Chapter 25: Hanging from the Edge

They were in Liari's office.

"Are you sure this is the best option, Princess?" Liari asked worriedly, pacing back and forth in front of Zelda. "What will happen if the captain finds out? He might beat Link even worse."

Zelda hadn't thought of that. But still, she shook her head. "He can't do much beating locked up in a prison cell." Zelda argued.

Liari still looked unsure. "If you say so, Princess."

"So you said he left for another 'meeting' with the captain?" Zelda asked.

Liari nodded. "He's there." Thank goodness she can sense his aura. "So what is this ingenious plan of yours?"

Zelda grinned slyly. "March in there and demand that he releases my knight, while you get the king."

Liari stared at her for a moment before putting her palm to her face. "And how," Liari mumbled. "Am I supposed to get the king to listen?"

"Here's a note from me." Zelda pulled the piece of parchment from her pocket. "It tells him to go to the Royal Guard training room for proof of the captain's abuse."

"If you say so, Princess." Liari said, still unsure.

"I say so." Zelda replied. "How long do those meetings last?"

"Anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour." Liari said slowly. "Are you sure this plan is going to work?"

"How could it not?" Zelda asked cheerfully.

"Well, if the captain beats a champion, who knows what he'd do to a princess?" Liari asked.

"Nothing, because he'd be out of a job anyway." ...Right?

Zelda opened the door of the Royal Guards' training room a small crack.

Suddenly, she could hear the yelling.

"You idiot!" The sound of a grunt and a hard impact.

"I apologize, Sir." Came Link's voice, firm but slightly strained.

"You're a pushover, a coward, and a failure! The fate of Hyrule! In the hands of a failure!" The other voice screeched.

Another grunt.

Zelda couldn't take it. She burst through the door.

Link looked mostly normal on the outside, but there were a few rips in his tunic. His weight was all supported on his right foot. It was subtle, but Zelda could still see it.

"Captain Fuer, this ends now." Zelda fumed at the man.

He was tall for a Hylian. His Royal Guard uniform was in mint condition, not a speck of dirt or a single tear tainting it. His black hair tumbled down his shoulders.

"What, Princess?" The captain said in his usual formal voice. "I am currently in the middle of something."

"It is against the oath you have taken to abuse your knights like this." Zelda said firmly.

"And what will you do about it?" The captain said in a formal drawl. "There is nothing you could possibly do to stop me. No one will believe you."

The captain pulled a knife from his pocket and turned back to Link. "I suppose you were the one who told her?"

What? No, I didn't hear it from Link! Link remained silent and emotionless.

"Not answering? That's practically a confession." The captain sneered. "Maybe I should just kill you. You're a worthless brat, after all."

Zelda stared, wide eyed. She couldn't take it anymore.

Her eyes narrowed. "You selfish and greedy pig! Who are you to do such a thing! Think of everyone that would be disappointed in you!"

The man scoffed. "Disappointed? Hah!"

"I will see to it personally that you get locked up in a cell for the rest of your life!" Zelda hissed.

The captain looked unamused. "And how's a little girl like you going to do that? Use your 'sealing powers?' Oh wait!" The captain laughed. "They don't exist!"

You just crossed the line, you idiot.

She walked up, and slapped the captain soundly across the face. Sweet, sweet revenge.

The captain narrowed his eyes. "Well, Princess, it seems my time is up." The captain turned back to Link. "Perhaps I should give this useless boy a parting gift."

Zelda could only let out a cry as the captain raised the knife and buried it into Link's thigh.

With a strangled gasp, Link's leg buckled and he collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

Liari rushed through the halls after she and the princess had parted ways. Why did I agree to this, why did I agree to this, why, oh why did I agree to this?!

She had read Link's mind once or twice while questioning him on the captain, and whenever she did he thought firmly that confronting the captain would make everything worse.

I hope that he gets out of this okay…

Minutes passed of half-sprinting through the hallways. She couldn't go as fast as Link could, and certainly not for as long as her big brother. She could only hope that she could get the king there in time, before the princess did something rash.

For some reason, the image of the princess screaming and throwing pots crept into her mind, and Liari nearly laughed. She doubted the princess would do such a thing, but still she could imagine how Link would react.

"Princess," He would say, flustered. "Please calm yourself. Is any of this really necessary?"

They're perfect for each other. Liari thought slyly. Link was quieter, but the princess was loud and talkative. She wouldn't be surprised if it didn't take the princess very long to break Link out of his shell.

Well, it depends on how stubborn Link decides to be. Her brother could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to. That's something they have in common.

She finally reached the king's study. Luckily, it was much closer to the Royal Guards' training area than Purah's lab. That way we can get there sooner, before anything bad happens.

