CHAPTER THREEQuee
Not many people are lucky enough to see the Royal Castle bathed in the dawn light.
Golden rays of sunshine pour in through the stained glass windows, adorned with folklore images of tragic loss, triumphant victories, elegant goddesses and portraits of the Royal Family themselves.
One hallway in particular is outstandingly beautiful. Windows line an entire wall allow the morning sun to light up the space in a kaleidoscope of shapes and colours, giving this other worldly sense to the atmosphere. It was for this experience that Ebony would wake up early before her sisters to go sit alone in a window seat to read.
One morning while she was engaged with her books, she hardly even noticed when two guards went sprinting past and through a door out in to the garden below. Hearing the wooden doors thud shut she glanced outside in time to see them heading towards the bottom left hand side of the outer wall before disappearing around a corner. Curiosity getting the better of her she packed up her books and hid them under the seat cushion before checking to see no one was around; she then slipped through the doors herself and carefully made her way following the guards.
After making it safely around the corner she dodged and bypassed other guards patrolling the gardens and managed to go as far as the bottom left outer wall where she found the two guards from the hall standing at attention while Link spoke with them quietly. Ebony couldn't make out what was being ordered but from Links hand gestures and facial expression she knew it must have been important.
Looking to where Link was pointing she noticed a small fountain feature that was no longer working. Where the water should have been spouting out there was a small gap, just large enough to fit a child.
As she was trying to get a better look Link quickly took leave and the two guards relaxed and looked around. For a moment she thought they had spotted her but they both went through a small door next to the fountain and disappeared.
Not being able to pass up the opportunity Ebony quickly and quietly snuck forwards. Taking off her black silk ballet slippers she waded in to the still fountain and bent down to look in to the now empty spout.
At first she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Through the wall she could see a moat, a small doorway on the other side and a wrought iron fence running alongside a path that wound away out of her view. Suddenly the two guards who were just in the same area as her came out from the small door. They stopped and began talking, occasionally looking at the gap in the wall.
"I don't see why Captain Link and Queen Zelda are so worried about this hole. No one who could fit through would be a worry", the larger of the two guards mused, "Why, maybe a ChuChu would be able to get through but they can't get up from the moat or jump over from here."
"And they're piss easy to cut down anyway" laughed the other guard. "I think maybe they're worried the young Princesses will try to get out through there, and let them I say! They're almost Eighteen years old! They should be allowed out of the grounds by now!"
With this they walked off following the path out of sight.
Ebony sat on the edge of the fountain and thought over what she had just over heard. I guess because she had just been reading it took a while longer than normal for her thought process to come to the conclusion that I'm sure yours already has. When the pieces finally clicked together she drew in a gasped breath and stumbled forward towards the hole.
Now basically sitting in the water she proceeded to take off her small purple coat and tried to hitch up her now sopping wet dress.
At first Ebony was only able to stick her head through the gap but with some wiggling and aggressive shoving she was able to squeeze her shoulders and then torso in to the small space.
Manoeuvring her arms out in front of her she reached forwards and pulled herself through a bit further. Now her whole body was cramped in to the empty fountain spout, if she were to get stuck at this point I would hate to think what would become of her. But this thought never entered young Ebony's head.
Wriggling forwards, tearing the delicate fabric of her dress and scraping the porcelain skin on her knees and elbows she finally managed to get her fingers to grip on to the outer ledge. With one last heave forward she forced her frame through the last stretch and her head finally popped out the other side.
She lay there in her stone cocoon and took in deep breaths. Strange new smells were wafting around her head as the pollen and fragrance of wild flowers Ebony was yet to know of made their way through her. She closed her eyes and allowed them to settle in to her memory, she never wanted to forget this. Who knew if she would ever be able to enjoy this again?
Slowly opening her eyes she allowed herself to look around. Below her was the rushing current of the stone moat, over the other side in front of her lay the path that wound around to the right, there was a large pine tree in the far corner sitting nestled against the iron fence.
Looking beyond the fence Ebony could hardly contain her glee, she could see rolling hills of green grass, spotted with patches of flowers she had never seen before. The hills seemed to stop abruptly though which made her wonder wither that was natural or not.
Ebony could hardly believe what she was looking at. It was the outside world. The world beyond the castle walls. The real world. She had to go get her sisters, she could no longer keep this for just herself, and they would be so angry when they find out she got to see it first before them.
Pushing herself backwards she managed to get herself out of the hole and fell back in to the water of the fountain, the blood from her cuts and scrapes inking its way through the surface of the water.
Grabbing her coat and shoes she quickly snuck her way back through the gardens and in to the castle. Not even stopping to grab her books from the window seat she ran up to her and her sisters bed chambers.
