Chapter 15: Hyrule
Robots started charging towards me and Sora, completely stopping whatever they were doing just to come at us. Normally, such a crowd was Murray's department, but I was used to playing "Racoon in the Center" when it came to situations like this. Sora looked like he had done this so many times before in the past.
"We're starting to run out of room from all the broken pieces of tincans!" I noticed, seeing the piles of broken metal and wires scattered about as the fight continued on.
"They're not Heartless, at least," Sora commented, piercing through a robot.
"I just can't believe it!" Bentley shouted through my earpiece. "How can there possibly be robots in a world that lacks the technology necessary for their existence?!"
"Bentley, I wouldn't say that now's not a good time to be wondering about that!" I told my partner in crime, whacking another robot that approached me in the process.
"But more and more just seem to spawn up! It's like they were teleported there!" Bentley continued.
"Teleported? Then from where? Can you track it? Whoa!" I ducked quickly and barely avoided a missile that was aimed at my head. Great, flyboys had started coming in.
"We can try to find the point of origin! Try to hold out a little longer!"
"We may not have longer, Bentley! We just got drones!" With parrying robots on the ground and avoiding missoe aimed at my head, my stamina was already starting to wear thin.
"Sly!" I heard Sora call out, and I suddenly felt my energy returning to me. Deciding not to question it at this moment, I was able to knock back more of the ground robots.
"This is starting to get really tense!" I said to Sora, barely managing to avoid another missle. "You holding up over there, Sora?"
"Can't say that this is the toughest fight I've been in before, but it's definitely starting to get up there!" Sora says as he swats another robot with his Keyblade, clearly starting to get tuckered out for the hordes of incoming robots.
I think to myself, "Sora is tough, I know that much. We just need to buy Bentley and Penelope some time..."
Suddenly, as if summoned out of nowhere, a shroud of mist spread over the entire area. What happened next caught me by surprise, because the machines were instantly starting to glitch and twitch, and their metallic exteriors were actually startingto rust at a rapid rate.
"Hah! One point for the alchemists!" I heard someone cheer. Arrows were shot overhead, impaling the flying robots which caused them to explode.
"Sora, was that you?" I called.
"Not me! Where did this steam come from?" he questioned.
"Steam?" Yeah, it definitely smelled like heat and water now, but it should've taken more than that for the effects of what we've witnessed to happen. I knew that much from science.
Regardless, Sora and I could only watch as the robots relentlessly surronding us were easily taken down left and right, being rendered unable to defend themselves from any incoming attacks due to the states that they were in.
"Well, whoever ended up doing this definitely took a major load off of our backs!" I commented, using the moment to take a breath from the relentless conflict I endured mere moments ago.
Sora responded with, "Agreed. At least it's over. I don't know how much more of that I could have taken..."
"Wha... How did you two get here?" a familiar voice called. Looking over the now non-operational robots, there were Link and Aaron, the latter holding what looked like a bomb in a mitten covered hand. The knight was wielding his bow, already loaded with an arrow.
"So it was you!" I blurted out. "You made that mist that caused these tincans to short circuit."
"Well, they're obviously made of a certain alloy, so this special bomb with alchemy infused steam and water was sure to do the trick," Aaron bragged with a triumphant grin on his face. "I had been experimenting with such metals in my free time. It was a cinch to figure what those menaces were made of."
Link simply rolled his eyes and motioned for me and Sora to come over. We decided to do just that, or else we might get an arrow shot at us. And from the archery skills the blonde showed earlier, it would be hard to dodge them.
"That's an amazing weapon you made, Aaron," Sora commented. "And it took out all of them at once."
"Do you think I can get a copy to give to my friend?" I asked, knowing Bentley would love to use whatever combination Aaron used for our heists.
"I will consider it," the silver haired man answered. Link made a noise of annoyance, looking at his companion with narrowed eyes.
"What? You have some sort of objection, Link?" All that got me was a glare and that body language with a hand on hip that meant he was't amused. "You can voice it, you know."