She knocked, and His Majesty's voice replied with a deep, "Enter."

Liari nodded to the guards on both sides of the door and walked inside.

"Ah, Lady Purah's new assistant." The king looked up at her. "How may I help you?"

Liari curtseyed quickly. "The princess has sent me to give you a message." Liari stood up and handed the king the note.

His Highness unfolded it and skimmed over it. "This again?" He mumbled. He then stood. "Well, take me to the Royal Guards' training room, Mistress Liari."

Liari nodded and hastily led the king out of the study.

"Wait." The king turned to his guards. "You two are to come with me. Do not act unless necessary. Understood?"

The guards looked at each other nervously, but nodded nonetheless.

The king followed the girl, an emotionless mask upon his face, but he couldn't help the unease that crept into his mind.

He had heard the rumors, of course. He had heard them for years. However, whenever he questioned the royal knights themselves, they speedily denied anything bad about the captain.

However, his first hint was that they only spoke of the captain as he was ten years ago. He was never told of the captain doing good deeds anymore.

But Rhoam had set it to the side. Captain Fuer had been greatly saddened by the loss of Sir Koruma. Although he had never climbed very high, barely making it to the bottom of the Royal Guard, even Rhoam could remember Sir Koruma's great kindness and fierce loyalty, as well as his skill as a knight.

Then recently his daughter had come to him herself, speaking frantically of the horrors the captain had done to her knight. As pleased as he was to see that the princess was growing more fond of her knight, instead of outright hating him, he doubted that the older captain would do such a thing to his old friend's son.

And now, the princess had sent him a note.

"Sir Link has gone to another meeting with the captain. Come if you still do not believe the truth of my words. And if you do not arrive, then I will intervene as I can by myself."

With an internal sigh, the king had decided to finally look into this for himself.

When they approached the Royal Guards' training room, the cry of his daughter filtered through the door, which was cracked open. It was followed by the sound of a thump.

"Prepare your weapons!" Rhoam growled at the Royal Guards he had brought. The king had been wrong.

The king slammed open the door, to be met with the sight of the Hylian Champion curled on the floor, a knife protruding from his thigh, the captain sneering at the boy. The girl who had led them let out a whimper.

"Captain Fuer." The king growled. He opened his mouth to continue, only to be interrupted.

The captain let out a maniacal laugh. "With my cover blown, I might as well say it. Captain Fuer is dead, and has been so for nearly ten years!"

His Majesty narrowed his eyes as a swarm of cards consumed the faulty captain's shape.

Dun, dun, DUN! The plot thickens! If you wanted some good action in this story, here you go! Yes, I have been planning the captain's secret for a while now, and it just fits so perfectly with the rest of my story. Just you wait.

Did I do a cliffhanger to torture you? Yes. Obviously. How do you like them apples? (*cough*How do you like them apples = secret review phrase*cough*)

REPLIES!

The-Fallen-Spirit: Oh, it's getting good, all right... And bad for Link, but whatevs. ThE pLoT ThIcKeNs!

MeaninglessMayhem: Ah, classic Fi. Love her so much! Ack, there's a kitten cat climbing on my keyboard. Gimme a sec to wrangle this monster. Okay, I think she's somewhat tame now. Emphasis on "somewhat." Yes, Liari is totally shipping them. Zelink, amirite?

Thatdarnedfool: Oh, totally not a problem! Everyone gets busy, and I totally update a lot! I'm glad that you've enjoyed it! I really do try my best to make it a fun read, so I'm glad! Yeah, I've noticed that, too. Sometimes it's tricky for me to fit scenery into the story, but I'll try harder to fit it in. I'm glad you like Liari! At first I was arguing whether or not to put her into the story, but she fits nicely! I'm glad that you like my original ideas! Sometimes they just pop up and I just go with it. I found it kind of fun to write about Link's internal dialogue! On the outside, he just looks all stoic and silent, but on the inside he's screaming half the time ("For dramatic effect, of course") and making sarcastic remarks. I made it so that Link doesn't like frog legs so that the Silent Princess memory would be even more humorous. SHHhhhh!

SmokeyMirrors: We'll find out soon. Well, you will. I've known for a very long time. Zelda slapping? Done. Sorry I didn't put in the throwing stuff scene, but I did give you a reference. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I mean, I can't see how you could enjoy Link getting stabbed, but whatever.

Thank you all for reviewing, favoriting, and following! Everything is so appreciated! Like, seriously! Thank you so much for the support!

And to those other readers out there, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!

Yes, I update way too often. I keep on using up all my written ahead chapters! Argh.

Sincerely (Probably),

Ari