As promised, an update this weekend XD
This chapter went by slowly given that I lost my lighter-of-fires-under-my-butt a.k.a. Mr. J :/ But also because school started for me and I'm currently 2 weeks in and already swamped with work, curse you college prep high school!
Anyway, enjoy this chapter, please inform me of anything you liked/hated, thought was well written or didn't make sense. etc.
Keep in mind that this is a first person recap, so it'll occasionally switch back to where the narrator addresses the audience/will switch tenses.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Shigeru Miyamoto a.k.a THE BOSS does.
A/N: Yeah, I'm sick, it's hard to breathe D; Song of the Day: Shinseiki by Kagamine Len
Previously on Sanctuary in the Harem: I had been staring intently at the rock where Impa had been for the last 10 minutes it seemed. I briefly pondered getting out of the bath at his arrival but instead I twisted slightly, swimming deeper into the roots of the tree above me, my warrior senses didn't like the position, it would be near impossible to escape should Link or someone corner me in the roots, though the spring was deep, I could probably just swim under the roots... I was cut out of my distracted thinking by more ripples as the blonde floated towards where I had previously sat, he was staring up at the clouds above as he started to speak.
Chapter Three: The Apple
"You two were lovers weren't you? The way you spoke last night... kind of hinted me off..." I couldn't restrain myself around the man, I snorted as I shifted around the thick roots, leaning my back against one while my feet were planted firmly on a submerged one. "No. We may have had intercourse with each other, but by no means were we lovers, boy. When I get my hands on that man he'll pay for selling me out..." I bit my lip harshly, not meaning to get so infuriated at the mention of that man, of what he did to me. I hadn't meant to confide to the blonde either.
I could hear the water swish as I assumed the Hylian stopped floating on his back, my back was to him, my eyes following the contours of different roots as the ripples stopped. I frowned, not liking that I didn't have my eyes on the man as he spoke again from somewhere to the right.
"It didn't sound like you were going to kill him last night; you thought I was my brother after all, right? Was it a one-sided love then? Did he betray you?" the questions were spoken innocently, not a tint of maliciousness in them or taunting, just pure curiosity. But it still made my gut broil in anger as memories of that night reminded me of all I had lost because of the trust I had placed in the one man that had caught my fancy in the most horrible way. I gulped; willing my emotions to go back to their jail cell, as I somberly watched my long hair float in the water around me as I slunk further into the liquid, my nose almost touching the fluid as my hair fanned over the surface before dipping down under, still and haunting. I gingerly grabbed a couple of locks, absentmindedly swinging them through the water, back and forth as locks spread and twirled under the water, reminding me of pristine women in fine dresses twirling about.
I bit my lip again, so enthralled with the show of my hair that I barely noticed arms wrap around my torso, pulling me sideways onto the bare lap of my owner. My warrior instincts didn't stir, quiet and still as I continued to play with my hair in the water my gaze remaining unbroken from the swirls of gold, orange and silver, all mixed together and shimmering under the surface. A pair of lips kissed my cheek and startled me out of my reverie, it was such a small whisper of skin on skin that I was half surprised that it was the feather-kiss that had alerted me to Link pulling me into his arms, and not the actual action of bumping against his chest and floating a bit over his lap where he had sat on one of the submerged roots.
I looked at him, for the first time, I actually analyzed his features, his cheek bones were less hollow, his skin while not as tan as my own, was still sun kissed, not the unhealthy tone of his brother. He had freckles dotted over his skin, a small pale cluster dusted over the bridge of his nose and cheeks, his nose wasn't as sharp, his lips more of a tan-pink than the dark grey-tan of his brother's. His ears were rounded at the tip, eyes were more rounded, younger looking and not narrowed in disgust or anger or anything remotely negative. He just grinned at me, blue eyes twinkling and making me wonder what made him so happy during this time of war, and why he was staring so obnoxiously, so intently, at me.
I voiced my question on the origin of his cheerful attitude and the smile dimmed a tad, the twinkling eyes unguarded, showing the world and me his sad, forlorn look. I kept my flat gaze and expression on, trying to figure out what he reminded me of in that instant... it was like he was a child, so open about his feelings and so easily hurt because of it, I marveled at sheer existence of such a man in this day and age.