With a huff of annoyance, Link reached into his tunic and pulled out a small pouch. I didn't hear any rattle of coins, but I did hear something like crumbs bouncing around. And what he pulled out was a biscuit (since it's medieval like England, I assumed they would be biscuits) shaped like a flower with a green center. He plopped the biscuit into his mouth, and Sora and I glanced at each other in confusion as he chewed.
"Feeling any better, Link?" Aaron asked Link, acting as if this has happened numerous times before. Seriously, what's happening right now?
"Sometimes I wish the effects of those things were permanent," Link soon said with a huff, finally speaking again. "Or at least had longer lasting effects."
Seriously, what exactly are they talking about? Do I even want to know what was in that thing?
I ask Sora, "There's so much we don't know about this place and the people who live here. Did you ever feel that way when you arrived on a new world?"
He leaned in with a hand up, and I leaned closer.
"Two rules when visiting other worlds: don't say anything about the exisence of other worlds unless ABSOLUTELY necessary like in your case, and under no circumstances try to defy the rules of these other worlds unless it's an emergency," he explained.
"So pretty much, go with the flow of things." Sora nodded.
"That's a way of puting it, yeah."
"Perhaps adding more Fairy Dew would allow the effects to work for a little longer, but that could lead to a harmful side effect since overconsumption in single doses is bad on the digestive system," Aaron pondered. "Other ingredients do nothing to counteract this, not even what is normally used in stomach meds."
"You're sounding more like a pharmacst than an alchemist, Aaron," I commented. "But what are you going on about?"
"Oh, just this special cough medicine I concocted for Link in particular."
"A cough medicine?" I asked. That biscuit that Link ate was supposed to be some kind of cough medicine for him?
"You see, Link here usually has a little trouble speaking on his own," Aaron explains. "He can never really seem to get a single word out, even if he tried. The cough medicine that he consumed just now was something that I personally concocted using ingredients to help ease his vocal cords to a point where he's capable of properly communicating. At least for a while, that is."
I tell Aaron, "Going from grunts to actual sentences could take some time to get used to... I feel like I'm not the only one you know who feels that way."
"But he was speaking perfectly fine just earlier," Sora pointed out with confusion on his face. "Is it a recent development?"
"No, I was like that my whole life, to be honest," Link admitted with a sheepish smile and a hand at the back of his neck. "I've only been able to actually talk shortly after I met Aaron, which wasn't very long ago."
"Okay, what kind of alchemist are you, Aaron?" I couldn't help but inquire. "I've seen alchemists, I've heard my friend go on and on about their discoveries, but your formulas are nothing like I've ever seen."
Aaron was beaming with absolute pride, posture straight with a large smile.
"Trust me, the princess asked the same thing the moment words came out of my mouth for the first time in all the years we've known each other," the knight stated.
"Of course there's a princess in this world that he serves," I thought to myself with amusement.
"Well, regardless, we really appreciate you guys coming to our aid handling those robots," Sora thanked the two. "I don't think either of us could've handled a horde that big for much longer if you didn't show up!"
"It was an honor coming to your assistance," Aaron said with a grateful smile before turning his attention towards the dismantled robots. "Still, what odd contraptions that we had to face. You said that these things were referred to as robots just now, did you not?"
Remembering what a low tech world we landed on, I say, "That's the name we know them as, although we don't know what's going on with those robots specifically."
"So you just call them as such?" Link questioned, staring at us like he knew we were hiding something.
"They're in development in the land we're from," Sora quickly explained. Well, that wasn't a lie, but it was said in a way that didn't reveal the truth either. "Though, we don't know how they could've gotten here."
"Your kingdom must be very advanced compared to ours," Aaron said, looking a little awed. "Are there any more like the ones that attacked the town?"
"Not these specific models, but we have had our fair share of having to deal with these mechanial fiends. Not all them are bad, at least."
"Will the three of you stick around to clea this up?" Link asked. "I will need to report this incident to the princess now that the attack is over."
"Cleanup duty?" I couldn't help but groan. "What's next, street lamp lighting?" Wait, they didn't have street lamps back in those days!
"Street lamps?"
