Impossible Love

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Introduction
The Plan

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"Good-bye, Daddy! Bye, Mom!" Zelda exclaimed, giving each a warm hug. "Stay safe, and have fun in Polis." They were currently outside the castle, standing by the royal carriage the King and Queen would take to Polis.

King Harkinian smiled at his daughter, and the Queen kissed her forehead. "We'll be home soon, Zelda, now go inside the castle! It's going to rain soon," she said. Unlike the King, the Queen was a very proper person, and sided with Madame Loraine on a lot of issues. "You may catch cold, dear."

Zelda nodded grimly, and, giving each of her parents one last hug, she hurried off to re-enter the castle. Her mother was right, the grey clouds that filled the sky the other day had only gotten darker and thicker. The wind had picked up a little, as well. From safe inside the castle walls, Zelda watched through a window as her parents boarded the carriage and set off for Polis, accompanied by knights riding horseback. Once they had left the castle grounds and the gates closed behind them, Zelda turned around and walked away from the window.

She didn't know why, but her eyes stung with tears threatening to spill over. Not because she missed her parents already, though she did, but because she couldn't stop thinking about her revelations last night. If she had only been born as a regular person, her parents would never have to leave. She wouldn't be locked up in this castle, and she certainly wouldn't have to deal with--

"Princes Zelda Madeleine Harkinian IV!"

--Madame Loraine. Zelda sighed, turning to view the speaker. There was Madame Loraine, flustered and rosy-cheeked as if she had just been running through a blizzard. Everything else about her countenance was perfect, however, from the way her dark hair was pulled back tight, to the way her scarlet dress fit over her rather round body.

"Princess Zelda," Madame Loraine repeated. "Where have you been! I've been looking all over for you."

Zelda furrowed her brows in confusion. "I was seeing my parents off, Madame. Why were you looking for me? Our lesson isn't for another hour!"

Madame Loraine smoothed down her dress and looked down her nose at Zelda. "Princess, don't ask such petty questions, it isn't proper to ask questions like a child. If it were important for you to know, would I have told you? Would I? Answer me."

"Yes, Madame Loraine," Zelda stated, forcing a slight bow of the head.

"Very good," Madame Loraine nodded. "Now, I will tell you. I sought you because I regret to say that I cannot teach you today." She closed her eyes dramatically, as if being away from Zelda pained her somehow. "I apologize for the inconvenience, my Lady, but you will have to do without your etiquette lessons for the day. I expect you to practice what you've learned thus far, however."

"Why can't you teach me today?" Zelda asked, excited at the prospect.

Madame Loraine's eyebrow twitched at this question, but she said, "Because I'm need elsewhere."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Zelda turned her attention to the nearby window. Madame Loraine took this opportunity to bid Zelda adieu, and left. Once the teacher had gone, Zelda turned towards the Master Staircase and began to ascend. About halfway up the red-carpeted stairs, it began raining and Zelda could hear the pitter-patter on the roof. It started gently, but soon fell harder. When she reached the top of the staircase, thunder clapped very close by, startling Zelda and causing her to nearly lose her footing on the edge of the stairs. She caught herself, though, and continued on her way.

She reached her bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Oh!" she exclaimed, seeing that she had left her window open. Rain was pouring in, soaking everything in its vicinity. She quickly ran to the window, pulling it shut and latching it. She sighed, picking up the things that got wet. Her books were sopping, and she feared the ink would start to run. Her embroidery practice was ruined (truthfully though, she wasn't one bit sorry for the loss), and her carpet squelched under her feet. "What a mess," she muttered, spreading things out so they would dry. She passed by the vanity and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She had to laugh in spite of herself.

While trying to get the window closed, she had gotten herself wet. She'd noticed it, but was more preoccupied with the other things. Now that she saw herself, it was funny. The hair framing her face was wet and stringy, and the whole front of her dress seemed thin and clung to her body. She could see her underclothes.

It all reminded her of a story she had read when she was little. It was about a beggar's daughter, and she found herself caught in a rainstorm. It was a peasant child's story, as Madame Loraine had said, and she was appalled when she found out that Zelda enjoyed it.

'A beggar's daughter,' Zelda thought, squinting at her reflection in the mirror. The dress was too fancy to pass for a beggar's, but Zelda didn't think of this as she smiled to herself. "I look like a commoner," she laughed.

Then an idea struck her.

Why not? She could get rattier clothes, mess them up a bit, muss her hair, and voila! She'd look like a commoner! It all seemed so simple in Zelda's mind, she didn't think to run through all the possible mishaps she could encounter.

Zelda never thought about the consequences of her actions. She was wont to leap without looking, so to speak. And once she got an idea into her head, it took a reasonable amount of force to make her believe otherwise.

She stared at her reflection for a moment, before nodding fervently. She would do it! It certainly wouldn't be hard to pass for a commoner, would it?

She slipped off her wet dress, and laid it on the bedside to dry, even though it was probably ruined. She went to her wardrobe and looked about. What would a commoner wear? she wondered. She looked through all the dresses present, but the least fancy thing she found was a mint green garment with a bow in the back and a bold, golden pattern embroidered all across the bottom, trailing up the left side. That wouldn't do, it would stand out too much. She wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. She sighed, closing the wardrobe. She didn't even bother looking in her gown closet; everything in there was designed to draw attention, and that was not what she wanted.

She sat at her vanity for a moment, wondering what to do. She'd be heartbroken if her plan was busted before it even started! But suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She went to her wardrobe again and picked out the mint green dress, slipped it on, and went to leave her room. She paused at the door, though, then turned back and rummaged through her shelf to find a pair of shoes to wear as well. She decided on a black pair; they were her only shoes that didn't have heels, which is why she chose them.