Blonde hair swung about as he shook his head, fat droplets of water landing on my face eliciting a tiny hiss from me at the cold water on my warm face and shoulders. I glared to the side at him, puffing my chest out in anger when he started laughing at the sound I had made. I seriously was questioning where my self control had gone as I sent a tidal wave of cold spring water on a crash course towards his face, kicking off out of his lap as I back pedaled away from him and any attempts at revenge. He sputtered for a few moments, rubbing and wiping water and hair out of his face that was covered with surprise and shock. He stared at me, dumbfounded, before his mouth twisted into a playful smirk, his eyes flashing mischievously, nothing like the 'mischievous' looks that his brother had given me. He slunk forward through the water towards me, blowing bubbles under the water at me as he waggled his eyebrows. I had no idea what he was doing but it was amusing, it was light and I found myself wrapping my arms around a nearby root to keep from drowning as I laughed heartily, my eyes scrunching up and my dimples undoubtedly showing.
My laughing slowed and died as he reached towards me from behind, arms slinking around my chest and lips planting on the corner of my jaw as he smiled at me, eyes twinkling again, obviously pleased with himself. I wiggled in his arms, sliding down deeper in the water, the coolness brushing over my warming face as I swam down and away from the blonde man. He had too much power over without me losing focus; I had to get out of here, fast.
...but first food, my stomach was starting to pain me, clenching and clearly alerting me to the need to be filled as I surfaced meters away from the tree. While in the army I had lasted for a week and a half without food, but I had plenty of water at the time, now however, after a year of petty nutrition and water, with the chance of filling-food and drink, I was severely tempted to feast. Besides, if I was to escape out of this large dungeon cell, I had to have energy and stamina. I heard the sound of Link following me as I swam to the shore where my towel laid neatly. My clothes were gone though, replaced by what I assumed was a new set for me along with another pile for Link, two pairs of shoes placed behind the folded clothes.
Lifting myself out of the water I snatched the towel, rubbing myself off quickly as I focused on the clothes, the quiet splashing getting closer to me. I sorted through the clothes that I assumed were mine, given the shoes next to them were smaller and the clothes seemed more... dainty.
I pulled on the under cloth first, covering my more private parts before the cream under shirt, I snarled minutely in distaste. It was frilly. It had a high frilly collar and it had what seemed like 100 small little buttons grouped in twos, the frilly cuffs had 10 buttons at least on each. It would do till I could get different clothes, I huffed minutely at the article of clothing after trying to close at least a few of the buttons before grabbing the black pants, they weren't baggy by any means, but at least they weren't form-fitting. The cloth was soft and gave me enough room to move and maneuver. I grabbed the red vest with gold thread embroidery and slipped my arms through it, not bothering to close it as I tugged on the soft leather boots, frowning at the small heel they had, I was not fond of such shoes considering in the last year I had no footwear and the years before my uniform boots had very thin soles so that they made no sound and allowed me to feel the ground around me better.
While I was examining my clothing and finishing lacing my boots Link had pulled himself out of the spring. We were both silent as I tried again to get the buttons to snap close, I couldn't leave with my shirt open... there were too many marks on my chest and I could feel sensitive skin around my neck, a hint that there were even more bruises in that area.
Plus my pride wouldn't allow me to show such marks; I hadn't liked the medic seeing me in such a state when I had returned from a visit with the Lieutenant General. But after the frequent visits to me tent to bring me doses of potions, sterilizing and numbing mixtures I had come to know the boy well. I figured he was a few summers younger than me, or at least he appeared to look younger.
When I first met him he had short brown hair that always stuck out in different directions but by the time I had "left" the military, his hair had grown out to between his shoulder blades in the back, the front staying short and unruly. He kept the back hair tied up with a piece of thin leather almost all the time, I often wondered if he had only grown it out to match my own, I never got a chance to ask him though. The medic's name was Aiel; he had drilled it into my head to stop me from calling him 'boy'.
Mentally he was a mixture of an adult and child, but he didn't have the chaotic mind of a teenage awash with emotion and growth. He had a calming personality, he often told stories while he worked, be they actual events or made up adventures or even mystical legends. He didn't ask me about how I obtained such injuries, he merely healed them for the first year, it wasn't until halfway through the second that we started chatting during these periods of midnight to dawn when he worked that we became friends.
Before then though, when he had tried to clean where the brunt of the damage was done, in my private regions, I had smashed a glass potion bottle over his head, of course he laughed about it then and even I joined in the laughter a year and a half later when we were reminiscing. Even after my many attempts (and a few guilt-filled successes) to halt his healing of said areas, he continually used his position as a doctor and a few gory, detailed and horrific descriptions of what would happen if I left the flesh and muscle inside my posterior untended...
