~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zelda splashed cold water in her face, sighing. Well, today was the day. She was finally going Hyrule. Not as a normal person, like she'd have wished, but as Princess Malon's servant. Ooh, how she hated that woman!
Until Queen Rose died, Zelda had always been treated equally by Altea's royal family. But now that her mother was gone, Malon had seemed to suddenly let out her rage and hate and anger at Zelda--full blast.
Malon had approached her father at a young age, and asked if Zelda could become her servant. King Marcum had always detested Zelda because of her Sheikah heritage. And he kept it no secret from her. Queen Rose, however, had always protected Zelda fiercley, as if she were her own daughter. But once the Queen passed away, King Marcum allowed Malon to do with her what she wished.
"ZELDA!!" Malon screeched. "GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY!"
Grunting with annoyance, Zelda stormed into Malon's room. "What is it that you want, your highness?"
"Comb my hair out for me, will you?" Malon said in a sing-song voice, handing Zelda her comb. Sighing, the servant took it. "What's the matter, Cindersoot?" Malon asked. "Aren't you excited for the trip?"
Zelda clenched her teeth together tightly. Ever since she'd developed the habit of sleeping by the fire (and eventually having to put it out), soot was always on her face. Malon had given her the nickname "Cindersoot." She felt annoyed by Malon's question, but answered it anyway. "I'm just ecstatic about it."
"That's wonderful," Malon said, though not really sounding as if she thought so. "I wonder if that stuck-up Peach will like me any better this time. You never got to meet her, because you got sick the last time we went to Hyrule. Darryl is a sweet boy, but he's no comparison with Link. Oh, Link is so suave, and handsome and. . ."
As Malon continued to ramble, Zelda rolled her eyes. Heavens, she talked about Link so much! She was sick of hearing about him. Zelda felt that she didn't have the need to meet Link; Malon had already given her a good idea of basically what he was like. She knew his favorite color, what he was allergic to, and what kind of books he liked to read.
"Zelda, I said stop!" Malon shouted, wrenching the girl's hand off of her hair. "Have you gone deaf or something?"
"I-I'm sorry," Zelda stammered. "I didn't hear you."
"Obviously," Malon sighed, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you make yourself useful and take my bags outside. Maybe Roy will help you--he's helping Marth with his, and I'm sure he'll give you a hand."
"I can pick up a bag myself, thank you," Zelda huffed, grabbing three of Malon's suitcases. "I'll be right back."
Malon said nothing as Zelda stalked out of the room. As she walked outside, she saw Roy putting some of Marth's bags into the carrige. Seeing Zelda, he immediately rushed over.
"Here, let me help you with those," he offered.
"No thanks," Zelda said, lifting one of the bags into the carrige. "I'm doing just fine on my own." She grunted, and shoved the last satchel into the horse-drawn vehicle.
Roy stared hungrily at Zelda. She wasn't fit to be a servant, she should be a princess. He knew that her beauty surpassed anyone in the world, and that included Malon--who, for some time, had suitors slobbering all over her, begging for her hand.
"Um. . .Roy, what're you staring at?" Zelda asked, noticing that he was looking at her in a way that made her quite uncomfortable.
"Oh, uh. . .I was just, sorry. . .nothing. . ." He started muttering incomprehensibly, very embarrassed. Roy gazed at Zelda's curvaceous figure as she went back to Malon's room. "If only you knew, Zelda. . ."
An hour later, they were all on their way to Hyrule.
"Look, Zelda!" Malon said. "It's that dumpy forest where you used to live! Aren't you glad that we saved you and now you're a servant in a castle? Come now, don't you want to see?"
"No," Zelda answered in a monotone. She was huddled in a corner of the carrige, not looking out of any of the windows. 'Besides,' she thought to herself. 'I'm more of a slave than a servant, wouldn't you agree?'. After thinking more angry, dark thoughts about Malon, Zelda drifted into sleep.
A few hours later, the group reached Hyrule castle. Roy nudged Zelda, and she sat up drowsily. Her hair had become slightly tousled. Malon turned towards her with one of her most disapproving looks.
