Chapter 11. On Getting Through the Work Day

"What the hell are you doing here?" Zeld hissed.

Link kept right on smiling. "I got a job."

"But why?"

"I got a plan."

"You're insane!"

Link cocked her head as she looked up at him. For a moment Zeld was sharply reminded of just how pretty she was. Somehow she looked even better than the last time he'd seen her. Her plain black dress was not especially flattering, and her hair could stand to be brushed, but he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.

"You look terrible, you know that?" she said flatly.

"I do?" Zeld's hand flew to his hair nervously. "Hey...wait a minute... Stop trying to distract me!"

Link laughed. "I'm a little disappointed at how easy that was."

"I... Shut up."

"You do look terrible though. You haven't been sleeping?"

"What do you think?" Zeld snapped.

"Sorry..."

Zeld looked down at her. She looked hurt. "No, I'm sorry," he said. "I...I'm really glad to see you, really. I'm just...worried. After all that's happened to me...the last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine. Anyway, this is just a reconnaissance mission."

"Reconnaissance?"

"Sure. Get in, look around, figure out a way to get you out."

"You could have asked me!"

"You're a prisoner. I didn't think you'd have seen much of this place."

"Well...that's true..." He sighed. "About all I've seen is this room and the torture chamber. He seriously calls it that."

"Torture chamber!" Link exclaimed.

"Oops."

"That bastard's been torturing you?"

"A little..."

"A little!"

"None since the last time we talked."

"How much before?"

"Like twice a day for three or four days. It's kind of a blur."

"Great, now I have to kill him."

"Link-"

"I'm serious!" She certainly looked it. "That bastard is going to die!"

"Wow, and you don't even know about the rape thing."

"WHAT!"

zzz

"So you definately want the swirl pattern on all the cuffs?"

"Yes," Vaaltos said. "Will it take you much time?"

"That depends. It will take me just three days if I work non-stop. But embroidering my fingers to the bone isn't something I look forward to."

"Understandable. Shall I hire you for a week then?"

"That sounds good."

"Excellent. See you tomorrow, bright and early."

"Yes sir." Link smiled warmly. As soon as she was out in the hall the smile dropped from her face and it was all she could do to keep from punching the wall.

That bastard. That bastard! How could he act so normal and businesslike after what he'd done? Link knew she had to kill him...

But she didn't know how.

That was the problem with plans. When you finished Phase 1, you kind of needed to have Phase 2 ready...

zzz

"My chambers are on the top floor, though of course you won't need to go there."

"Of course," Link agreed, relieved (and just a little bit insulted) that he wasn't going to hit on her.

"Down this hall are the human guards' barracks," Vaaltos gestured expansively with one black-clad arm.

It was a short hallway. "Do you employ many humans?" Link asked.

"Mostly Stalfos," he admitted. "Some Wolfos, got a couple of Darknuts, plenty of Redeads... mostly Stalfos. Really there are only five or six humans working for me, depending on whether or not you count that Sheikah."

Link nodded, face carefully blank.

"Down that way are the rooms I devote to my library, and a couple of empty rooms. Down here," Vaaltos led her down a twisting staircase, "there's the main hall, where I've got a prisoner. Also a dining area that never gets used, and some more empty rooms."

"This place is really big," Link said, genuinely appreciative. "In fact...is it bigger inside than outside?"

"No, but good eyes. The black wind is so close to the outside of the tower that it makes it look smaller than it is. You know, like how black is slimming?"

"I wouldn't have though that would apply to buildings."

"You learn something new every day," he shrugged.

"Yeah..." Today, for example, Link had learned that crazy people can seem perfectly normal when talking about business.

"In the basement I've got my inner sanctum and torture chambers."

And then they go and say things like that. "You don't really care if anyone knows you're evil, do you?" Link said.

Vaaltos stopped, turned, and stared at her oddly. "What...did you just say?"

"Well, not that I care really, but the torture chambers and the prisoner hanging from the ceiling and the monochromatic wardrobe..."

"Monochromatic wardrobe," Vaaltos repeated. "Tell me, do all teenagers speak alike?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Good to know," he sighed. "Down this way is the kitchen, which also doesn't get used much. Oh, and uh for the record, if you enter my inner sanctum I will kill you."

"Duly noted."

zzz

"Have you seen the new girl?" Tor asked.

Zeld considered how to answer. "Yeah...I've seen her..."

"Cute huh?"

"I thought you weren't into girls."

"I didn't mean that kind of cute. She reminds me of the little sister of a...friend of mine."

Zeld leaned forward against the bars and grinned down at Tor. "Significant pause friend?"

"Nothing significant about that pause," he said primly.

"Uh-huh," Zeld kept grinning.

"Look..." Tor started fiddling with his collar. "I just made myself sad, so if you could lay off I'd appreciate it."

"Sorry." Zeld leaned back. "If it's any consolation, I know some of what you're feeling."

"Really," Tor said, disbelieving. "You know what it's like to be separated from the one person you never wanted to be separated from for five years?"

"Well, no. But I know what it's like to be in l-"

"Zeld!" Link skidded into the room, eyes wide and frantic. She did a slight double-take at the sight of Tor, but ignored him and ran past him to just under Zeld's cage.

"IjustfoundoutthatbastardVaaltoshasaninnersanctumythingandhesaidhe'dkillmeifIwentintheresoIfigureit'simportant!"

Both Zeld and Tor stared at her as she panted for breath. "You know how most people put spaces in between their words?" Zeld said. "You should try that some time."

Link glared at him.

"How did you do that?" Tor asked from behind her.

Link whirled around, and blinked as she saw him. She seemed to have forgotten he was there. "Do what?" she asked after a moment.

"When you came in here, you sort of...skidded on the floor. How did you do that?"

"Polished floors and second-hand shoes," Link lifted her skirts and raised a foot so they could see. "These things have the traction of a greased pig in an oil slick."

Tor blinked at her. "Have you been getting much sleep lately?"

"Hell fucking no!" she raised her arms and shouted it triumphantly.

Tor blinked again. Then he frowned. "Are you drunk?"

"I'm not sober!" she grinned.

Zeld made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a moan and leaned his head against the bars. "Don't tell me...let me guess... It was the only way you thought you could make it through the day?"

"Sumpin' like that, yeah."

"Think you could sneak me in some vodka or something?"

"Yeah, probably."

Tor sighed. "Y'all're freaks." They grinned at him. "Stop being proud of it. Stop it!"

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Notes from the Author

Link has the same trouble with plans that I do. Heh. And I've been waiting to use that last line of Tor's for a while now.