Chapter 9
Thank you to all of my anonymous reviewers! I seriously wish you guys would leave emails so I could send you something nice like I do with my other awesome reviewers. But anyways, thanks again dudes.
From the window Zelda could see that it was getting darker. She assumed that it was sunset and looked down at her lap. Link's head was cradled there while she stroked his blonde hair. He still hadn't woken from his unconscious state and in that time she had ripped off material from her dress and took care of his wound as best as she could.
After he had been knocked out, Garin had suddenly appeared in the doorway. He watched the display with an evil smile while Zelda struggled against her restraints, wanting nothing more than to tear his face off. This amused him greatly and he ordered that Link be left unchained and had them release Zelda from her own binds.
Immediately she rushed to her fiancé's side and lifted his head into her lap, caressing his face. Garin had said the display was 'very sweet' and taunted the princess before he and the guards left the couple alone.
Link suddenly stirred, a groan rising in his throat. Zelda removed her fingers from his hair and placed a hand on his chest instead.
"Lie still." She instructed quietly. At the sound of her voice, he opened his eyes and waited impatiently for his vision to adjust before seeing her beautiful face above his. He realized his head was pillowed in her lap and made a move to get up but his head protested.
"Zelda…what happened?" He asked, his voice a bit thick. He remembered everything but couldn't fathom any of it. Two Zeldas…Garin throwing him in the dungeon…why was everything so topsy turvy?
"Garin isn't who we think he is. He is actually Prince James of Alcott, least favored by both his father and his mother. He killed his brother, who was the real Garin, and took his body for his own. I knew something was wrong. I am so stupid." She looked up from Link's face and towards the wall instead.
Link slowly sat up though his head was throbbing, and cupped her cheek, gently guiding her face in his direction. He could see the trouble brewing in her eyes and felt guilty having not been there when all of this happened.
"This is not your fault. I knew something wasn't right and still I didn't see it either. You are not stupid – you are the smartest person I know." He kissed her forehead and caressed her cheek, smiling and widening it when she returned the gesture.
"Garin bewitched everyone in the castle: the maids and the guards. They all answer to him now. He has not bewitched my father…yet. I fear that he will and when he does it will be very difficult to set everything right again."
"Zel, can't you use your magic?" Link eyed the door hopefully. She shook her head sadly and frowned.
"He put a spell on me. If I try and use my magic it will most likely…kill me." His eyes widened at her words and he began to think of all the ways he could slaughter Garin. Gouging out his eyes with red hot pokers, snapping his neck, perhaps throwing him into a pit of Redeads.
"What about the other Zelda? I saw her with Garin…" Link clenched his fist. Zelda noticed this and took it into her own hands, trying to soothe his rage and anger.
"He put another spell on me as well. One that created my twin, and he has her under his control. And because he bewitched the guards…they think that I am an imposter and that she is the real princess." Link remembered the guard calling his fiancée an imposter and now everything seemed to make sense.
"We have to get out of here." He muttered, eyeing the window. He reached into his tunic for his hookshot but realized that all of his weapons had been taken from him.
"It's hopeless." Zelda hung her head. She had spent the day searching for some way out and had found it quite impossible. If she used her magic then she would surely die.
Link frowned and tipped her chin back up to meet her eyes. His blue hues shined in the bit of moonlight spilling from the window above. His features softened when he saw the look of desperation and frustration on her face. He wanted nothing more than to snap his fingers and make all of this go away for her.
"Not yet it isn't. I won't stop fighting this until my last breath if I have to." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before tracing one finger from her jaw to her chin.
"Don't give up on me." He murmured, leaning in. She was leaning in as well when there was suddenly the sound of someone clapping. Both teens jerked their heads to the now open doorway to see Garin standing there.
"How touching. But truly you must know it is impossible to beat me now." He motioned with his hand to someone outside and three guards started into the room.
Link and Zelda both got to their feet, him taking a protective stance by placing both hands on her waist and pulling her tiny frame into him. He tried to put himself in front of her without moving her body far from his. Her hands found his broad shoulders fairly quickly. When they did this, Garin's smile darkened further.
"Chain him." The guards went for the couple, both of them tensing. One took Zelda's shoulders and attempted to pry her from Link's iron grip. The other two took hold of Link and pulled him towards the wall. Both struggled to get free.
