Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda

Missing

Chapter 5: Almost

Everything was blurry when Armelle opened her eyes. When her vision returned the surrounding drastically changed. There was a dusty light coming through the trees and everything just seemed all around more peaceful.

"Wh…what happened?" Armelle said as she tried to sit up.

"Someone threw a rock at you. The person turned out to be a really nice imp kid who found our horse and showed us to here." Rina smiled as she answered Armelle's question.

Kids are so obvious and stupid too. Armelle rolled her eyes. She wanted to say a smart remark back but Rina was just a little girl and a guide back to her past. "Ok…I'm still confused about all what happened and no where are we?"

"We are in the woods of Hyrule! We're here!" Rina exclaimed.

"HEY! Wait a minute! Don't go running off! We, well I, don't know what's out there!" Armelle warned.

"It's ok sis! I venture through here all the time!"

Gawd! This kid never ends does she? "You're not even 10 yet and already getting into dangerous crap! Even I was never like that."

Rina regretfully looked down. "I'm sorry. It's just that when you're the only kid in the castle and the adults are never around to play with, it gets lonely."

"Don't your, I mean, our parents know about what you're doing?"

"No. And they're not going to." Rina huffed and turned away.

Armelle stared at Rina. There was something that she wasn't saying. Something as in she didn't get the proper love from her parents.

"Come on. Let's go before it gets too late." Armelle grabbed Rina's hand and then helped her up onto Tula.

Rina was unusually quiet the whole way through the rest of the forest. Things between the two girls seemed suddenly tense and uneasy. Armelle wanted to say something but was afraid that Rina was going to go on a crying spree again.

Armelle sighed and looked up. She grew excited when she could see the bright light of the field up ahead. Finally she would be out of the woods. Finally she would be about to meet her real family.

"Rina! Look! We're finally out!" Armelle exclaimed like a little kid as they now stood out in the open.

"Yeah." Rina responded unemotionally.

"Rina, what's wrong? We're finally back in your home country! Is it because you have to go back now to your parents?" Armelle was starting to get really concerned.

No response. Armelle was almost out of ideas. Then it finally hit her like a rock. Literally. She looked up to see that a squirrel dropped one of its nuts on her head. "Are you upset because you think your parents love me more than you?"

Rina snapped her head and stared at Armelle. Tears started filling her eyes. "Daddy's always busy with something and when mommy's not crying she's ordering me around like I'm one of the maids. And all they talk about is you and how you were their first born."

"Your parents love you very much! I don't know what all happened, since I was only a baby at the time, but despite what they do, I know they care about you. Heck, they're probably even out looking for you right now." Armelle smiled, trying to cheer Rina up.

"It's not true and you know it!" Rina pouted.

Armelle sighed. "I don't know what to do. I've grown up my whole life with Romani and Cremia. Up until now I thought that they were my only family. Though Cremia was a bitch to me and Romani always quiet, I knew that they loved me and would be sad if anything happened. Your parents would have to be the same way, they HAVE to be! Come on. Let's go to the castle. Isn't this what you wanted; to find me and bring me home?"

Rina wanted to fight back but knew that she couldn't. Armelle was right. "I'm sorry!" She threw her arms around Armelle's neck and began to cry.

"It's ok…it's ok." Armelle comforted as she helped Rina down from the horse.

Armelle took Rina by the hand and started walking in the direction of the castle that was according to the map. Hyrule was a lot calmer than Termina. Here there were small roads, flowing streams and not even any monsters around like in Termina. Armelle felt calm and safe for once.

In the distance galloping of horses could be heard. Armelle ignored it until it quickly got closer to them. She turned around to see just who it was. It was a small group of the royal family guards. Rina let out a smile shriek and hid her face on Armele's stomach. Armelle quickly stopped the horse.

"It's alright Rina! They're not monsters!" Armelle tried to comfort as she peeled Rina off of herself.

"Yes they are! They're the guards of the castle! They're here to get me and take me back!" Rina pleaded.

"I won't let them do that. Where ever you go, I go." Armelle clicked her heels against Tula and began to ride again.

"YOU UP THERE! We command you to STOP!" One of the guards shouted.

Armelle stopped and looked back at them. She didn't want to give them a hard time for fear of being thrown in jail. The men quickly caught up to the girls who were waiting sort of impatiently.

"Princess Merina! You're safe! Please come with us, your parents are terribly worried about you." The head guard said as he grabbed Rina from Armelle. Rina struggled the whole time and put up a fight, but the guards were much stronger so they won the battle. "Now as for you," The guard now directed his attention to Armelle. "You're under arrest!"

"WHAT? Why!" Armelle shouted.

"For kidnapping the princess. That is a huge offense and certainly means death in most circumstances." The guard snickered.

Armelle growled at the guard as he grabbed a hold of her. Rina let out a shriek.

"NO! You can't do that! You have it all wrong!" Rina screamed out.

"HUSH YOUR HIGHNESS!" The guard that was holding Rina scolded.

"Now, now dear. We've caught your kidnapper and are going to take you safely back to the castle where you belong. Outside the castle walls is no place for a princess." The head guard informed as he tied up Armelle's hands and roped Tula's bridle to one of the guards' horses.