That had been enough to get me to consent enough for him to quickly slip the sealing, disinfectant and numbing agents into the area, letting the slightly magically-tinted herbs and such do the majority of the work. I had never been one to shy away from blood and gore on the battlefield, it had appealed to my lust for war and revenge, but when it was me that was the victim, the one bloodied and bruised, I detested it.
As two years came and went we remained friends, the young medic sort of looked up to me, he had admitted to me while fixing a broken bone and torn joint in my left arm that he always wanted to be a solider but that he had bad lungs, running half of a mile left him winded and his vision spotted with black dots. So he had been forced to train as a medic instead. I had replied with a-
My mental break to go back through my memories was broken as cool knuckles brushed my chest, my eyes focusing on the rounded point of a peach-fuzz covered chin and strong jaw line. I scoffed, in my absence I guess I had been staring into space my hands ceasing to move around the small buttons. Link had finished putting on his own elaborate clothes though I spent no time looking at them, they were similar to his last pair only in a different color, a deep blue with silver trim and a multitude of small silver clasps holding the blue fabric closed. A belt of leather here and there, matching his simple gauntlets and boots, which had the same heel as my own only a bit wider, just as embroidered but less feminine.
His clothes were even more ornate than mine yet it seemed he had slipped them on in no time. I was frustrated at the clothes, I was not a woman. He should know best, all things considered, and I snarled this at him, slapping his hands away as I wringed my hair out before simply tying it in a knot twice and moving to walk past him. He made a quick movement to stop me and I pivoted, driving my right hand up I brought the heel of my palm up into his jaw as he grabbed my left bicep. I struggled backwards, trying to writhe my way out of his grip before planting my right foot, the left kicking sideways, aimed for the chest, and I managed to wind him as he temporarily released my arm, falling to the ground.
Unfortunately, in the act of raising one's leg up high enough to connect with the sternum, the muscles in the back contract as you lean to the side for balance, the thigh muscles stretch on the underside and constrict on the top. While the warm shower had eased some of the tenderness and tension from my lower muscles they still lacked the flexibility needed to perform the high kick without any backlash. So I ended up with a bolt of electricity going up and down my spine and legs, rebounding in my feet before traveling up to my chest and neck. I also ended up with my leg muscles locking and to put it simply, I landed on my ass.
I clenched my neck and facial muscles, grinding my teeth while I glared needles at the blonde that was rubbing his chest, staring at me from the ground a couple of feet away from me. His lips twitched and for a moment it looked like a snarl except his eyes were sparkling again it was my only warning before he started laughing, eyes scrunching as he continued rubbing his apparently-not-so-badly-hurt-or winded-chest.
How dare he! This stupid, pig-faced adolescent was laughing at me! Fire flooded my veins as I somehow calmly got to my feet, straightening and hardening both my gaze and gait as I strode towards the exit. The vest's buttons were larger, and less in number, making it easier for me to clasp them closed before reaching the door, opening it wide with a firm shove. Grass drying in the winter weather crackled noisily as I was pursued by the blonde twin, I left the spring room, taking a left and striding quickly away from the sound of boots hitting the ground after me.
He caught up with me, his brisk jog settling into the quick walk of my gait, he said nothing, nodding and smiling here and there to servants that called out to him, giving deep curtsies and bows to their passing master and Hylian lord. All races were assembled in the servants, most were Hylian in livery, numbering close to them were Gerudo in their own version of livery. The warrior women nodded to Link as we passed, their smiles fading as they looked at me, golden eyes boring into my own before they dissolved back into conversation. The Zora scattered through the long halls were garbed in loose fitted blue tunics; some had small pieces of coral and pebbles carved into jewelry and such that would clink and tinkle together when they dipped their heads, fins flicking in a supposed greeting. Their pupil-less fish eyes unnerved me...
Of course as each group of differing species greeted their Lord on the way to the dining hall he would try to introduce me or explain to me who so-and-so was only to find me striding away at a brisk walk, never stopping when he paused to answer a greeting given to him. I felt horrible walking down these pristine walls with the numerous sconces being put out as the sun climbed up into the sky, it was too clean here... I longed for the small tents and muddied battlefields, of rebel encampments and their guards that I had to sneak past undetected. I wanted freedom again, to be free to hurl myself into the trench disconnecting the Gerudo Valley and the rest of Hyrule, so free fall through the air as the red canyon walls tumbled and swirled with the clear blue sky of the desert, breath being stolen from you as you hit the chilled waters of the river below. Here, there was only domestication, fences, houses, fancy clothes with illogical frills and buttons, etiquette and greetings.
