoisted it aside. Underneath, was another trap door.
"Well, look at tha'!" Rook exclaimed. "What are you, some sort of blood hound?"
"No," Link said, lifting the door up and dropping down onto the ladder. Through the opening light shown through from below. "They hay around it had been recently moved." Rook snubbed out the torch in the brazier and followed Link down.
"Did you hear that Rook?"
"Aye, no, but I just hit me bloody head on this beam here."
"That, it's coming from over there. Come on!"
Link jumped the last few steps of the ladder and landed with a thud on the floor. It had leaded them right into the kitchen's large and expansive pantry.
"Link, how do ya suppose they got the king down tha' ladder? He's a big man; I've seen 'im. And I doubt he would be much easier to move if he war'…well unconscious." Rook stated blatantly. Link paid no attention to this comment as he skirted out the service door, leading to a now deserted part of the castle wall. His first time here quickly flashed in his mind, almost eight long years ago when he had sneaked into see Princes Zelda. There was a stationary wooden cart parked alongside the fence, its bed stacked partially with empty crates from Lon Lon Ranch. A worn canvas was thrown sloppily over the side, but enough of it draped into the cart to cover a rather distinct bulge lying there. Link gulped hard and went to pull back the fabric, not exactly sure what he was going to find underneath. Rook followed him closely; his muscles ready to jump back at the slightest motion. Link's hand grabbed the cloth, and with one, quick tug, sent it flying over the side of the cart. What was underneath was not to be suspected.
"Adel?!" Link gasped as the cover was drawn from atop her body. Her sour face glared up at them from behind the restraint on her mouth. Her hands were bound behind her back and her feet were tied at the ankle as well. She grunted and growled at them, her eyes flashing sparks of anger. Quickly, Link went to unbind her hands and feet, still puzzled about finding her here so unexpectedly.
"We'll have you out of here in a minute Adel, just keep still," Link said calmly, hoping it would calm her down as well. She paused for a moment, her chest heaving from her struggle. She arched her neck so that she could see Rook, who was looking her over in an odd fashion. There was a smile playing on his lips when he gently reached over and pulled the covering away from her mouth.
"What took you two oafs so long!" She demanded. Rook was immediately sorry he had taken the gag off. "I've been here for almost ten minutes it seems! You're a hero?! Why what have you been doing? You're a sorry excuse for a he---,"
"Whoa, slow down lassie!" Said Rook. "How did ya' get here first before you get into yer pointless screamin'?"
"Pointless? Pointless!? I'll give you pointless!" She screamed at him while Link was still trying to unbind her hands.
The sound of a sword being drawn was heard behind them, and Princess Adel's shouting came to a sudden stand still. Link looked at Adel, not moving a muscle himself. The fright in her eyes and the way her lips trembled ever so slightly told him enough. Slowly, he tried to reach up for his sword, but at his first sign of movement, a sharp jab was in his back from the blade behind him.
"Get up slowly boy and turn around," a familiar voice pierced through the chilled night air. "Do it, and I won't kill you where you stand." Link turned slowly, making the dirt scratch below his boots. The blade of the sword was now directed against his throat, gently pressing against it, testing the soft, vulnerable skin. Link's eyes shot upward to meet the holder of the sword.
At first Link didn't recognize him, but the face was defiantly familiar somehow. The man's cloak hung heavily down to his boots, casting a shadow over the rest of his body so it was hard to make out any other distinguishing features. But the one thing that was hard to miss was the brilliant, red shirt that he wore. His arm was outreached, holding the sword steadily underneath Link's chin, his eyes glaring with a sick pleasure.
"I knew it was going to be hard to keep you out of this," he grinned, pressing the tip of the sword a little harder against the skin. Rook tried to move to help Link, but it was futile. "Move and the hero gets it," the man ordered. "Or maybe I should just start with that bratty little princess over there. Gave me quite a scratch." And then Link noticed the shallow scraped across the man's chin. Link tried to think of something to say, but found in extremely difficult when you had a sword jammed into your throat.
"Why is Princess Adel here? She has nothing to do with this," Link gulped, trying to devise a plan in his head.
"Insurance," the man said. "King Harkinian would have to do anything I asked as long as I had her, and not surprisingly it works for you as well. Good thing our paths crossed at the right time now, right my dear? Now get along the edge of the moat over there, all three of you! Don't do anything stupid."
Rook helped Princess Adel out of the cart and surprisingly she was obedient to his aid. Fright, he thought, must have a somewhat positive effect in her case. But nonetheless, as much as he disliked her, he did not wish to see her scared. The man backed Link up with the others, all the while his sword placed at Link's windpipe.
"Well what do we do now? We've lost him," one of the guards asked.
