wow, sry it's been a while. school just started, and i have been sooooooo
unbelievably busy. u may have 2 start waiting longer 4 chapters, b/c i have
like seven hours of school, saxophone lessons, jazz band, Mutual, and
homework. sorry.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link stared at her, and Zelda let these words sink in. "Y-your brother?" he finally managed to stammer. "What d'you mean, Zel?"
"Just what I say," she whispered. "In the beginning, I only thought of it as an extreme coincidence...but now I know I must face the truth. He possesses ... something that only my brother Darryl could have."
The prince tried to speak, but it felt as if something was squeezing the sound out of his vocal cords. After a rather long silence, he said, "Does he know this?"
Zelda slowly shook her head. "I would hope that if he did, he would have...no, I don't know if he knows it. Surely he wouldn't be able to recognize me, or the fact that I used to be....where are you going?"
"I'm not feeling very well," he stammered, stopping at the doorway. "I really think I should be going to sleep."
"Link, I'm really sorry," Zelda apologized, walking up to him. "I shouldn't have told you, it must be--"
"No," Link said quietly, putting a finger to her lips. "I'm glad you told me, Zelda." He felt bad that she felt bad, and had to tell her somehow that she was wrong. Link kissed her again, making sure she knew she had apologized wrongly. Then he swiftly walked out the door. "Tomorrow, I'm going to ask father about all this."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Don't be preposterous," King George muttered the next day. "Where on earth did you hear that your own brother Darryl is not--"
"The source is not as important as the answer to the question," Link interrupted. "And I should like very well to know the truth right now."
Queen Madeline pulled on a rope near her chair. Julianne came running in with a small curtsy. "Yes, highness?"
"Would you kindly fetch Prince Darryl and see that he is brought here?" the Queen asked in a choked voice. She carefully fingered a small blanket that she held in her hands beneath the table.
"Yes'm."
"What're you getting him for?" King George asked once Julianne had left. "You know that he--"
"It's no use pretending anymore," Queen Madeline interjected curtly. "Link knows." She gave her son a confused look. "But just out of curiousity my boy, exactly who was it that told you this?"
"Erm...it was--"
"Mother, father, you sent for me?"
The three royals looked up as they saw Darryl enter the room. Queen Madeline stood up awkwardly. "Yes, Darryl, we called for you."
"Is something the matter?"
"Link, shut the door," King George said. "I would appreciate it if we didn't have any eavesdroppers."
Frowning a bit, Link went to close the doors. As he did so, he saw Zelda walk past them. "Wait," he told her, causing her to stop. Link turned to face his mother. "You asked me who told me about Darryl....do you still wish to know?"
"Yes..."
"Zelda, come in here," Link said, shutting the door behind her. She curtised uncomfortably.
King George looked as if he were about to start shouting a lecture, but Queen Madeline stopped him before he began by clearing her throat. Slowly, she walked towards Zelda.
"You are Princess Malon's servant, are you not?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, your higness," Zelda answered softly.
"And...forgive my prying, but how long have you been under her...employment?"
"Ever since--" Zelda let out an involuntary shudder--"her highness Queen Rose died. Before then, I..." Her voice trailed off slowly, as she didn't want to begin to describe her earlier days.
"As you may or may not have known," Queen Madeline said, walking back across the room. "I was quite a good friend of Queen Rose's. That is perhaps the reason why we have had her family here on so...many occasions." Well, there had only been two. Oh well.
The King looked about ready to say something, but his wife silenced him yet again with a soft, pleading look. Grumpily, he shut his mouth and looked away.
Queen Madeline shut her eyes. "Many years ago...I remember Queen Rose telling me about a young girl she had taken under her wing." She opened her eyes, and faced Zelda. "A-are you the Sheikah she took in?"
Zelda nodded numbly. "I do believe that was me."
"What's going on here?" Darryl asked in confusion.
"You'll understand in a moment, I have a feeling," Link muttered.
Pursing her lips together, the Queen walked back to her chair and picked up Darryl's blanket (she'd been holding it earlier). She set it down on the table in front of her. "Come closer, child," she whispered. Zelda slowly approached her.
Using her finger, Queen Madeline traced her finger from picture to picture. She looked up at Zelda when she saw Kathryn, then subtly shook her head. She came to Dylan...no, her hair was too red...the last picture on the cloth. The Queen looked up at Zelda. Her eyes stared into Zelda's blue ones, just as in the picture.