Anger, so much anger... I had always held such control over myself, mind and body but... Why, of all times, why now did I have to lose that small grip I had over my own life? Had I just recently lost it? Or had I really lost it the night I was sold into slavery? Was it the dawn I lost my ability to use magic? Or was it as far back as the first time I had met Shadow? Or even the moment I entered this bloody war?
The fewest species represented were the Gorons, only a few pausing in their waddling around to call out in loud, gravely voices to Link, who for some reason tensed up drastically when one made a wide gesture that looked like an invitation to a hug. Of course, he wasn't the only one to tense, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, as I eyed the Gorons out of my peripheral vision, trying to avoid their attention as I continued walking past. I had been there when the species had been decimated... as the leader of a legion of insurgents I had snuck past the Goron City to reawaken the Lava Dragon, Volvagia.
The smell of food, drink and the chattering of people faded in as we approached the dining area. The said smells and sounds had seeped through the cracked tall, dark wooden banquet hall doors carven with images of what I assumed were the three Golden Goddesses creating the earth and its inhabitants. Where the doors would have met when closed was the Triforce, currently split in half. I only knew of the insignia of the Goddesses thanks to the Hylians' obsession with the legend of the relic of the gods, and the symbol had been everywhere before the siege of Ganondorf. The Hylian's also had an apparent knack for detailed architecture, as opposed to the Zora and Gorons who altered as little as possible of the environments they lived in.
He would be catching up with me soon, I would have to work fast, snatch some supplies from the kitchen, and leave through the back door and scope out potential escape points. I had a whole day to prepare; I would be gone at night fall.
Even with a set plan in mind, I was antsy, nervous even, about my next shot at freedom, but currently the clenching in my gut was at the prospect of walking through a large group of people to gather some food for myself. Steeling my expression, posture and gait I walked calmly through the threshold.
As an insurgent, as a shadow, and dare I say, as a Sheikah, you did not want to be seen by any and I sure agreed with this concept as the din of talking and clanking of goblets and silverware halted, raucous noises all but dieing save for the crisp clicking of my heels on the stone floor. I did a quick sweep of the room for armed guards, though I found none save the stray person with a meat knife about to serve others a slice of morning ham.
My eyes strayed upward for a brief moment, the ceiling rafters where thick with large beams supporting the roof above it would have been a wonderful hiding spot if I had been able to reach it. Every 5 feet there was a large arched window, in my mind I paid no heed to the figures in the stain glass; to me they were just multiple escape points to use if the occasion and need arose. There where two columns of tables in the hall which lead to the other side of the room where I assumed the kitchens, my destination, were. I leveled my gaze with a point on the back wall, planning to make a beeline to the other side of the cavernous hall.
A wash of green, blue, gold, black and brown eyes hit me, all staring critically, time seeming frozen as serving girls paused mid-stride, conversation still on the lips of the gossiping kitchen hands that were handing food to the girls at the end of the hall. It was almost as if I was the only one not affected, the only one on 'play' as I walked, hopefully with grace and no limp apparent to the crowd's eyes, towards the open archways leading to the kitchen which framed the heads and faces of curious cooks and helpers that had gone to see what caused the sudden hush.
Some gaped, some scowled and some simply stared as I stopped, standing before the crowded doorway that lead to the kitchen, the cooks and such not budging as I stared at them nonchalantly. Whispering started to grown then as I had a staring contest with 10 Hylians and a Gerudo, I couldn't back down, in front of the whole estate I had to keep my pride and honor, or at least the illusion that I was in control, that I still had my power to dictate those who lived and those who died. There was a long minute as the whispering increased, as motion seemed to sludge back, and in a crashing instant there was a great boom from within the kitchen followed by a loud voice hollering obscenities which caused the kitchen hands to glance worriedly at each other before scurrying back to their abandoned work.
This left me with no one to halt my progress as I stepped up the solitary step into the tiled kitchens. The tiles on the ground were a simple blue, the rest of the large room wooden with great shelves lined with pots and pans ranging in sizes, metals, and degrees of wear and tear.
Three large hearths lined the wall opposite of me as I glanced about for fruits or vegetables and such that could be eaten with out preparation and on the go. I walked around the first of two large tables where meats and spices were being cut and crushed, intent on snatching a bag of apples that had caught my eye. A large Hylian woman however, stepped between me and my target, she had an air of superiority about her, her blue eyes narrowed at me, arms crossed over her chest I she stared levelly at me. I eyed the meat cleaver she had gripped loosely in one hand warily before locking our eyes like I had with her assumed kitchen hands.