"Yeah, we'll help out with cleaning up!" Sora quickly interjected.
Shoot, I got to remember next time. Go with the flow of the rules of this world and not bring up the slightest possibility of either of our worlds existing.
"Er, yeah, what Sora said!" I quickly chimed in with the most convincing smile I could come up with.
"That would be really generous of the both of you," Aaron said with a smile. "The more help we can get cleaning up this mess, the better!"
Phew, that was a close one...
I ask Link and Aaron, "The attack probably did some damage. Does the town deal with this kind of thing often?"
"No, this is the first time in centuries since there's been a similar incident," Link answered. "But it doesn't look like they caused too much damage. Minor repairs will be needed regardless. Best to do that once these 'robots' are off the streets."
"We'll get to it, Link!" Aaron assured with a grin. "You just head to the castle and let Princess Zelda know that everything is okay now!"
"Princess Zelda?" I inquired. Sounds to me like she might be that princess Link mentioned earlier.
"She's the princess of all of Hyrule," Aaron revealed. Just as I suspected, but...
"Hyrule?" Sora then spoke up. "You mentioned that name earlier when we first met. Is that supposed to be the name of this land?"
Looks like he beat me right to the punch regarding that name.
I feel like I'm going to have to give a lot more introductions while Sora and I are looking for the Chaos Emeralds... hopefully I don't get tired of doing that...
Especially if we're just going to get dragged into every mess each world we find them on will have.
"You came all the way here not knowing that?" Link asked, looking surprised.
"We're new here, remember?"
"Alright. I will accept that answer for the time being. Now I must hurry to the castle. I will be back to help soon as I finish." With that, Link took his leave, heading in the direction of the castle on the hill.
Okay. It's officially time to clean up... And actually, contrary to what others might believe, I was the neat freak of the gang when it came to this sort of thing. I would usually have to scold Murray for leaving scraps everywhere or Bentley to put his unused parts away. Let's just leave it at that.
SKSKSKSKSK
Half the square had been cleaned up by the time Bentley called in again.
"How's the cleanup crew doing?" he teased.
"How about you come down here and see what it's like to clean up your unfinished gadgets and gizmos?" I replied back.
"Just be thankful that you didn't blow up into sticky raccoon bits by one of those rockets those robots kept launching at you," Bentley said as a cheeky comeback.
I felt pretty fatigued from all of the cleaning that I've been doing so far that I couldn't comeback with a snarky reply of my own on the spot. Yeesh, he really does know how to make me eat my own words, doesn't he?
At least we'll get through this. Hopefully Link will get back soon. I just hope his meeting with the princess didn't lead to another issue...
"Are you one of the foreigners who have helped save this town?" I felt inquired to stop what I was doing and turn around to that voice. It was a voice that was unmistakably fememine and carry a tone of royalty, so it would be wise for me to do so.
There was a woman on the back of a white horse with reins that showed it was the royal stallion. She was dressed in the finest garments with material that shimmered softly in the light. Her blonde hair had two braids and long strands out on either sde of her head, and the rest of her long locks fell behind her. To top it off, a golden crown with several small jewels literally sat on top of her head. This must be the princess of this kingdom.
I couldn't help but bring myself to bow to show respect.
"You are Her Highness, am I right?"
"Indeed. I was told by one of my knights that you had come with another and helped protect my people."
"If anyone saved your kingdom, it would be the alchemist, Aaron. He took the majority out on his own."
"Indeed, I have been informed that Aaron had played a major role in protecting the people," the princess said. So it seems that she's familiar with Aaron as well, isn't she? "However, you still have my gratitude for the efforts you've done, despite only just arriving."
"I truly appreciate your thanks, Your Highness," I said in response.
"If I may ask, brave soul, what might be your name?"
"Sly. Sly Cooper. Saving the town took a lot out of me and my friends, by the way. If Aaron didn't come, I didn't know what we would have done..."
"Yes. He is an amazing alchemist, since he was the one to enable my captain to speak for the first time anyone can remember." So that confirmed that she was familiar with Aaron. I supposed that it would be a miracle to allow a pretty much mute person the ability to say words for the first time in their life.