Zelda gulped faintly. She herself wasn't exactly sure of what was going on.
"Would someone please explain this whole thing to me?" Darryl asked.
"Why don't you explain it, George?" Queen Madeline suggested.
"ME?!"
"Yes."
"Why me?!"
"Because you're--"
"Would someone please just tell me what this is all about?" Darryl cried.
"I'll tell you!" Zelda shouted over the King and Queen's quarreling voices. The four of them turned to face her. She suddenly noticed that she was on the spot, and had no idea what to say. "......um......"
"Please, allow me," Link sighed. He looked over at his brother. "About eighteen years ago, the Alteans decided that the Sheikahs were an uncivilized, inhumane group of people. You know who the Sheikah were, don't you?"
"Yes..."
"Well then....umm...actually, I don't know what happened next."
"I do," Queen Madeline said. "Darryl, this statement is long overdue. We should have told you before."
"TOLD ME WHAT?!"
The Queen breathed in heavily, and looked away. "You are not of this family."
"........what?"
"You are a Sheikah," she continued. "After a final raid, your father and...King George and I searched the wrecked houses for any survivors. There was one last house we went to, and we--we found you there." Tears started to course down her cheeks, and her sobs were quite audible. "The rest of your family h-had been slaughtered, o-or so we thought. But it appears that Queen Rose had already been there, and taken Zelda into her own h-home!"
As you can imagine, this hit Darryl rather hard. Looking around for some source of encouragement, his eyes met Zelda's. "Then you...you are my sister?"
Crying silently herself, Zelda tried to speak. "I am."
Darryl walked over to the table and picked up the coverlet. "Then...then this is you, on the very bottom?"
"Yes. A-and the others are your f-family. That's m-mother, and your sisters a-and brothers, and..." Zelda started to cry loudly, sinking to the floor. She'd finally gotten it out, she'd finally told him, she'd finally done what her mother and sisters had told her to do. So why was she crying? And how was Darryl supposed to deal with this?
Link walked over to Zelda and held her in a tight embrace. "It's okay, Zel. It's okay. You don't have to cry."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Darryl asked, now facing his parents. "You've kept it from me from all these years. Why?"
The King and Queen looked at each other uncertainly, neither knowing how to answer the question.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
well...........that okay?
Random Quote of the day:
"Everyone knows that the best day in a woman's life is when babies are born!"
--Melanie Wilkes
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Link stared at her, and Zelda let these words sink in. "Y-your brother?" he finally managed to stammer. "What d'you mean, Zel?"
"Just what I say," she whispered. "In the beginning, I only thought of it as an extreme coincidence...but now I know I must face the truth. He possesses ... something that only my brother Darryl could have."
The prince tried to speak, but it felt as if something was squeezing the sound out of his vocal cords. After a rather long silence, he said, "Does he know this?"
Zelda slowly shook her head. "I would hope that if he did, he would have...no, I don't know if he knows it. Surely he wouldn't be able to recognize me, or the fact that I used to be....where are you going?"
"I'm not feeling very well," he stammered, stopping at the doorway. "I really think I should be going to sleep."
"Link, I'm really sorry," Zelda apologized, walking up to him. "I shouldn't have told you, it must be--"
"No," Link said quietly, putting a finger to her lips. "I'm glad you told me, Zelda." He felt bad that she felt bad, and had to tell her somehow that she was wrong. Link kissed her again, making sure she knew she had apologized wrongly. Then he swiftly walked out the door. "Tomorrow, I'm going to ask father about all this."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Don't be preposterous," King George muttered the next day. "Where on earth did you hear that your own brother Darryl is not--"
"The source is not as important as the answer to the question," Link interrupted. "And I should like very well to know the truth right now."
Queen Madeline pulled on a rope near her chair. Julianne came running in with a small curtsy. "Yes, highness?"
"Would you kindly fetch Prince Darryl and see that he is brought here?" the Queen asked in a choked voice. She carefully fingered a small blanket that she held in her hands beneath the table.
"Yes'm."
"What're you getting him for?" King George asked once Julianne had left. "You know that he--"
"It's no use pretending anymore," Queen Madeline interjected curtly. "Link knows." She gave her son a confused look. "But just out of curiousity my boy, exactly who was it that told you this?"
"Erm...it was--"
"Mother, father, you sent for me?"
The three royals looked up as they saw Darryl enter the room. Queen Madeline stood up awkwardly. "Yes, Darryl, we called for you."
"Is something the matter?"