"Last I saw of him was through the kitchen garden," another answered.
"Okay okay, we need to split up," Link ordered. "You three go that way, Rook, Marcus, Sanders, you're with me. Now come on, lets go. We can't let the king down." With this the group split up, both teams going in opposite directions. The gardens were dark at night, the darkest part of the castle grounds. It was no wonder the man they had met in the back alley chose to hide here. "Damn the clouds, it has to be overcast tonight of all nights now doesn't it?" Link grumbled to himself. They combed over the gardens, twice running into the other group, but alas, no sign of the suspected killer.
"This is hopeless!" Rook exclaimed out of frustration and punched the ivy-covered wall. "He's probably long gone by now!"
"We're not giving up yet Rook," Link encouraged, "come on guys, we can do this."
"But we've looked everywhere, it's dark as anything out here. We'll never find him," Sanders, the tallest of the guards, said gloomily.
"Come on man, we've got to try!" Marcus yelled at him. "We're the Royal Guards, we do not give up so easily! Now get up and do your jobs!"
"He's right!" A chorus chimed in.
Running could be heard up the path. They all turned quickly, swords drawn, only to see that it was another guard coming toward them. But as he came closer, they noticed the expression on his face. He was gasping for air, breathing hard and trying to speak at the same time.
"The…the…" He tried to force out. Link sat him down against the wall, urging him to catch his breath.
"What? What's happened?" Link asked, fearing the worse.
"King…King Harkinian is….is…"
"Is what man?!" Marcus exclaimed impatiently.
"He's gone!" The man finally let out. Link jerked backward.
"What do you mean, gone?" Link interrogated, holding the guard's shoulders. "Where?"
"He…he left with one of his advisors, just for a moment…He said he was going to be gone but a moment," the guard started to catch his breath. "He just stepped out into the East Wing Hall and then they were both gone, we can't find them."
Link patted the man on his shoulder and stood up, his expression grave.
"While we were out here chasing that man, the real assassin was inside the whole time. I bet he planned for us to be out here, chasing his decoy…Come on!" Link turned into a run back to the Main Hall, Rook and the other guards following closely. The sense of urgency was upon Link. All he could think of was hurry, and hurry he did. He tore into the East Wing Hall, only to find it empty. Link searched around almost frantically if it wasn't for his degree of focus. They could find no sign of struggle, no blood, anything. This, at least, was a good sign thought Link. He sent the guards in pairs of two's down separate corridors, telling them to search every foot of passage they led to. This left the hall empty, save for him and Rook. Link started to walk around the perimeter of the room, running his hands over the walls carefully.
"Link, what are ye doing? Have ye gone daft? The King is missing and yer feeling the walls!" Rook said hotly. Link didn't bother looking over at him.
"Just give me a minute, I think I have an idea," Link replied.
"Oh! An idea! Tha's not going ta' do us much good now is it Li---," Rook stopped abruptly for it was at that moment that Link tore one of the tapestries down from the wall, revealing a passage behind it.
"Well I'll be the daft one," Rook stared at the opening in amazement. "Link, how did ya' know tha' was there?"
"Don't think I haven't done some exploring on my own," Link grinned for but a moment before his face became serious again. "Rook, stay here, I don't want you to get hurt and---"
"I'm not a wee babe Link!" The stable hand shouted, throwing his arms out in anger. "I can help, you know I can."
"Sh!" Link hissed at him while drawing his sword out of its sheath. "There is my point Rook, this is serious. I don't know if I can trust you to keep quiet!" A hurt look swept over Rook's face momentarily before he resumed his tempered one.
"Of course I can! I'm not a bairn Link, don't treat me like one."
"Fine then, come on. And grab that torch over there while you're at it."
They ran up the stairs, Link leading and Rook close behind. The passage was an old servant corridor that hadn't been in use for years. The light from the torch swirled around them as they ran to the top, casting eerie shadows on stones that had long forgotten what light was. At the top was an old wooden hanging door built into the ceiling. With a quick flip of Link's hand, the door was gently lowered without a sound until it rested steadily on its hinges. The two pressed on.
"Where does this all lead to?" Rook whispered under his breath, the firelight illuminating the excitement in his eyes. The door had leaded them onto the kitchen loft, which was piled high with sacks of every size imaginable. It was also dark too, and the light from the flame only lit so far. Link searched around the space, beckoning Rook to hold the torch higher.
"Link, which way now?" Rook asked with tension raising in his voice.
"I'm not sure, I didn't bother going this far last time," the hero replied, eyes still scanning the loft. "But it looks like there's something under here, come help me."
