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The afternoon sun was slowly sinking lower in the sky, covering Sora in the cool shadows of Castle Town's buildings. For some reason, she always felt more at peace during this time of the day, as if the coming darkness could sweep away her troubles the way it did the light. She stretched and readjusted herself on the crate which she'd situated herself upon. The dog, who'd decided to curl up in her lap, looked up at her as if to say, "Hey, beds aren't supposed to move!" But she smiled and scratched behind its ears and all was forgiven. She wasn't sure whose dog it was, or if it even belonged to anybody, but it didn't seem too picky about whom was showing it attention. That's what she liked most about dogs; they didn't judge, not like the townsfolk.
Even now she could make out the condescending whispers amongst the flurry everyday noise. They didn't like her being anywhere near them, especially while they were in the market. She didn't exactly have an amazing reputation; it was quite the opposite actually. At first it had just been because she was different. Her multicolored skin was something they'd never seen before, and they avoided her like she had the plague. But, hey, a girl has to eat eventually and since no one would give her a job to pay for said food, she had to take it by her own means. Aka: steal it. Thus began her ongoing struggle with the knights. They watched her like a hawk, hoping for any reason to throw her in jail or start some kind of dispute. And stupid, stupid Sora always had to take the bait. It didn't help that she had a knack for fighting and could knock any of those guards on their butts in hand-to-hand combat. They especially didn't like that.
After being thrown in jail more times than she could count, Sora realized that she couldn't do this forever. Despite the free meals, even if they were mediocre, being in jail was a major pain in the ass. There was nothing to do but bicker with guards all day—and one can only handle being called "trash," and a few far worse things, so many times before it actually begins to sink in. If this was her life, she really was nothing but a piece of trash nobody cared for. What was the point? That same day, she'd resolved to make something of her life.
Of course, this was easier said than done. The town still hated her guts, and the guards treated her the same way they always did. No amount of pleading is going to change your reputation when you're surrounded by guards and the prime suspect of a case. Goddesses only knew how many thieves had gotten away by simply putting the blame on her.
She was broken out of her reverie as her stomach growled, reminding her why she was sitting there in the first place. The nice man she had met earlier that day—Link, wasn't it?—had said he would be at the bar around this time to visit his friends. "You should stop by," he'd told her with a smile. "I bet you'd get along with them. Plus, I think I owe you a proper meal for your help earlier." She'd nodded and told him she'd think about it even though she had no intention of going. Being out in public already caused enough trouble without being in an enclosed space filled with knights who'd decided to go for a drink after their shift. Yes, drunken men with spears. That's what I need to deal with.
On top of that, she was sure Link's buddies wouldn't be as thrilled to meet her as he thought they'd be. He may have been oblivious to Sora's reputation, but that didn't mean the rest of them were, especially not if they frequented the tavern. She had never been inside herself, but she had no doubt that it was a place where rumors—as well as men— ran wild. Link would quickly be filled in on Sora's past and she had a feeling he wouldn't be as friendly once he knew; no one ever was.
What she hadn't counted on was the faint desire to actually go. I must be losing it, she groaned to herself when the thought first occurred to her. She chalked it up the prospect of food, but that wasn't it. She'd gone without food before and hunger, although persuasive, could be ignored. No matter how much sense she tried to talk into herself, she couldn't shake the feeling. This had nothing to do with food. The fact was that she was lonely. Six years of dubious glances and harsh words had taken their toll and left her feeling defeated. This man was the first person to show her any type of kindness and that gave her, well, hope. Maybe she wasn't the piece of trash everyone made her out to be. Maybe she didn't have to be alone in this world. For the first time, she had a chance to make a friend.
"What do you think I should do?" She asked the dog, patting at the dog's sides. He just yawned in response and repositioned his head in her lap. She smiled at him, thinking it silly to have expected some kind of a legitimate response. "I don't think a nap is going to help me, but thanks for trying."
She was instantly aware that someone had stopped in their evening trek to stand over her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of silver armor. Oh no…
"Would you like to hear my opinion on the matter?" asked an irritatingly smooth voice, which confirmed her deduction. It was Ben, a young knight who was overly eager to move his way up in rank and had an ego the size of Death Mountain. His favorite past time was getting her in trouble. Even before he officially joined the knights, he always jumped at the chance to turn her in and had loved to pick fights. Sora didn't answer his question, knowing he was going to tell her whether she cared or not. "You should leave Hyrule; it'd be doing us all a favor."