"Zelda, I thought I told you to clean all that soot off your face!" she snapped. "You're a disgrace to us! You'd better not look Link in the eye once we seem them, he'll think we keep a dirty castle!" Malon gasped. "Oh, look! They've all come to meet us at the gate, how exciting!"
Indeed, the Hylian royals had all congregated at the front of their castle to meet the Alteans. Link and Peach had come rather grudgingly, but their parents forced them both to be polite and come along.
"Link!" Malon cried, running up to him and hugging him tightly. "It has simply been much too long since I've seen you! Oh, I'm so glad that we're here!"
"Erm. . .yes, me too," Link said rather impassively.
Darryl stared darkly at his brother. Filled with jealous rage, he wished vainly that Malon would rush over to him and embrace him.
"So nice to see you again, Darryl," Malon said, finally stepping away from Link. Her smile twitched slightly. "And Peach. . .such a pleasure."
"Yes, it is, really," Peach cried, wanting to make her parents look good by pretending that she actually was quite pleased. "And Prince Marth, I can't believe how handsome you've become! You simply take my breath away!"
"One could easily say the same of you," Marth beamed. He bent down and kissed Peach's hand. Link and Darryl did the same for Malon (Link only doing it out of politeness, and of course, to please his mother).
"And who do we have over there?" King George asked curiously, nodding towards Zelda and Roy, who were now stepping out of the carrige.
"Oh, they're just the servants we brought with us," Marth answered, speaking as though it really wasn't all that important.
"Well, since they'll be living with us for a while, perhaps it would be nice if we learned their names," Queen Madeline suggested.
Walking over, Zelda couldn't help giving Link an amorous glance before she curtsied. She knew immediately that this was the man that Malon was infatuated with, and she could easily tell why.
"This is my maid, Zelda," Malon said.
"And this would be my manservant, Roy," Marth said.
"I hope you enjoy your stay at our castle," Queen Madeline said, trying to look into the eyes of the two servants. Both of them had their eyes glued to the ground. "Please allow me to introduce my children. This is my daughter, Peach."
Zelda and Roy still faced the ground, but curtsied and bowed respectively. Malon and Marth had ordered them not to make eye contact, even if the Hylians found it rude in any way.
"And this is my oldest son, Link," Queen Madeline continued. "And our third child, Darryl."
At the sound of that name, Zelda's eyes darted upward. She stared at the Prince in shock. He had the same physical traits as her late baby brother--same hair, same eyes, same smile, even. Zelda suddenly got a little frightened. It wasn't until Malon nudged her that she once more lowered her glance.
"It's an honor meeting you all," Zelda stammered.
"And we consider it an honor staying here," King Marcum said. "Why don't you show us where we'll all be sleeping? We've had a very long and tiresome trip, and I know my children should like to take a small nap before dinner."
"Of course," King George obliged. "Please follow me. . ."
****************
About thirty minutes later, the Altean royals were all situated in their rooms and had gone to sleep. Roy had also decided to take a small nap, so Zelda was left alone in the large Hyrule castle.
Zelda decided to go exploring. She stepped inside of a large room, filled with rows and rows of books. Obviously, it was their library. Scanning the shelves, Zelda noticed that several of the manuscripts were written in Ancient Hylian, a language she had never learned.
She heard a small meow. Zelda turned with curiousity, looking around for the cat that had made the noise. There was a hiss, and the sound of claws scraping on wood. Then Zelda saw small feet sticking out from underneath a couch. Slightly worried, she slowly stuck her hand underneath the piece of furniture.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. The cat had bit her finger. "C'mon kitty, I'm only trying to help you out!" Eventually, she managed to grab a hold of the cat and pull it out. "Now where did you come from?"
The cat squirmed and continued to hiss. Zelda noticed a thin piece of string around his neck, and a small tag on it read, "Peaches." She could only assume that that meant the cat was Peach's. Trying to remember where the princess's room was, Zelda walked out of the library with the feline in hand.