"What d'ya want murderer?" For our first meeting it was apparent that me and the head cook weren't going to get along well. At the time I didn't know that I would regret that I never learned her name, just that she was originally from Kakariko and in his childhood, Link would often stop by her house for a hearty meal of soup, but when the old village burnt down, she and her family moved onto the estate where she became head chef.
But right now, all I could do in response was lift a thin eyebrow and make a vague gesture at the surrounding the kitchen. "I am here to get my breakfast and leave. So if you would step aside woman, I'll take what I need and be off." I was never really good when it came to speaking with people, more often than not I would have to plan what I was about to say otherwise what words came out were burlesque and rude. What can a Sheikah do though; I had learned most of my Hylian from the soldiers in service.
Regardless of the origin and reasons for my words, the large-statured woman took heavy offense and seemed to inflate with rage, her mouth opening, a jumble of obscenities and angry guttural sounds were the only things I was able to discern before she started waving the meat cleaver about.
I distanced myself from her immediately while she continued rambling off, screaming and waving the knife around but not making a move towards me. I glanced briefly at the kitchen hands to assure that they had not taken arms against me as well, they were staring with grim satisfaction at the scene before them, nodding and voicing their agreement.
The feeling of displacement that had sprouted in the hallway had bloomed in the dining hall and now had finally ripened into a sour feeling that made me wish to flee. Outnumbered, confined, out-weaponed, not strong enough... words and clips of phrases ran through my over-sensitive mind as I debated on how to disarm this tense situation. While one lady with a meat cleaver wasn't exactly the same as going up against the Dark Lord of Evil that towered 9 feet tall, if one underestimates their opponent and surroundings then they get sloppy and a lucky swipe on an artery could prove fatal easily. My eyes once again flickered over the kitchen, the warm air sticking to my skin underneath the restrictive clothing as I spotted a door opposite of me that was left ajar.
I rolled onto the balls of my feet, balancing for a second on the hells of my boots before throwing my whole body forward and to the side, first knees, then hips, torso and head, the momentum swinging me around the woman, my right hand snagging the lips of the bag of fruits and such while I dashed quickly through the kitchen, yells following my departure. I probably would have had to fight my way past the kitchen hands angrily reaching out at me as I passed if it weren't for the convenient questioning yell of a certain lord that had finally caught up to me. All hands in the kitchen turned automatically to him, bowing or curtseying quickly, this ten second automatic subservient reaction was all the diversion I needed as I dashed out of the door.
The bright light of day blinded me for a moment before I found my self staggering and running again, air whistling by me as I stretched my legs and arms out. My whole body seemed to mesh like the gears of a clock once again, each tuned and working perfectly together again, muscles no longer sore and stiff. Knee bend, kick out, torso lift, left arm out, soar, fall back, land, left leg push off, arm rise, fly.
I don't know how long I ran like this but I eventually found myself under a tree, about halfway between the first gate and the estate house. I climbed up into the privacy of its branches, straddling one of the higher ones before I finally pulled the burlap prize into my lap, pulling out one of the apples out and eating it quickly. By the time I got to my third apple I finally slowed down and enjoyed the taste of the fruit, it wasn't often that fresh rations were brought to the army encampments, even less time to find provisions while on stealth missions that occasionally took up to a half-year to complete. And in the slave encampments, the food was decent but there wasn't a whole lot of it to go around, it wasn't till I had been promoted to a higher quality slave that I had been fed regularly, enough for me to gain back the weight I had lost in time for the big slave trades.
It was slightly bittersweet, this apple, it left a aftertaste that I wasn't sure if I liked or not but soon I found it gone, having eaten pretty much everything on it, leaving only a thin sliver of a core dusted with seeds. It made me think, if I were to drop this seed in the ground somewhere, and cover it with dirt, would it grow into a tree? Or would it remain buried, decaying slowly in the ground like the people I had killed.
"murderer"
A single word. And yet it resonated so deeply with me. I wasn't a murderer though, was I? Even if I was, I wasn't a nation, a nation that had committed a genocide that had killed hundreds of thousands within a few civil wars over petty things such as land or dominion. Things that, in the end, didn't matter at all; we all started in the earth with nothing, we all end in the earth with nothing. Like the apple tree. It started as nothing but a seed it works its whole life to produce fruit which only gets stolen and eaten by other creatures until it finally dies either from natural causes like lightning striking it down or some farmer chopping it down for kindling.
I lifted the core up, my palm flat as I brought it up to eye level, "What a waste."
The remains of the fruit dropped to the ground underneath the tree.