"I was also told that you came with someone else?"
"He's over there." I pointed to where I spotted Sora loading the robot parts onto a carriage to be taken out of town. "His name's Sora, a good person if you ask me."
"Indeed, from the looks of him," the princess noted before giving me a kind smile. "I once thank you and your friend for assisting my captain and Aaron in fending off against these mysterious contraptions. And I also humbly apologize for the mess, considering that this is your first arrival here to Hyrule."
"It's not a problem at all, Your Highness," I reassured. "I assume that this is the first time something like this has happened around here?"
"While it's true that Hyrule was invaded multiple times in the past, this is the first time beings such as these odd mechanisms have ever appeared around here," the princess explained.
"You're voyagers then?" I jumped when I finally noticed Link from behind the princess on another horse. Her Highness looked just as startled, flinching so hard that it scared her horse. Thankfully, she was able to calm it down.
"Link!"
"Sorry, Princess," he replied with a nervous smile. The princess gave a sigh of relief.
"I'm still not used to hearing you talk."
"I'm guessing that Link beginning to speak thanks to Aaron only started recently?" I asked after managing to regain my composure by Link's sudden arrival.
"Yes, quite recently, in fact," Her Highness confirmed. "I've been so used to not hearing a sound from him that it still startles me a bit whenever I get caught off guard by the sound of his voice."
"Then you've come a long way. As thanks for protecting Hyrule from the strange mechanisms, I would like to offer you and your companion to a night in the castle." Me? A thief, invited to a one-night stay in a royal's castle? Usually, I would be just in and out of such places, but those were on a job. Plus, Her Highness seemed like a respectable person, no need to take anything from her.
Still, being from another world, I didn't think it would be wise to blindly accept on a whim. Also, everyone else was still waiting in space for our search of the Chaos Emerald and this was supposed to only be a recon. Though thinking on it, recon of the castle could also help.
"May I speak with Sora before we accept your most generous invitation, Your Highness?" I asked.
"Of course," Zelda nodded. "Take all the time you need."
With that said and done, I made my way towards Sora who was still busy cleaning up the mess caused by the countless scraps left behind by the dismantled robots.
"Hey, Sora," I greeted my companion. "How's it going over here?"
"Well, there's still a bunch left to clean up, but I'm confident that we'll be able to get this mess out of the way in no time if we keep this up!" Sora said optimistically as he turned around to face me. He then tilts his head a bit upon seeing the princess with Link at her side. "Hey, who's that with Link over there?"
"That's Her Highness, Princess Zelda," I told Sora. "She's the princess of all of Hyrule."
"No way, the princess?!" Sora asked in excitement.
I responded with, "Yep. You'd think it would be harder to get an audience with royalty...good thing she's nice."
"I didn't think she would come down here after what happened earlier. Is she here to watch?"
"No actually. She personally came down to thank the two of us, and she just gave an invitation for a night at the castle. However..."
Sora walked to the side of the carriage, and I followed. Once we were out of sight, Sora pulled out his Gummiphone and dialed a number. A moment later, the screen showed the bridge of the Gummi Ship.
"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea," Bentley spoke through the earpiece. He wasn't visible on the screen. "Besides, you two shouldn't even be there, let alone in the face of the princess."
"As much as you've already grabbed enough attention, with this invasion of robots that clearly don't belong in this world, not to mention an offer from royalty, I don't think you have any choice but to accept her invitation," King Mickey countered.
"What?!" That's when Bentley rolled up to his Majesty, looking rather worried. "I thought we weren't supposed to meddle with other worlds so carelessly!"
"Normally, that would be the case," King Mickey said. "But there are exceptions to this rule as long as it doesn't disturb the world order."
"Plus, if you think about it, Bentley, we were originally supposed to do some recon work before we got thrown into this," I added. "If we were to spend the night at the castle, we could get the opportunity to do some recon while we're in there."
"Well, it's true that it would provide the perfect opportunity for some reconnaisance, I'll give you that," Bentley admitted with a bit of reluctance in his tone.