Fortunately, Zelda saw Peach walking down the hall not too soon after exiting the library. "Excuse me, Princess," Zelda called out. Peach turned around and started walking towards her.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if this was your cat," Zelda answered. "I found her in the library, and she's wearing a piece of string that says 'Peaches' on it."
Peach rushed over and took her cat into her arms. "Why, yes! I've been looking all over for her! It's so unlike Peaches to just run off like that; she normally just lies in her basket all day. Thank you so much. . .Zelda."
"I only wish I could do more," Malon's servant said, curtsying and beginning to walk away.
"W-wait!" Peach said, stopping Zelda. "Perhaps you could do me another favor, dear. You see, my brother wants me to read this book that he got, and there's something written in Altean. I've never learned the language, and the stupid book didn't offer a translation. It would ever so helpful if you could lend me a hand."
"Of course," Zelda said. "I'd be glad too."
"That's wonderful!" Peach cried. "Just come with me up to my room and I'll get the book."
As they got into Peach's room, the princess dropped her cat to the floor. Peaches scurried over to her basket and went right back to sleep. Zelda, afraid that she'd either dirty up Peach's furniture or sit on a cat, stood against the wall.
"Hold on a minute, I just have to find it. . ." Peach mumbled, opening a desk drawer. "Oh, don't stand against the wall there, dear, just take a seat on my bed."
"Thank you, miss." Zelda slowly sat on the edge of Peach's bed, eyeing Debbie and Tanya carefully (they were coming dangerously closer). Suddenly, Spoc flew out of no where and landed on top of Zelda's lap. He fell quickly asleep.
"Here it is," Peach announced, sitting down next to Zelda with the book. "By the way, that's Spoc. If you want him to get off, just pinch his sides. Spoc is very sweet; he loves to be around people."
Zelda rubbed Spoc's ears before saying, "So what is it that you wanted me to translate for you, highness?"
"It's right here," Peach answered, flipping through the pages and stopping on 346. "That speech bubble over the man with the goatee. I'd try translating it myself, but I can't find my Hylian-Altean dictionary."
"Okay," Zelda laughed. "It says 'The Sheikahs have stolen our national embers; the Sacred Jade stones."
"Sacred Jade stones?!" Peach asked with excitement. "Wow, maybe this book'll be worth reading! Thank you very much dear, you're really too ki-- OH MYYYY! Zelda dear, you've got soot all over your face! Surely you don't prefer it that way!"
"Er. . .no, not really," Zelda said, not really sure if Peach had been expecting an answer or not.
"Come with me," Peach said, grabbing Zelda's hand. "I really think you should bathe before dinner. I always do; it makes me feel so much cleaner--but then of course, that's what a bath is supposed to do." The princess rested a hand on the tub's handle. "Hot or cold water, Zel?"
"Uh, it doesn't really matter," Zelda answered, turning slightly pink.
Peach put her index finger in her mouth and pulled it out quickly, seeming to test the wind in the bathroom (where all the windows were closed). She squinted her eyes. "We'll settle for warm," the princess finally decided, turning on both handles. "Well, the soap's over there, that's the drain, towels are on the bureau over there, and I'll just be in my room reading."
"Th-thank you, majesty," Zelda stammered, suddenly feeling very warm. "But I can't see a point in cleaning myself if I'll just end up getting dirty again with this dress. Thanks for the offer, though."
"NONSENSE!" Peach cried joyvially. "Let me see. . .yes, dark blue seems to be your color. . .here, you can borrow one of my dresses. I know all your bag is in Malon's room, and it would be deadly to try and get in there while she's asleep." Peach held out the dress to Zelda, who stood there dumbly. "Go on, dear. Take it."
Mistified, Zelda slowly reached out and took the dress. She bent down slightly, attempting a bow. "Thank you, highness."
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal all the time," Peach insisted. "Just call me Peach! We're practically friends! Well, I'll just leave you to take your bath, and I'll just be reading in my room, okay?"
"Okay," Zelda said, grinning.
"No problem," said Peach, smiling and shutting the door behind her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: in my other story, peach was a poop. so, i decided 2 make her nice in this one!! hope u liked!! dont 4get 2 review!!!