She let out a breath with a hiss. If she lost her cool, things were bound to get ugly fast. "Look, I'm not in the mood today," She said in the calmest voice she could muster. "I'm not causing any trouble, so just leave me alone."
The knight scoffed. "Like I'm supposed to believe that? You're probably scoping out your next heist right now."
The dog on Sora's lap, sensing the tension, hopped down and scampered away. So much for loyalty, she thought as she watched it disappear into the crowd. A devilish grin had started spreading across Ben's face through his helmet. She turned to glare back at him. "This coming from the man who gets his jollies by tormenting a teenage girl."
The grin was wiped off his face immediately. "Is that what you think I do?" he all but spat. "I'm doing my job! I'm trying to protect this town from you and your… antics."
A small crowd had started to gather around them now, knowing it was only a matter of time before something interesting happened. Something always did when these two were together. Sora leapt to her feet, hands clenched tightly by her sides. She was sick of this, of the entire situation. People didn't give a damn about her unless she was being punished. They didn't care whether or not she deserved it; she was a freak after all. And Ben always had to be the one to rub it in, to remind her that she'll never be anything but a dirty little thief in their eyes.
"Do you think I want this? I only do what I have to to survive. I had to steal because I had no choice! Now I fight in self-defense because you always have to start some kind of brawl!" Ben looked taken aback at this accusation as if he was shocked he could ever do wrong. "If you would just leave me alone we wouldn't have this problem. What does tormenting me get you, huh? This isn't how knights are supposed to act, but for some reason you seem to think it'll get you a promotion. Everyone knows that you're just a loser knight trying to get attention. It's pathetic." She raked her hands through her hair, needing some kind of motion to work off her energy. She took a few deep breaths while the crowd just watched her silently.
After a few moments, Sora turned to go. All thoughts of going into the bar were gone. She was done with people for the day. They were all the same: inconsiderate and selfish. Nobody would ever care about her; nobody was ever going to understand. How could she even believe for one second she had a chance of making a friend?
She was just about to break through the crowd when a pair of hands grabbed her and threw her into a pile of crates.
The moment Link walked into the tavern, he was greeted by Telma's large arms crushing him in a hug and her voice chastising him for not coming to visit sooner. Once he was able to breath, she led him over to the bar where she began pelting him with a barrage of questions while simultaneously mixing up drinks for her customers. He apologized, telling her all about how he was keeping busy back in the village and how Ilia and the kids were doing.
Once he had covered most of everything, he took a moment to scope out the room. The place wasn't too busy, considering how packed it could get this time of day. Aside from the two men sitting at the bar on his left, there was only a gang of knights grabbing a drink after their shift and another group of friends who were all laughing at a man who was stumbling around and talking animatedly. Whether he'd actually said something funny or the group was just laughing at his drunkenness, Link couldn't tell. I thought she'd be here by now.
He turned his attention back to the bar owner, taking a sip of the bitter liquid she had poured out for him. "So where's the gang at?" referring to Telma's group of friends and most loyal customers.
"Oh, Shad's dragged Auru off to explore some ruins with him, thinks he's discovered the remains of some forgotten civilization. He didn't say much about it other than that. And Ashei has been spending a lot of time up in the mountains lately. She wants to get a closer look at the yetis up there." Link nodded. He'd told them about Yeto and Yeta, but that hadn't made any of them less nervous about the prospect of a family of yetis. If she's so curious, I should just take her up and introduce her. He made a mental note to do that later before glancing about the room again. "Are you alright, honey?" Telma asked, noticing his fidgeting. "You seem a little anxious."
"I'm fine," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's just that I told this girl to meet me here but she hasn't shown up yet."
As the bar owner's face lit up, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. She leaned over the counter with a mischievous look, hoping for a good bit of gossip. "A girl you say? Do tell, what type of girl could catch our young swordsman's eye?"
Link could feel the heat rising to his face. "It's nothing like that." He explained, shaking his head. Telma looked skeptical. "I wanted to introduce her to you and the rest of the gang; she seems like she would fit right in."
"If you say so, honey," she said, moving to wipe down a glass. She winked at him. "Either way, I'm dying to meet her."