"Let go of her!" Link roared, flailing wildly as his wrists were cuffed to the wall. He watched as Garin told the guards to wait outside. When they were gone Garin went to Zelda and stood in front of her.
"I tried to satisfy myself with your shell Princess. But it just isn't the same with her as it is with you." He reached out to her and trailed his fingers down her cheek, moving down her neck. His touch sent chills rushing down her spine and she shivered involuntarily.
Link snarled and continued to struggle against the cuffs. Watching Garin touching her that way awoke within him an anger that threatened to break lose and devour everything in his unspeakable rage. He saw Garin suddenly finger the engagement necklace around her neck.
"What do you want?" Zelda snapped viciously, her voice filled with poison. The only thing keeping her from mauling the prince was that she didn't want anything to happen to her fiancé. A sinking feeling in her stomach made her believe that if she didn't please Garin then he would have Link beaten or killed.
"I want you. No one else can have you. I expected to take this kingdom…but not to feel so strongly for you. I must have you." He then took the chain in his grasp and yanked on it with enough force to break it from her neck. He crushed it in his fist, turning to glare at Link.
"I don't love you." She said defiantly. He turned back to face her, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her forward. His face was now contorted with anger, his teeth clenched together and his eyes burning.
"If you do not choose me then I will have him killed before your eyes. And if this still does not sway your decision, then I will have your father killed as well." Zelda's face fell and she began to feel trapped. If she chose this prince as he husband then she would spend the rest of her days miserable and the land would suffer. If she did not then her love and her father would die.
Meanwhile, Link had been working hard on freeing himself. Though his wrists were red and rubbed rather raw from his attempt to pull the cuffs free from the wall, they were beginning to loosen. He looked up momentarily to see the panicked expression on Zelda's face.
"What will it be Princess?" Garin touched a section of her gold hair, admiring it with his eyes.
The princess caught Link's eyes. They flickered to his binds and then back to her face. It took her a moment to realize that they were loose. She nodded to him before returning her gaze to Garin's.
"I choose love. I choose to be happy. I don't choose you and nor will any other woman as long as you walk this earth." She spat. She wasn't ready for the anger that boiled over as she said this. Garin tightened his hold on her wrist and with his other hand, grabbed a hold of her face harshly and forced her to look at him.
"Then you will watch as they die!" He thundered. He was about to throw her to the ground when the sound of Link freeing himself reached his ears. He turned to see the young man standing away from the wall as the cuffs fell to the ground. The indignant look in his blue eyes intensified further.
"Guards!" Garin shouted, turning back to Zelda – just as she connected a wonderful punch with his face. He landed in a heap on the floor, blood flowing steadily from his nostrils. He looked up just in time to see her towering over him with a chain dangling from her hands.
As the door busted open, Link grabbed a hold of Zelda's shoulder.
"We don't have time now! Hurry!" He turned his attention to the three guards flooding into the room. He was about to take care of the first when Zelda whirled around, whipping the chain meant for Garin at the guard. It hit him hard right across the face and sent him down.
Link swiped the dagger from the unconscious guard and moved forward, grabbing the guard advancing on him and slitting his throat in one quick motion. While he dispatched that guard, Zelda had managed to strangle the other with her chain, letting him fall to the ground when he was limp.
From there, the couple moved from the dungeon upon hearing more of the guards coming to investigate the brawl. At the end of the hall Link spied a table upon which all of his weapons were. Blocking them were two more guards.
Cursing under his breath, he readied his dagger but Zelda moved forward in an attempt to end the bloodshed.
"It is me. It is Princess Zelda and I order you to stand down." She sounded full of authority but the guards did not listen. They instead stood to attention as the king entered the room with the imposter at his side.
"How dare you call yourself the princess, imposter." King Harkanian said angrily, his arm around his daughter's shoulders. Zelda was shocked to see the imposter for the first time and how identical they looked.
"Father it-"
"Silence!" His voice echoed through the hall and sounded menacing enough to cause his daughter to jolt rather violently. Link noticed and glanced sideways at her.
"And Link. How dare you. After all of these years how could you betray our family?" The king's eyes were cold as was his tone.