"Link, shut the door," King George said. "I would appreciate it if we didn't have any eavesdroppers."
Frowning a bit, Link went to close the doors. As he did so, he saw Zelda walk past them. "Wait," he told her, causing her to stop. Link turned to face his mother. "You asked me who told me about Darryl....do you still wish to know?"
"Yes..."
"Zelda, come in here," Link said, shutting the door behind her. She curtised uncomfortably.
King George looked as if he were about to start shouting a lecture, but Queen Madeline stopped him before he began by clearing her throat. Slowly, she walked towards Zelda.
"You are Princess Malon's servant, are you not?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, your higness," Zelda answered softly.
"And...forgive my prying, but how long have you been under her...employment?"
"Ever since--" Zelda let out an involuntary shudder--"her highness Queen Rose died. Before then, I..." Her voice trailed off slowly, as she didn't want to begin to describe her earlier days.
"As you may or may not have known," Queen Madeline said, walking back across the room. "I was quite a good friend of Queen Rose's. That is perhaps the reason why we have had her family here on so...many occasions." Well, there had only been two. Oh well.
The King looked about ready to say something, but his wife silenced him yet again with a soft, pleading look. Grumpily, he shut his mouth and looked away.
Queen Madeline shut her eyes. "Many years ago...I remember Queen Rose telling me about a young girl she had taken under her wing." She opened her eyes, and faced Zelda. "A-are you the Sheikah she took in?"
Zelda nodded numbly. "I do believe that was me."
"What's going on here?" Darryl asked in confusion.
"You'll understand in a moment, I have a feeling," Link muttered.
Pursing her lips together, the Queen walked back to her chair and picked up Darryl's blanket (she'd been holding it earlier). She set it down on the table in front of her. "Come closer, child," she whispered. Zelda slowly approached her.
Using her finger, Queen Madeline traced her finger from picture to picture. She looked up at Zelda when she saw Kathryn, then subtly shook her head. She came to Dylan...no, her hair was too red...the last picture on the cloth. The Queen looked up at Zelda. Her eyes stared into Zelda's blue ones, just as in the picture.
Zelda gulped faintly. She herself wasn't exactly sure of what was going on.
"Would someone please explain this whole thing to me?" Darryl asked.
"Why don't you explain it, George?" Queen Madeline suggested.
"ME?!"
"Yes."
"Why me?!"
"Because you're--"
"Would someone please just tell me what this is all about?" Darryl cried.
"I'll tell you!" Zelda shouted over the King and Queen's quarreling voices. The four of them turned to face her. She suddenly noticed that she was on the spot, and had no idea what to say. "......um......"
"Please, allow me," Link sighed. He looked over at his brother. "About eighteen years ago, the Alteans decided that the Sheikahs were an uncivilized, inhumane group of people. You know who the Sheikah were, don't you?"
"Yes..."
"Well then....umm...actually, I don't know what happened next."
"I do," Queen Madeline said. "Darryl, this statement is long overdue. We should have told you before."
"TOLD ME WHAT?!"
The Queen breathed in heavily, and looked away. "You are not of this family."
"........what?"
"You are a Sheikah," she continued. "After a final raid, your father and...King George and I searched the wrecked houses for any survivors. There was one last house we went to, and we--we found you there." Tears started to course down her cheeks, and her sobs were quite audible. "The rest of your family h-had been slaughtered, o-or so we thought. But it appears that Queen Rose had already been there, and taken Zelda into her own h-home!"
As you can imagine, this hit Darryl rather hard. Looking around for some source of encouragement, his eyes met Zelda's. "Then you...you are my sister?"
Crying silently herself, Zelda tried to speak. "I am."
Darryl walked over to the table and picked up the coverlet. "Then...then this is you, on the very bottom?"
"Yes. A-and the others are your f-family. That's m-mother, and your sisters a-and brothers, and..." Zelda started to cry loudly, sinking to the floor. She'd finally gotten it out, she'd finally told him, she'd finally done what her mother and sisters had told her to do. So why was she crying? And how was Darryl supposed to deal with this?
Link walked over to Zelda and held her in a tight embrace. "It's okay, Zel. It's okay. You don't have to cry."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Darryl asked, now facing his parents. "You've kept it from me from all these years. Why?"
The King and Queen looked at each other uncertainly, neither knowing how to answer the question.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
well...........that okay?
Random Quote of the day:
"Everyone knows that the best day in a woman's life is when babies are born!"
--Melanie Wilkes