Zelda splashed cold water in her face, sighing. Well, today was the day. She was finally going Hyrule. Not as a normal person, like she'd have wished, but as Princess Malon's servant. Ooh, how she hated that woman!
Until Queen Rose died, Zelda had always been treated equally by Altea's royal family. But now that her mother was gone, Malon had seemed to suddenly let out her rage and hate and anger at Zelda--full blast.
Malon had approached her father at a young age, and asked if Zelda could become her servant. King Marcum had always detested Zelda because of her Sheikah heritage. And he kept it no secret from her. Queen Rose, however, had always protected Zelda fiercley, as if she were her own daughter. But once the Queen passed away, King Marcum allowed Malon to do with her what she wished.
"ZELDA!!" Malon screeched. "GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY!"
Grunting with annoyance, Zelda stormed into Malon's room. "What is it that you want, your highness?"
"Comb my hair out for me, will you?" Malon said in a sing-song voice, handing Zelda her comb. Sighing, the servant took it. "What's the matter, Cindersoot?" Malon asked. "Aren't you excited for the trip?"
Zelda clenched her teeth together tightly. Ever since she'd developed the habit of sleeping by the fire (and eventually having to put it out), soot was always on her face. Malon had given her the nickname "Cindersoot." She felt annoyed by Malon's question, but answered it anyway. "I'm just ecstatic about it."
"That's wonderful," Malon said, though not really sounding as if she thought so. "I wonder if that stuck-up Peach will like me any better this time. You never got to meet her, because you got sick the last time we went to Hyrule. Darryl is a sweet boy, but he's no comparison with Link. Oh, Link is so suave, and handsome and. . ."
As Malon continued to ramble, Zelda rolled her eyes. Heavens, she talked about Link so much! She was sick of hearing about him. Zelda felt that she didn't have the need to meet Link; Malon had already given her a good idea of basically what he was like. She knew his favorite color, what he was allergic to, and what kind of books he liked to read.
"Zelda, I said stop!" Malon shouted, wrenching the girl's hand off of her hair. "Have you gone deaf or something?"
"I-I'm sorry," Zelda stammered. "I didn't hear you."
"Obviously," Malon sighed, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you make yourself useful and take my bags outside. Maybe Roy will help you--he's helping Marth with his, and I'm sure he'll give you a hand."
"I can pick up a bag myself, thank you," Zelda huffed, grabbing three of Malon's suitcases. "I'll be right back."
Malon said nothing as Zelda stalked out of the room. As she walked outside, she saw Roy putting some of Marth's bags into the carrige. Seeing Zelda, he immediately rushed over.
"Here, let me help you with those," he offered.
"No thanks," Zelda said, lifting one of the bags into the carrige. "I'm doing just fine on my own." She grunted, and shoved the last satchel into the horse-drawn vehicle.
Roy stared hungrily at Zelda. She wasn't fit to be a servant, she should be a princess. He knew that her beauty surpassed anyone in the world, and that included Malon--who, for some time, had suitors slobbering all over her, begging for her hand.
"Um. . .Roy, what're you staring at?" Zelda asked, noticing that he was looking at her in a way that made her quite uncomfortable.
"Oh, uh. . .I was just, sorry. . .nothing. . ." He started muttering incomprehensibly, very embarrassed. Roy gazed at Zelda's curvaceous figure as she went back to Malon's room. "If only you knew, Zelda. . ."
An hour later, they were all on their way to Hyrule.
"Look, Zelda!" Malon said. "It's that dumpy forest where you used to live! Aren't you glad that we saved you and now you're a servant in a castle? Come now, don't you want to see?"
"No," Zelda answered in a monotone. She was huddled in a corner of the carrige, not looking out of any of the windows. 'Besides,' she thought to herself. 'I'm more of a slave than a servant, wouldn't you agree?'. After thinking more angry, dark thoughts about Malon, Zelda drifted into sleep.
A few hours later, the group reached Hyrule castle. Roy nudged Zelda, and she sat up drowsily. Her hair had become slightly tousled. Malon turned towards her with one of her most disapproving looks.