I asked Bentley, "So, are we accepting the invite? We need to know more about what we've gotten ourselves into..."
"I suppose since the princess has alredy met you, there's no backing out of it," he sighed in defeat. His poor, worry-wort mind must've nearly short circuited. "But be sure to give us a report of your findings before you call it a night, and I advise against sneaking around where you're not allowed."
"Fair enough. Normally, it's the opposite of what you instuct me to do, but this is a pretty big exception to that. We're not here for any other reason than recon for once."
"You better get back to the princess before she gets curious," the king advised. "Remember to let us know what you find once you're free."
"Okay," Sora answered with an assuring grin. "See you all later." With that, he ended the call. "Looks like we're going to be guests of royalty, Sly. Is it a first for you?"
"Under the corrupt royals' noses, or at least they see themselves as royalty, but in a way I have," I replied. "Let's get back to the princess."
Sora gave me nod before we made our way back to the princess and Link.
"We're back," I greeted the two. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long, Your Highness."
"Please, don't worry about that," Her Highness reassured me before turning her attention to Sora. "I assume that this is your friend that you mentioned earlier? Sora, correct?"
"That's me," Sora said as he gave a bow to show his respect. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. Sly here was just telling me about how you wanted us to spend the night at your castle."
"That's correct," the princess nodded. "It's the least I can do for the two visitors that took their time to help us in our time of need."
I tell Zelda, "Thanks for the invite, by the way. You didn't have to do this, but I'm excited either way. It was the last thing we expected when we arrived. You left Sora in shock..."
"I wasn't expecting to meet the princess of this land as soon as we arrived," Sora explained. "It took me a moment to tak it all in."
"I apologize for my sudden presence."
"There's no need to apologize, Your Highness," I assured. "It is in our moral to help whoever is in need. And we gladly accept your invitation to stay the night within the wastle walls."
"I am glad that you have accepted. It has been too long since people from beyond Hyrule have come here." Did I... hear that right? No, there was no way Princess Zelda was aware of the existence of other worlds. It truly must be other kingdoms that she was refering to.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Sora said, bowing once more. I inclined myself to do the same.
SKSKSKSK
So this was what life of being friends or guests of royalty felt like. The only comparison was back in Holland before Penelope was recruited and she treated us to a feast. The room I recieved was decorated with blues in materials from wool, cashmere, silk and cotton with intricately carved wooden furniture and a cozy yet firm bed close to a window. It really was a quaint, beautfiful chamber for only being a guest room. I wondered if Sora's room was similar since it was just across from my door.
I had never felt so underdressed as I did right now, looking at myself in the mirror on the vanity. The princess was going as far as treating us to a private dinner along with Link and Aaron, and being the fashionista I was, I didn't want to go unless I'm properly dressed for the occasion.
"Bentley, I need to ask a small favor," I contacted the tech genius.
"Sure, Sly," Bentley responded. "What is it that you need?"
"Listen, I know that this might sound a little weird for a request, but the princess decided to treat me and Sora to a private dinner later and I feel like I need to properly dress up for the occassion. And I'm sure you're aware that there's no way I brought a tuxedo along with me before we left our world."
"Hmm, this reminds me of the time in which you needed a suit in order to enter the party that Rajan was holding in his palace back in India when we were pulling our heist to get at the Clockwerk Wings he had," Bentley reminisced.
Thinking about it myself, I can kind of see the similarities between both situations.
"That brings back memories...a lot has changed for us since those days. Any ideas on how we're going to handle this situation?"
"Just give me a moment. With this request in mind, there's something I want to confirm." What did he mean by that? What did he need to confirm about for a pair of former attire?
Suddenly, a suitcase poofed out of nowhere on top of the bed.
"Sora just got an almost identical suitcase. It makes me almost envious of how Donald can just summon up a change of clothes."
"From Donald? Would they even fit us?"
"Apparently, they're actually a gift from this wizard named Yen Sid. There was a note from him saying that it would be convenient for you and Sora to have some formerwear just in case of something like this.."
