AN: Hi everyone, this is Perfect Soldier 01 clocking in for the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this. Here we go.

An Unbroken Skyline

Chapter 2: - Vanishing Act

"Where, in Din's name, is my daughter?" the King raged in Impa's ear.

She had heard the question many times over the last couple of weeks, each time the King's face growing a darker shade of red in his anger. The King huffed and growled as he strode to and fro around the room, but despite his fury Impa could see the implicit anxiety swell in his eyes.

Zelda had been missing for almost a month now, and the King was growing sick with worry. There had been no break-in, no apparent forced entry, and no commotion. She had simply disappeared, and nobody knew where. Impa had been assigned the duty of gathering information as to the princess's whereabouts. She had her suspicions, but nevertheless she had found no positive leads.

"I am still working on it, your majesty. Please, try to calm yourself."

"Impa!" he snapped. "How can I be calm when my only daughter, the heir to the Hyrule throne, has been kidnapped?"

"We do not know that for sure yet, your highness. Let us think rationally about this."

"You've been thinking rationally about it for the past month, Impa, and you've found nothing!" He paused and sighed, rubbing his temples with his trembling fingers. "We can only assume that she has been abducted."

"I know there has to be a reason for this, your majesty. Give me some more time."

"Damn you and your time! I want my daughter to be found!" He turned around and hung his head. "You are dismissed," he said quietly.

Impa bowed and retreated out of the door unshaken in her determination. She walked swiftly down the hallways and crossed the courtyards, returning to the room she had been investigating for the past few days. She opened the door to Zelda's chamber and began to read all her letters and papers again meticulously, searching for any sign of a riddle or clue to help her. Zelda would not have run away without a reason. She was a wise princess and proud of her kingdom; she would not have abandoned it so foolishly.

"You won't find anything there." Impa turned her head passively to face the owner of the voice. He leaned against the wall, hidden between two pieces of furniture. His knee was bent, arms crossed, most of his body veiled by his cloak.

"You've told me that dozens of times, Sheik."

"Then why do you keep going over them?"

Impa didn't answer and continued reading. His cavalier attitude had never sat well with her, but it was easy enough to tolerate. Sheik sighed, evidently irritated with her.

"Were you followed here?" Impa asked, putting the letters aside. She would not be able to concentrate while speaking with him.

"I made sure I lost them The Sheikah arts certainly help to confuse them."

Although Impa couldn't see all of his face, she could tell he was grinning. But Impa took a more serious tone.

"You should not use your powers in public, Sheik. The people will start to realise your true heritage and identity."

"They aren't that clever, Impa."

"Sheik," Impa said sharply. "Mind who you speak about and where. Have a little more tact in future. It pays to be discreet." Her words were heavy and imposing, but Sheik merely scoffed and grunted in reply.

"Did you finish your business in town?" Impa said, trying to move the conversation in a new, hopefully more productive, direction.

"Yes."

"And the result?"

"Tentative."

"Well, maybe now you'll be able to focus your attentions on what you're supposed to be doing. Did you find any more information about the princess while you were in the market?"

He was silent for a moment before answering. "Not yet."

Impa narrowed her eyes, wary of his pause, but at that moment there were shouts from outside. Impa crossed the room to the window and out onto the balcony. Guards were down below in the courtyard, hurrying down to the gates.

"What are they saying?" Sheik questioned.

Impa closed the balcony doors. "It seems there's been a brawl in the marketplace."

"I'll go down and investigate."

"I think you ought to stay here. I think you've had enough exposure to the crowds today already. I'll go."

Impa left immediately and went directly to the stables to saddle up her white horse. Riding ahead of most of the soldiers, she cantered into the streets, the swarms of people soon making way for her to pass. The scene was easy to locate. Everyone seemed to be rushing towards it gathering in packs around the fighting, their attention hanging on every movement, jeering and bawling like animals.

But as Impa caught sight of the two opponents above the heads of the onlookers, the white emblem of the black-robed man made her heart jolt inside her chest. That was the crest of the Gerudo…

Her attention was quickly drawn to the other man. His expert sword skills made short work of the others and as she slid off her horse, he was dusting his hands indifferently as though he had hardly made an effort.

"What happened here?" Impa demanded as the man eased his sword gently back into its scabbard.

"These men were about to attack a young girl, minister."

Impa's eyes widened a little. Was this finally the lead she had been looking for?

"That may be all very well, sir, but what is a merchant like you doing wielding a sword?"

He smiled a little. "It is a long and old story, but a merchant needs to know how to defend himself from thieves, your ladyship."

By this time some of the soldiers had arrived. "Very well. Take these men away," Impa ordered to the guards. She was about to turn back to the man to question him further but he was nowhere to be found. He had slipped into the throng of market-goers that were slowly dispersing from the scene, sauntering about their daily routines. She could not even see his distinctive forest green robes through the crowd.

"Finish this up," she called to the head guard, and she took off in pursuit of the merchant. It was not everyday that Gerudo factions strolled into the marketplace, and it was certainly not usual for them, let alone anyone, to be setting upon innocent bystanders so violently.

However what seemed to be persisting in her thoughts the longest was the merchant. His face had looked familiar. She had seen him before, but could not place exactly where.

Impa ran faster, knowing that if she could find this merchant again, she was sure that he would be able to help her to find the princess.

AN: Please don't forget to review and tell us what you think. I hope that I didn't answer too many questions too soon. Hopefully this will add some more interesting developments in later chapters. But for now I'll say goodbye and hand you over to the next writer! Enjoy the rest of the story!

- Perfect Solider 01