"Zelda, I thought I told you to clean all that soot off your face!" she snapped. "You're a disgrace to us! You'd better not look Link in the eye once we seem them, he'll think we keep a dirty castle!" Malon gasped. "Oh, look! They've all come to meet us at the gate, how exciting!"
Indeed, the Hylian royals had all congregated at the front of their castle to meet the Alteans. Link and Peach had come rather grudgingly, but their parents forced them both to be polite and come along.
"Link!" Malon cried, running up to him and hugging him tightly. "It has simply been much too long since I've seen you! Oh, I'm so glad that we're here!"
"Erm. . .yes, me too," Link said rather impassively.
Darryl stared darkly at his brother. Filled with jealous rage, he wished vainly that Malon would rush over to him and embrace him.
"So nice to see you again, Darryl," Malon said, finally stepping away from Link. Her smile twitched slightly. "And Peach. . .such a pleasure."
"Yes, it is, really," Peach cried, wanting to make her parents look good by pretending that she actually was quite pleased. "And Prince Marth, I can't believe how handsome you've become! You simply take my breath away!"
"One could easily say the same of you," Marth beamed. He bent down and kissed Peach's hand. Link and Darryl did the same for Malon (Link only doing it out of politeness, and of course, to please his mother).
"And who do we have over there?" King George asked curiously, nodding towards Zelda and Roy, who were now stepping out of the carrige.
"Oh, they're just the servants we brought with us," Marth answered, speaking as though it really wasn't all that important.
"Well, since they'll be living with us for a while, perhaps it would be nice if we learned their names," Queen Madeline suggested.
Walking over, Zelda couldn't help giving Link an amorous glance before she curtsied. She knew immediately that this was the man that Malon was infatuated with, and she could easily tell why.
"This is my maid, Zelda," Malon said.
"And this would be my manservant, Roy," Marth said.
"I hope you enjoy your stay at our castle," Queen Madeline said, trying to look into the eyes of the two servants. Both of them had their eyes glued to the ground. "Please allow me to introduce my children. This is my daughter, Peach."
Zelda and Roy still faced the ground, but curtsied and bowed respectively. Malon and Marth had ordered them not to make eye contact, even if the Hylians found it rude in any way.
"And this is my oldest son, Link," Queen Madeline continued. "And our third child, Darryl."
At the sound of that name, Zelda's eyes darted upward. She stared at the Prince in shock. He had the same physical traits as her late baby brother--same hair, same eyes, same smile, even. Zelda suddenly got a little frightened. It wasn't until Malon nudged her that she once more lowered her glance.
"It's an honor meeting you all," Zelda stammered.
"And we consider it an honor staying here," King Marcum said. "Why don't you show us where we'll all be sleeping? We've had a very long and tiresome trip, and I know my children should like to take a small nap before dinner."
"Of course," King George obliged. "Please follow me. . ."
****************
About thirty minutes later, the Altean royals were all situated in their rooms and had gone to sleep. Roy had also decided to take a small nap, so Zelda was left alone in the large Hyrule castle.
Zelda decided to go exploring. She stepped inside of a large room, filled with rows and rows of books. Obviously, it was their library. Scanning the shelves, Zelda noticed that several of the manuscripts were written in Ancient Hylian, a language she had never learned.
She heard a small meow. Zelda turned with curiousity, looking around for the cat that had made the noise. There was a hiss, and the sound of claws scraping on wood. Then Zelda saw small feet sticking out from underneath a couch. Slightly worried, she slowly stuck her hand underneath the piece of furniture.
"Ouch!" she exclaimed. The cat had bit her finger. "C'mon kitty, I'm only trying to help you out!" Eventually, she managed to grab a hold of the cat and pull it out. "Now where did you come from?"
The cat squirmed and continued to hiss. Zelda noticed a thin piece of string around his neck, and a small tag on it read, "Peaches." She could only assume that that meant the cat was Peach's. Trying to remember where the princess's room was, Zelda walked out of the library with the feline in hand.