"That was generous of him." Quite generous, and wise for thinking ahead like that. "If he needs us to take anything, we'll return the favor by taking up the job."
"Fair enough. I'll let you go now to get dressed. Oh, and since you're going to be having dinner with the princess- Oh, Sora will handle that? Okay then."
"You want to listen in on whatever Her Highness has to say, don't you?"
"Right on the nose, Sly," Bentley confirmed. "Considering that she's the princess of this world, we might learn a couple of things about this place from her. We might even find out about how the Chaos Emerald here was already discovered before our arrival."
Bentley did make a good point, thinking about it in more depth. It would be nice learning more about Hyrule through the princess given her status as royalty. And it would also provide me and Sora with the right opportunity to learn of the events of Link and Aaron getting their hands on their Chaos Emerald.
"We'll see what we can figure out. This recon mission just got a whole lot more interesting."
"I'm now pleased that we went through with this. Well, have fun at the dinner."
"Thanks, Bentley. Tell the same to Donal for me."
"Will do."
Time to get dressed.
SKSKSKSK
I had to say that Yen Sid knew my tastes for only having met me once. The garments in te suitcase fit in the aesthetic of this world perfectly while still matching my own. The materials were light and breathable, and it didn't irritate me in any way. My personal favorite touch to this was the blue and gold vest over the cream white dress shirt. The entire suit was even beter than my usual tux. This was definitely a keeper.
There was a knock on the door, letting me notice that someone was out in the hall.
"Sir Cooper, Her Highness has sent me to lead you to dinner," amaid called.
Looks like it's dinner time already. I better not keep Her Highness waiting.
"Coming!" I called out as I quickly fixed the time that came with my suit before I approached the door to my room and opened it to meet the sight of the Hyrulian maid that was patiently waiting outside for me.
"Please follow me, Sir Cooper," the maid said as she stepped aside to let me step outside into the halls. "I will escort you to the dining hall for dinner."
"Thank you," I thanked the maid with a bow before I made my way out of my room.
I don't know what to expect once we're at the table. Hopefully we gain some good info on what's been going on...
Glancing to the left, I caught another maid outside Sora's door, the boy himself coming out and looking pretty sharp himself. Although, his face showed a slight discomfort in his clothes, tugging a bit at the windsor knot of the black scarf (which I could assume there were instruction in how to do a windsor knot). His hair was as spiky as though.
"Not a bad look on you, Sora," I commented.
"Thanks, but this scarf is really tightening up around my neck," Sora said as he tugs on the scarf. "But you look pretty good in that suit of yours, Sly."
"I've gotta admit, I definitely got some pretty good threads for me to wear to this dinner," I said. "Honestly, I can't help but admit that this is definitely a lot better than the old suit I used to wear."
Sora responds with, "It's nice to know you're enjoying it. Don't get too comfortable, because we have business tonight."
"I know that, and we mustn't keep Her Highness waiting any longer." With a nod to the maids, Sora and I were lead through the halls once more, this time down a different route. I could only wonder at the moment what sort of hidden passages could be be here. Every castle needed a secret exit in case of invasion after all.
The dining hall was fancy and a sign of status as I had expected, only it had a few modest touches which assured me that this definitely the dictating type of royals that took everything from their people. The table was set for a total of five people, much to my surprise. Princess Zelda was already seated at the end of the table. When she saw me and Sora coming in, I went to bow.
"Your Majesty," I greeted the princess as Sora bowed alongside me. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long."
"Please don't worry about that," Her Majesty reassured before gesturing to the remaining seats. "You're just in time for dinner. Please, sit wherever you'd like."
Sora and I proceeded to take our seats at the table, with me sitting to the right side of the princess and Sora sitting right across from me.
I tell Zelda, "Thanks again for making this happen, Your Majesty. Seeing this kingdom has been an experience. Things have been moving fast since we arrived, and it seems like things have finally settled down.."
"I wish I could've made your first moments in my kingdom more welcoming than what you had seen earlier today," she stated. "I do hope this makes up for it."
"It's more than enough of an apology, Your Highness. Though, it appears that we're two people short, looking at the number of seats."
