I pulled out my earbuds to speak to my father. I had to raise my voice a little bit, I had realized the clanking footsteps of the soldiers echoed off of the castle's interior, making it hard to hear.

"Why are we setting up our defenses?" I asked. I knew the reason, but I was hoping this was because of something else.

"Well I'm sure you've heard, Zelda." He replied, keeping his arms crossed and his crystal-blue eyes focusing on the soldiers. "Impa has said Hyrule might be in a bit of danger. No need to fear, however. Our soldiers have been practicing non-stop lately, they will be ready for anything that crosses their path."

I leaned on the balcony railing, letting my hair dangle over the main hall and trying to believe his reassurance. I nodded to him, not saying a word. I wanted to believe him. Really, I did. But something wasn't right. The soldiers, as strong and loyal as they were, weren't ready for what was coming. Putting them out there just meant putting more of them in danger. But that's what soldiers are for, right? Protecting our people, no matter what the cost was.

I watched the soldiers march out for a little while longer before popping my earbuds back in and turning away. I didn't want to think about it.

For a castle with many different rooms and floors, I spend a surprising amount of my time in the kitchen.

The misconception about castle kitchens are that it's just a huge room with many stoves and pots and pans used for the master chef to prepare delicate meals every night. And yes, we have one of those, but the main kitchen just has a pantry with a lot of food in it.

Most of the time, I'm eating out of sheer boredom. You know how it is. I will say, though, it definitely doesn't help that we basically have any food on the planet in this room.

I shrugged and wrestled my phone out of my pocket. Still no reply from Link. Had he forgotten about me? I hoped not, that would just make this whole operation a lot harder than it already was. I stopped worrying after realizing that he might've just gone out with his friends or something. Guys are like that, replying to text messages usually isn't their top priority.

"Zelda…" Impa said quietly, opening the door to my room slowly. "Any luck yet?"

I sighed, and didn't turn to her, but instead kept my gaze out the window, letting the warm, blue sky fill my eyes. "Not yet. The guy I was texting, he…" I shook my head. "He hasn't replied in a few days."

She tried to be content, but I thought I saw a bit of anger in her eyes. "Have you tried contacting him again?"

"Quite a few times, actually. He seems to be really busy. It's just-" I turned to Impa. "Isn't the hero supposed to be pure and innocent and stuff? If he hasn't responded, he's probably just out with his buddies, drinking, screwing around, screwing… other things. He's probably forgotten about me!" I whined.

"Oh, Zelda." Impa replied, warmly. "Tales of the heroes of the past haven't been all sunshine and rainbows either. Before they were set on their path, there's been sources calling them lazy, or unfocused, unmotivated. The thing is, not even the reincarnation of the hero is going to be perfect. But, how do you even know this guy is for real?"

"I-I've seen his hand. I'm almost positive he had a triforce. When I asked him about it, he kinda avoided the question and moved on."

Impa's eyes got wide. "When was the last time you were out of the castle?"

I started sweating. "No, Impa, it's-really not important or anything, I just-"

She hushed me. "Zelda, do you know how dangerous-"

"-Look, I was just out and got a little caught up on the road and met these guys who were hiding from the cops or something. There was a fight, like a gang war or something, and they killed someone in self defense or something. I wandered into their hiding place by accident and met this Link guy, and when he saw my triforce, I-" I stopped. "I dunno-felt something. And he did too, he passed out holding his left wrist. I didn't really think anything about it at the time, but it seemed like we connected. Our triforces woke up, or something."

She stared at me, like she was still trying to process the information. After a while she spoke. "Well, it seems we have our guy. He even has the same name as the hero, that just makes it more clear. Listen, did you get a ride home or something?"

"Yeah, I did. Wednesday, early morning. Why?" I asked.

"We have databases of cars that drive near this street. Yeah, it's a bit overkill, and it's never been useful for anything, well, until now. We can track that car back to wherever it's parked, and-"

"We find him?" I cut her off.

"That's the idea." She replied, scratching her head. "I don't suppose an escort is the greatest thing, though. Maybe something a bit more personal."

"Personal? What do you mean?" I asked.

"You have a motorcycle?" I exclaimed, awed.

"And why wouldn't I?" She said, hopping on the front and gesturing me to follow.

"I dunno. I just never really thought that the Princess's bodyguard would have a, well-" I started motioning towards the motorcycle. It was big too, with wheels that seemed almost half my size, and a shiny, chrome finish. The seat was large enough for both of us, and I threw my leg up over the leather apprehensively as she revved the engine.

"Your father asked me if I needed a vehicle for my, uh, duties. I was pretty excited when I convinced him to get this. Neat, huh?" She asked, grinning and patting the handlebars.

"Wouldn't you rather have, like, a car?" I held onto her waist tightly, but I only felt more afraid than I was before. I'd never been on a motorcycle before, much less a huge, badass once that could flatten me if I slipped off the front of it.

Impa seemed to sense my fear and winked at me. "You need to get out more, Princess." Without another word, the engine roared and I was jerked backwards as Impa charged the thing out of it's garage.

After about five minutes of pure adrenaline, with the motorcycle tearing through streets and alleyways, almost knocking over pedestrians, I started to feel more comfortable. The sheer expertise of Impa, precise with her movements, she seemed to be having fun. And after a while, as the wind tore against my face, whipping my hair into a golden flurry, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I was having fun too.

Sorry for the short chapter! I'm feeling sick right now, and if I don't end up going to school tomorrow than expect to see another chapter posted midday. Thanks for reading!

-platinummantis