Fortunately, Zelda saw Peach walking down the hall not too soon after exiting the library. "Excuse me, Princess," Zelda called out. Peach turned around and started walking towards her.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if this was your cat," Zelda answered. "I found her in the library, and she's wearing a piece of string that says 'Peaches' on it."
Peach rushed over and took her cat into her arms. "Why, yes! I've been looking all over for her! It's so unlike Peaches to just run off like that; she normally just lies in her basket all day. Thank you so much. . .Zelda."
"I only wish I could do more," Malon's servant said, curtsying and beginning to walk away.
"W-wait!" Peach said, stopping Zelda. "Perhaps you could do me another favor, dear. You see, my brother wants me to read this book that he got, and there's something written in Altean. I've never learned the language, and the stupid book didn't offer a translation. It would ever so helpful if you could lend me a hand."
"Of course," Zelda said. "I'd be glad too."
"That's wonderful!" Peach cried. "Just come with me up to my room and I'll get the book."
As they got into Peach's room, the princess dropped her cat to the floor. Peaches scurried over to her basket and went right back to sleep. Zelda, afraid that she'd either dirty up Peach's furniture or sit on a cat, stood against the wall.
"Hold on a minute, I just have to find it. . ." Peach mumbled, opening a desk drawer. "Oh, don't stand against the wall there, dear, just take a seat on my bed."
"Thank you, miss." Zelda slowly sat on the edge of Peach's bed, eyeing Debbie and Tanya carefully (they were coming dangerously closer). Suddenly, Spoc flew out of no where and landed on top of Zelda's lap. He fell quickly asleep.
"Here it is," Peach announced, sitting down next to Zelda with the book. "By the way, that's Spoc. If you want him to get off, just pinch his sides. Spoc is very sweet; he loves to be around people."
Zelda rubbed Spoc's ears before saying, "So what is it that you wanted me to translate for you, highness?"
"It's right here," Peach answered, flipping through the pages and stopping on 346. "That speech bubble over the man with the goatee. I'd try translating it myself, but I can't find my Hylian-Altean dictionary."
"Okay," Zelda laughed. "It says 'The Sheikahs have stolen our national embers; the Sacred Jade stones."
"Sacred Jade stones?!" Peach asked with excitement. "Wow, maybe this book'll be worth reading! Thank you very much dear, you're really too ki-- OH MYYYY! Zelda dear, you've got soot all over your face! Surely you don't prefer it that way!"
"Er. . .no, not really," Zelda said, not really sure if Peach had been expecting an answer or not.
"Come with me," Peach said, grabbing Zelda's hand. "I really think you should bathe before dinner. I always do; it makes me feel so much cleaner--but then of course, that's what a bath is supposed to do." The princess rested a hand on the tub's handle. "Hot or cold water, Zel?"
"Uh, it doesn't really matter," Zelda answered, turning slightly pink.
Peach put her index finger in her mouth and pulled it out quickly, seeming to test the wind in the bathroom (where all the windows were closed). She squinted her eyes. "We'll settle for warm," the princess finally decided, turning on both handles. "Well, the soap's over there, that's the drain, towels are on the bureau over there, and I'll just be in my room reading."
"Th-thank you, majesty," Zelda stammered, suddenly feeling very warm. "But I can't see a point in cleaning myself if I'll just end up getting dirty again with this dress. Thanks for the offer, though."
"NONSENSE!" Peach cried joyvially. "Let me see. . .yes, dark blue seems to be your color. . .here, you can borrow one of my dresses. I know all your bag is in Malon's room, and it would be deadly to try and get in there while she's asleep." Peach held out the dress to Zelda, who stood there dumbly. "Go on, dear. Take it."
Mistified, Zelda slowly reached out and took the dress. She bent down slightly, attempting a bow. "Thank you, highness."
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal all the time," Peach insisted. "Just call me Peach! We're practically friends! Well, I'll just leave you to take your bath, and I'll just be reading in my room, okay?"
"Okay," Zelda said, grinning.
"No problem," said Peach, smiling and shutting the door behind her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: in my other story, peach was a poop. so, i decided 2 make her nice in this one!! hope u liked!! dont 4get 2 review!!!