"Your Highness, Captain Link and the alchemist Aaron have now arrived," the maid at the door announced.
"Let them in," Princess Zelda allowed.
The maid then opened up the door leading into the dining hall, allowing both Link and Aaron to step inside. Looks like they were just as prepared for this dinner as well, given how they're wearing suits of their own.
"Your Majesty," Link greeted Princess Zelda with a bow. "I hope that Aaron and I didn't make you wait too long for our arrival. And I see that our guests have already been seated."
"Indeed," the princess nodded. "Come, take your seats, you two. You're just in time for us to have dinner."
I tell Link and Aaron, "An opportunity like this doesn't come around evry day. We couldn't say no to a chance to relax after what happened earlier..."
"Yes, of course," Aaron replied. "And it's quite the oppurtunity for myself as well."
"You don't work at the castle?" Sora asked in confusion as the two took the vacant seats. Link sat next to Sora and Aaron took the chair next to mine. "I thought someone with your expertise would be allowed residence here."
"Well, Her Highness and Link didn't even know of my existence until just yesterday. So I don't think they would have a room they didn't know after only a day."
"Which leads to the other reason I invited you," the princess followed, looking between me and Sora. I should've known that there was some sort of ulterior motive behind our stay. I could almost hear Bentley screaming on the end of my intercom. Knowing Bentley, he was probably seconds away from doing that.
"We have a few minutes before the food should be coming out. It should be plenty of time to discuss a few things."
"Like what, Your Highness?" I asked, my voice betraying me with a hint of nervousness.
"Like how your sudden arrival was no coincidence, along with the invasion of 'robots' as Link told me you called them, and the gem that you call a 'Chaos Emerald.'" Sora and I met each other's eyes, shock and terror quite evident. Why did we tell Link and Aaron such information in the first place?!
"You may relax," the princess assured with a calm smile. "Why do you think I emphasized on this dinner being private, between those involved with the events of the past two days?"
"So the reason why you invited us to dinner is because you wanted to discuss with us about what's been going on around here for the last few days as well as the Chaos Emeralds?" Sora summarized.
"Exactly," the princess confirmed. "I have also been informed that you both carry these mysterious Chaos Emeralds yourselves. Therefore, I believe that it is important for us to discuss such matters in more detail so that we may be able to understand the importance behind these mysterious events that have been occurring quite recently."
"As much as we want to tell you, Your Majesty, I don't know if we're allowed to tell you," Sora explained. "It would be considered an offense to the rules of traveling."
"I see... Though that would mean that you have an idea of what's going on. I do wish to establish trust with the two of you... and your companions." I nearly jumped out of the chair, as did Sora. "As Aaron has maybe told you, we do have some machines here in Hyrule, and a device that allows communication across a large distance wouldn't be so farfetched, now would it?"
Caring, generous, and smart. Those are the best and most scary rulers of any kingdom.
"Sly, we've been caught red handed," I heard Penelope contact me. "And... as much as it pains to explain everything, King Mickey has given the okay. His reasoning was that withholding our information would only lead to a worse situation than just being found out. So... you two are free to tell her and your two new friends the whole story."
So I guess this was one of those special circumstances in which we could talk about other worlds. How should that be explained to people who probably thought their world was the center of the universe?
"Our... companions have given permission for us to tell you, Link and Aaron, Your Majesty, on the condition that everything we discuss will stay only in this room," Sora stated after a moment. "We're talking about world order, and any outsiders on this will mean chaos."
"You have my word that nothing will be disclosed outside of this room," the princess assures. "Now then, let us begin from the beginning."
I couldn't help but gulp a bit of out nervousness and glanced over at Sora. He had the same nervous expression I'm sure I had on my face, but nonetheless gave me a nod.
This was it. We have no other choice but to tell Princess Zelda, Link and Aaron everything we've gone through up until our arrival to Hyrule. And though I felt a feeling of hesitance within my gut, I knew that we were now placed in a situation in which we couldn't back out of.
It's going to be a long dinner, isn't it?
End Chapter