The swordsman sighed in defeat. What was it with women and relationships anyway? Didn't they have more important things to think about? He wondered briefly if he should explain why it was so important that she come, but decided that it was too much to explain. Although he had told the bartender about the Twilight Realm, all she knew was that was where the monsters had come from. There was no way she would understand why he wanted to meet a half-Twili, or why the Princess was involved in it.
He had just taken another sip of his beverage when another knight burst into the bar. All attention was turned to him as he gestured out of breath to his colleagues in the back. "Come quick, Ben and Sora are at it again."
Link jumped out of his seat, alarmed. "I'll be right back," he told Telma before quickly brushing past the soldiers and out the door. Outside, the street was packed with people who had gathered in a tight circle. He had to push his way through to see what all the commotion was about. A knight stood in the street, hands clenched tightly into fists. On the other end was Sora who was picking herself up from a pile of debris.
As soon as she got to her feet, the knight, who Link assumed to be Ben, grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. "Say that again, you witch," he growled. "I dare you."
She glared back at him, unfazed. "I'll say whatever I damn well please." He didn't get a chance to respond as her knee came into contact with his manhood. The knight dropped like a rock, whimpering like a baby. Sora smirked in triumph and stepped over his crumpled form. The crowd parted to let her though, but her path was blocked as another group of soldiers stepped into the clearing.
"Sora!" Link called, breaking from the crowd to join her. "What's going on? Are you okay?"
The girl looked at him, incredulous. "Link? What are you doing here? You're going to get in trouble." She tried gesturing for him to get out of there, but the knights had already encircled the area, spears at the ready. Noticing this, Sora whirled around and took a defensive stance. The hero followed suit and positioned himself at her back.
One of the knights stepped forward. This one was much more official-looking than the others. His armor had the crest of the royal family etched onto it. At his back was draped a red cape with the same symbol on it. His helmet was tucked safely under his arm, exposing his dark eyes that pieced angrily through the souls of all who opposed him. "Well, well, what do we have here?" He asked in a cold, condescending voice.
"Sir," Ben wheezed, still recovering from the blow to his groin. "She attacked me. I-"
"So I see," the captain cut him off. "Although by now, I would have expected you to be able to handle one measly, little girl." The younger knight hung his head in shame and muttered an apology. "Head back to the castle and wait for further orders." The captain turned his attention to Sora. "As for you, I believe you're familiar with the penalty for assaulting one of the Hylian Royal Guard."
Sora scoffed. "Please, I hardly call a little kick assault. Besides, he threw me into the wall. I was just trying to defend myself."
"Now, why do I find that hard to believe?" The captain sneered. When Sora did nothing but glare back, he continued. "Perhaps because every time I turn around, you seem to be stirring up some kind of trouble. And what about you? It's not like this street rat to have an accomplice." He examined Link up and down, his eyes lingering at the sword strapped to his back.
The blonde looked back at him, all business. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, but it's not like me to ignore someone in distress."
This only caused the captain to laugh; the rest of his troops followed suit. "That's very noble of you, young man. However, you don't seem to know who you are talking about here." In one swift motion, he grabbed Sora by the arm and twisted it behind her back. She bit her lip angrily, but made no motion to try and get away. "Would you like to tell him about the time you took out five of my men armed with nothing but a laundry wire?"
Link looked at her, waiting to see if she would confirm it. He was rather impressed, actually. Disappointed, but impressed. Of course, considering the ease with which the Royal Guard had been taken out during the invasion, it probably shouldn't be surprising.
"You know I bought that bread," She grumbled. "The merchant confirmed it."
"But you still admit to attacking my men."
"What did you expect when you sent five, apparently deaf men with spears pointed at me?"
The captain twisted her arm further, effectively shutting her up. Her glare dissipated into something defeated, withdrawn. Is this how they always treat her? Link wondered. He had grown up in a village that treated him like family; that loved him no matter what he did. Sure they had their differences, but nobody was ever treated like this; like they were lower than dirt. He thought about Colin then, and how he was ostracized by the other children. That was the same look he had when they teased him. The hero had tried so hard to keep that look off his face. And now, he knew, he had to do the same for her.
"Let her go," he demanded. "What happened then doesn't matter. I need to take her with me: the Princess is expecting her."
This immediately caused the crowd to burst into laughter, even the guards. He felt blood rush to his face, knowing he probably shouldn't have said that. But what was he supposed to do, let her get arrested? He swallowed his embarrassment, deciding to keep going with it. He was telling the truth, after all, whether or not they believed it.