Rook found an old brazier and set the torch down in it. Link lead him over to a sack of oats in the center of the loft and together, they hoisted it aside. Underneath, was another trap door.
"Well, look at tha'!" Rook exclaimed. "What are you, some sort of blood hound?"
"No," Link said, lifting the door up and dropping down onto the ladder. Through the opening light shown through from below. "They hay around it had been recently moved." Rook snubbed out the torch in the brazier and followed Link down.
"Did you hear that Rook?"
"Aye, no, but I just hit me bloody head on this beam here."
"That, it's coming from over there. Come on!"
Link jumped the last few steps of the ladder and landed with a thud on the floor. It had leaded them right into the kitchen's large and expansive pantry.
"Link, how do ya suppose they got the king down tha' ladder? He's a big man; I've seen 'im. And I doubt he would be much easier to move if he war'…well unconscious." Rook stated blatantly. Link paid no attention to this comment as he skirted out the service door, leading to a now deserted part of the castle wall. His first time here quickly flashed in his mind, almost eight long years ago when he had sneaked into see Princes Zelda. There was a stationary wooden cart parked alongside the fence, its bed stacked partially with empty crates from Lon Lon Ranch. A worn canvas was thrown sloppily over the side, but enough of it draped into the cart to cover a rather distinct bulge lying there. Link gulped hard and went to pull back the fabric, not exactly sure what he was going to find underneath. Rook followed him closely; his muscles ready to jump back at the slightest motion. Link's hand grabbed the cloth, and with one, quick tug, sent it flying over the side of the cart. What was underneath was not to be suspected.
"Adel?!" Link gasped as the cover was drawn from atop her body. Her sour face glared up at them from behind the restraint on her mouth. Her hands were bound behind her back and her feet were tied at the ankle as well. She grunted and growled at them, her eyes flashing sparks of anger. Quickly, Link went to unbind her hands and feet, still puzzled about finding her here so unexpectedly.
"We'll have you out of here in a minute Adel, just keep still," Link said calmly, hoping it would calm her down as well. She paused for a moment, her chest heaving from her struggle. She arched her neck so that she could see Rook, who was looking her over in an odd fashion. There was a smile playing on his lips when he gently reached over and pulled the covering away from her mouth.
"What took you two oafs so long!" She demanded. Rook was immediately sorry he had taken the gag off. "I've been here for almost ten minutes it seems! You're a hero?! Why what have you been doing? You're a sorry excuse for a he---,"
"Whoa, slow down lassie!" Said Rook. "How did ya' get here first before you get into yer pointless screamin'?"
"Pointless? Pointless!? I'll give you pointless!" She screamed at him while Link was still trying to unbind her hands.
The sound of a sword being drawn was heard behind them, and Princess Adel's shouting came to a sudden stand still. Link looked at Adel, not moving a muscle himself. The fright in her eyes and the way her lips trembled ever so slightly told him enough. Slowly, he tried to reach up for his sword, but at his first sign of movement, a sharp jab was in his back from the blade behind him.
"Get up slowly boy and turn around," a familiar voice pierced through the chilled night air. "Do it, and I won't kill you where you stand." Link turned slowly, making the dirt scratch below his boots. The blade of the sword was now directed against his throat, gently pressing against it, testing the soft, vulnerable skin. Link's eyes shot upward to meet the holder of the sword.
At first Link didn't recognize him, but the face was defiantly familiar somehow. The man's cloak hung heavily down to his boots, casting a shadow over the rest of his body so it was hard to make out any other distinguishing features. But the one thing that was hard to miss was the brilliant, red shirt that he wore. His arm was outreached, holding the sword steadily underneath Link's chin, his eyes glaring with a sick pleasure.
"I knew it was going to be hard to keep you out of this," he grinned, pressing the tip of the sword a little harder against the skin. Rook tried to move to help Link, but it was futile. "Move and the hero gets it," the man ordered. "Or maybe I should just start with that bratty little princess over there. Gave me quite a scratch." And then Link noticed the shallow scraped across the man's chin. Link tried to think of something to say, but found in extremely difficult when you had a sword jammed into your throat.
"Why is Princess Adel here? She has nothing to do with this," Link gulped, trying to devise a plan in his head.
"Insurance," the man said. "King Harkinian would have to do anything I asked as long as I had her, and not surprisingly it works for you as well. Good thing our paths crossed at the right time now, right my dear? Now get along the edge of the moat over there, all three of you! Don't do anything stupid."
Rook helped Princess Adel out of the cart and surprisingly she was obedient to his aid. Fright, he thought, must have a somewhat positive effect in her case. But nonetheless, as much as he disliked her, he did not wish to see her scared. The man backed Link up with the others, all the while his sword placed at Link's windpipe.