She ran her fingers through her wet hair. Then, taking a clip, she pinned her hair back, just in case anybody recognized her with her locks flowing freely (like she always wore it in public). Then, satisfied, she left her room.

Though she remembered to close the door behind her, in case Madame Loraine walked by and saw all the wet books and embroidery.

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Zelda had crept down the staircase. Nobody should suspect what she was up to, but her conscience made her jump at every glance, wondering if somebody would spoil her fun and punish her.

She passed by the main courtyard and looked out the window to view the clocktower. It was just half past 11 in the morning. The maids should all be at their lunch by now. Maids ate their lunch at 11 o'clock. If she timed everything right, Zelda would be able to sneak into the maid's quarters and then back out with none the wiser.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. Zelda glanced out the window again; the rain might let up soon. It was probably crazy to try this stunt in the rain, but she figured it would be her best cover. Plus, what other chance would she have? She was lucky to have gotten out of her etiquette lessons for the day.

Zelda looked up and down the hallway. Nobody in sight. Smiling to herself, she hurried over to the maid's quarters and opened up the supply closet. She snatched an apron from the hooks and closed the closet quickly. Clutching the apron, she rushed back into the hallway. Success!

Zelda held the apron out in front of her and examined it. It had a stain in the corner, but was otherwise spotless. She smiled triumphantly. It was off-white in color and had a strap that reached around the neck. It would cover her chest and the bottom part of her mint green dress. It tied in the back and that would hopefully camouflage the dress's bow. She was about to slip it on, when a voice behind her startled her.

"What are you doing?"

Zelda nearly jumped out of her skin and whipped around to view whoever it was. She sighed in relief when she found it was a young servant boy. Just barely fourteen years old, if that.

"Nothing, nothing," Zelda breathed, holding the apron closer to her body.

The boy raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem to recognize the princess. "Are you a maid? Why aren't you eating lunch?"

Zelda grinned, shaking her head. "I'm not a maid, actually." She looked at him. "But what are you doing here?" she questioned.

The boy blushed and looked to his feet. "Oh, nothing, I was just...coming to see somebody, that's all." He looked down the hallway. "Actually I've got to go now...I'll see you around, I guess," he murmured, turning to walk down the hallway. Zelda smiled as he left, wondering what young maid had caught the boy's fancy.

She thought to herself for a moment. She didn't recall ever having a crush on anybody. She never thought about that before. Would she ever find anybody special? She walked down the hallway.

She made her way down to the main staircase without any further interruptions. She paused as she saw a few guards milling about the front entrance. She'd never be able to pass them. She rolled the apron up into a ball and tucked it under her arm as she turned around and went back the way she came.

Zeldamade it to the easternmost portion of the castle, and descended a flight of stairs. She would escape through the stable which was connected to the castle. Once she came in view of the stable entrance, two large wooden doors, she glanced around. No guards. They must have been on break or eating lunch. She walked to the doors and pushed them open, stepping out into the stable.

She closed the wooden doors behind her, and stepped around the stacks of hay. She had learned the hard way that she was allergic to hay. Madame Loraine had a hissy fit when Zelda appeared to her one day with hives all over her arms and crying about wanting to see the horses.

Zelda walked to the edge of the stable. Looking around, she saw that the rain had let up slightly, but was still pouring. The sky was grey, but with a slight yellow tint. The closest guards were all the way at the castle gate; and none of them were looking in her direction.

'It's now or never,' Zelda thought with excitement, dashing into the open. The portion of the castle wall nearest to her had a trellis with fragrant jasmine twining up it. Zelda was positive that she could climb it. She made her way to the trellis and started to climb. It was slippery, so Zelda gripped it with her hands tighter than she needed to. She almost fell, close to the top, but the rest of the way was easy. She made it to the top of the castle wall and closed her eyes and jumped over.

It wasn't a very long fall, and the ground was muddy and soft. She stood up and congratulated herself for the successful escape. Her dress was muddy, but that was okay. She continued walking, trying to stay unseen by the guards near the castle. Once she was far enough away, she ventured onto the main road. It was cobblestone and Zelda tripped a few times. She made it to the village outskirts, and Zelda breathed in at the sight. The buildings each had a yard of space between them, and the lights inside their windows were on. Smoke puffed out of a few chimneys. It was all very homely, and Zelda had never been here unattended before. Each time she came here, it was during a parade, and all the people crowded the streets to get a glimpse of the Royal Family.

Thunder cracked loudly nearby and Zelda yelped, bringing her hands to her face. She hadn't noticed it, but it had gradually gotten darker since she left the castle, and the rain was coming down harder.

She whimpered, suddenly realizing something. She was afraid of thunder! She had never been outside in a rainstorm before, and without the comfort of a roof over her, thunder seemed like a very scary thing! She turned around to go back to the castle, but another thunder clap made her switch directions and run for some nearby shelter. The closest she saw was an awning over a building doorway, so she went for it. Unfortunately, the cobblestones were a bit too rough and she tripped, falling headfirst into a sort of muddy quagmire.

She gasped and sputtered, trying to get out of the mud, but she slipped and landed in it again. She cried out, spitting out mud and wiping it from her eyes.

'Oh, what a stupid, naughty girl I've been!' she thought to herself dejectedly. 'I should have waited for sunny weather, at least.'

Zelda tried standing up, getting herself out of the mud. She slipped backwards, landing on the cobblestone road. There was a sharp pain as her head hit a stone, and the last thing she saw was a person running towards her.

Then she saw nothing at all.

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To Be Continued...

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Alrighty. I had to cut this chapter in half! It was originally 9 pages, and that's a little much. It's still 6! xx Ehh, anyway. Link appears in the next chapter! ((dances))

Next Chapter: The Boy