Fairly later in the day the group of guards and the girls finally made it to the castle area. The walls were massively high to ensure great protect the royal family and the townsfolk in the closely settled town. As they trotted through the main market place stares came from everywhere as they looked unwavering at Armelle. All of the townspeople were excited that Merina had come back safely and cheered as they went by. A select few threw rotten fruits and vegetables at Armelle because they also assumed that she had kidnapped the princess. Armelle wanted the guards to tell the people to stop throwing the food, but all they did was snicker and comment to each other about it. Rina on the other hand looked like she was about to cry. Armelle sighed and looked down. There was nothing she could do.

By the time the group arrived to the gate of the castle grounds they had split up. The head guard and two of the others, along with Rina, headed up the small hill and to the draw bridge leading into the castle. The other half took Armelle away from the entrance and to the back. There in the back was a small door that led down into the dungeon. The guards dismounted and helped Armelle down. Despite the nice helping down they pushed her towards the door.

"Get in there wench!" The one guard ordered as he pushed Armelle's back.

"Yeah! Open the door and get in there!" The other one echoed.

Armelle glared. "I can't get in if I'm tied up!" Good grief these guys are retarded.

Both stared blankly at Armelle.

"Oh yeah!" The first one rang. "I forgot you were tied up. Hey, open the door will ya?" He asked the other guard.

"Why should I do it?" The second guard responded puzzled.

"I dunno..."

"WILL SOMEBODY JUST DO SOMETHING!" Armelle screamed.

"Hey! Don't talk to us like that! We're guards!" The first guard said proudly.

"Yeah!" The other one chimed in as he opened the door.

More like bunch of idiots if you ask me. Armelle said to herself.

After the long, irritating discussion of who was going to open the door they finally walked in. Both guards grabbed one of Armelle's arms and led her to cell far down the cold, musty hallway. Spiders and small rats crept around the floors, making Armelle jump. Finally they arrived and both guards threw Armelle to the floor of the cell.

"This is where you'll be staying until your sentence is decided by the King." The first guard said as he locked the door and walked away. The second guard stared stupidly at Armelle until the first guard came and pulled him away.

Armelle sighed and repositioned herself. The idiot guards forgot to untie her. "Hopefully Rina will do something and get me out of this mess. I'm totally innocent! But it's up to the King to decide I guess." The King. My supposed father...

"LET ME GO!" Rina screamed as the guards led her into the throne room where her parents were sitting. "I demand you to let me go!" The guards were still holding onto the princess as they stood there.

"King Link! Queen Zelda! We found your daughter the princess!" The guards said as they continued to hold onto Rina.

"Let her go." The King said unemotionally.

The guards let Rina go and she fell to her knees from struggling with them. She looked up to see her father with the same solid, angered face. Her mother on the other hand was looking around frantically like her own paranoid self. Rina wanted to run out of the room and save Armelle.

"You're dismissed." The King said coldly. He was quiet again as he waited for the guards to exit the throne room. Once they were gone he directed his attention to Rina. "It's nice to see that you're back safe and sound and that your kidnapper is caught."

"But daddy!" Rina tried to cut in.

"SILENCE! You know better. Your mother and I were quite worried about you since you were gone for such a long time. Ever since our first born disappeared we would surely not want to lose our second child. Since this happened we're going to have to tighten security and you won't be allowed outside of the castle walls without an armed guard," Link paused for a moment. Rina was almost in tears and she was getting very upset also. "No need to worry my dear, go to your room and I'll send up a maid to help you with your bath. While you're doing that we'll discuss what to do with your kidnapper."

"STOP! NO FATHER! You have it all wrong!" Rina lashed out again. For an eight-year-old she had a lot of spunk.

The King stared at Rina. Her mother was already starting to cry again. "MERINA AINLA! I am the King and my word is right! Go to your room! We will have no more talk about this." Link hollered back.

"NO! Please just let me explain! I didn't get kidnapped, I ran away!"

Zelda started sobbing even more. "But…but why would you…you…do such a…thing!"

"Just listen to me for once and stop comparing me to your long lost first born! I'M your daughter! Anyway, since you guys wouldn't shut up about Armelle this and Armelle that I decided to run away; partly because I was mad and jealous and partly because I wanted to find your first daughter. I had a feeling she was still alive, I could sense it! And I was right. Using one of daddy's maps I found her in a place called Termina. She's here right now! She's your 'kidnapper'. But she didn't kidnap me! I brought her back with me to show you that she's still alive!" Rina pleaded.

Zelda was speechless. Link didn't care for what Rina said. "GUARDS! Take Merina to her room. And as for her kidnapper, death by hanging at sunrise."

"DADDY! NO! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Rina cried and kicked as a guard carried her out of the throne room.

"Dear, I think Merina is right. Before you make your rash decision worse I think you should see if it really is Armelle down in the dungeon. Because if you do kill her, then we've really lost her for good and I know you don't want that." Zelda tried to talk some sense into Link.

Link shot a glare at his wife. "Kids speak nonsense. My word is my word and my word is final," Link stood up and started walking out. "I don't need you involved in this too."

Zelda shot up from her throne. "LINK! You're being irrational again! Both Merina and Armelle are my daughters too! I gave birth to them! Don't we mean anything to you anymore?"

Link stopped and stared at Zelda. "Don't get in my way." He said coldly and then walked the rest of the way out of the throne room.