"Your Highness you must understand. There is a plot against your kingdom. The woman at your side is not Zelda. She-"
"And how dare you speak of my daughter! You dare try to assassinate her future husband and now you speak ill of her. The two of you will be put to death if it is the last thing that I do." He then looked to the guards as he pushed the imposter from the room.
"Put them back in the cell." He ordered before leaving. Zelda reached out a hand as if to stop him but stopped her futile attempt to try and change his mind. She felt tears rising in her eyes but blinked furiously to discourage them from falling.
As the guards came towards them, she made a move to attack but Link took hold of her hand and shook his head. She dropped the chain and let it fall to the floor with a clattering sound as the guards came closer.
"Run." Link muttered through his teeth. Before she could protest, he went at the guards with the dagger he had stolen, yelling madly as he defended himself. Zelda did as she was told and ran past the fight, going to the table. She grabbed Link's sword and went back to help him. She beheaded one of the unsuspecting guards while Link took care of the other.
She then handed him his sword and helped him equip himself at the table. When he was ready he took Zelda's shoulders.
"We must flee to Termina." He told her sternly. She shook her head in response, sounding determined and on the verge of hysterics.
"No we must stay. I need to help my father. We can't just leave him!"
"Zel, Zel. We will help but they're going to be looking for us. We need to get out of here and come up with a plan." He held her face in his gloved hands.
"Trust me." His voice soothed her for the moment and she calmed down, nodding her head. He let go of her face but took one of her hands into his, squeezing it to reassure her. He then looked to the door that would lead them out.
"Follow me." He led the way through the door and peeked out. The staircase would lead up into the courtyard, and from there they would sneak out the way Link had used so many years ago the first time he had met the princess. He kept hold of her hand as they crept up the stairs and came out into the courtyard.
From there they walked under the archway and down the tunnel, coming to the hedge maze filled with more guards. And these guards were armed with spears. The couple moved through the first part of the maze easily but soon needed to duck as a guard rounded the corner. They crouched behind a hedge and waited while the guard inspected the area. They dared not even breathe until he had finally disappeared.
At the end of the maze they came to the large trellis, twisted with vines and covered in foliage. Two guards circled the structure and made it difficult to pass through. The only way was so climb across the top and drop down on the other side of the foliage. That would be enough to hide them from the guards and they could move to the next part.
Link moved in first, quickly climbing the small steps leading up to the trellis. He turned and saw Zelda waiting as one of the guards passed by the steps. She then followed Link's example and started after him as he climbed the trellis as though they were monkey bars, moving rather quickly before they could be spotted. Her hands were irritated and red by the time they dropped down onto the other side.
From there they came to the fountain. For this they got down on their hands and knees, crawling on one side of the low fountain as the guard on the other side stood, looking around for any intruders. They then came to the inside of the castle wall. The hole there would lead them out to the side of the castle and from there they would only need to cross the field.
Zelda went through the hole first, crawling through and falling into the water below on the other side. Link followed and she offered him a hand to help him out. They wrang out their clothes as best as they could before making their way into the field. The guards were all at their posts with their spears as they always were.
The couple successfully made it across and only came to a problem when they reached the adjoining room to the gate. Once inside, they were about to climb the ladder when the door knob suddenly twisted. Link grabbed Zelda and pulled her against his body, pressing his back against the wall beside the door.
The door opened and a guard poked his head inside, looking up at the ladder. He sighed, shaking his head, and disappeared just as quickly as he had come. They stayed in their positions for a moment more before Link nudged Zelda to the ladder and she climbed up. He followed hot on her heels, not wanting the guard to return and find them there. When they reached the top they quickly dropped down onto the other side. There they rested for a moment.
"I have never been so scared in my life." Zelda said between heaving breaths, Link nodding his head in agreement.
"Feel my heart." She took his hand and pressed it to her heart. He felt it beating hyperactively against his palm and felt his following pursuit.
She rested her head on his shoulder while they calmed themselves down. In her mind all she could see was her father's angry face and his harsh words. "The two of you will be put to death if it is the last thing that I do." It repeated in her head and she soon felt the tears rising in her eyes again.
"Hey," Link sensed that she was upset and stroked her face as he wrapped an arm around her, "I won't let anything happen to you or to your father or to your kingdom. We are going to set everything right. I promise."
He kissed the top of her head and leaned back against the dirt wall, looking up at the night sky.