"The Princess you say?" The captain said. The sarcasm could probably have dripped right onto Sora's shoulder. "Well, my apologies. How long have you been working up in the castle?"
This caused another round of chuckles from the crowd. Link sighed and pulled Zelda's letter out of his pocket, holding it out so that the royal emblem could be seen. "I haven't, I was invited."
The captain just pushed it back at him in disgust. "Then why don't we just 'escort' the two of you up there ourselves?" Link felt two guards grab his arms from behind, tying them together at the wrist. "Really, it would be my pleasure." He threw Sora towards a group of guards who immediately bound her hands as well. She had just enough time to glare at the hero before they were dragged off down the street.
"For the record, that was the worst rescue attempt ever."
When Link didn't respond, Sora rolled her eyes. The merry band of knights held them captive by their shoulders, two for each of them, all the way into the castle. It made walking quite difficult. It was kind of like the three-legged races that took place outside the southern gate during festivals, only with partners that were purposely trying to knock you over. The only thing that really made the situation better was that the knights had finally directed their snide comments toward something other than her: Link's pointed green hat. He didn't try to argue with them, but his face had flushed a few times.
He deserves it. The git. She was still irritated with him. Granted, they were going to arrest her no matter what. But now she was being brought before Hyrule's monarch. Nothing good could come of that. She was a trouble maker, a disturber of the peace, and people like her needed to be punished.
On the other hand, Link had done absolutely nothing- but make a scene that is. He would be punished for this too. Why did you have to involve yourself you stupid, stupid-
The fingers around Sora's shoulder suddenly dug in tighter. She let out a hiss as they came to a stop. They were in the middle of an inconspicuous hallway, not at all what she had imagined when she thought of a princess's chambers. The captain knocked politely on the door before stepping inside.
The rest of them remained in the hallway, silent except for the occasional sniff or scraping of a boot. Voices could be heard within the room, but were muffled enough that the exact words were indistinguishable. One was rough and determined while the other was soft and professional. Questions were asked; orders were given. Sora swallowed the fear that was building in her throat.
She turned her attention to her fellow captive. "What do you think they're saying?" He smiled reassuringly and opened his mouth to respond when the knight on her left interrupted him.
"Prolly talkin about the best kind of torture for yas," He chuckled.
"Oh, nobody asked you!" She scowled back at him. His accent made it sound like he'd never held a normal conversation in his life and it made her wonder who was in charge of recruiting these bozos. Someone seriously needed to be fired.
The captain finally returned, a disgusted look on his face. He pulled a knife out from somewhere on his waist and Sora felt her heart start to race out of her chest.
"Looks like it's your lucky day," he growled, approaching Link's entourage with the knife. He cut the ropes that were tied around the young man's wrists. The nod he received in thanks was completely ignored as he turned his attention to Sora, pushing her out of the other knights' grips and toward the door. He still held tightly to her arms.
"Sir?" One of them asked, looking dazedly at the released prisoners. She knew exactly how they felt.
"Return to your posts." They all looked at each other for a minute, confused, but obliged. They saluted their leader before retreating back down the hall. "As for you two, the princess would like to speak with you."
"Just as I explained earlier," Link noted, rubbing at the red marks that had formed underneath the rope. He passed by them, stepping into the room.
By this point, the captain was practically fuming. Even in her dazed state, she contemplated whether or not he'd be able to boil water with his temper. He kept his grip on her, even as the ropes fell away.
"Don't try anything funny," he growled in her ear. "You may have the princess's favor today, but that doesn't change the fact that you are nothing but scum." At this, he shoved her into the room and stalked off.
Sora had just barely managed to stay on her feet- the whole situation was making her brain reel. Had they really just been released? Did the princess really want to see them? When she regained her balance, she noticed a lovely young woman on the other side of the room. Okay, "lovely" was an understatement. Her skin was made porcelain and the way her hair fell accentuated the bright blue in her eyes. This is the princess? Holy Nayru…
"I would very much like to apologize," she said. There was the faintest smile on her lips; the kind that could gain the trust of even the shyest of children. "This is not the manner in which I had intended for you to arrive. I do hope that they did not cause you too much trouble."
It took Sora a minute to realize the words were directed at her, and another to notice she was still gawking in disbelief. She shook out her head, both in response and as a way to clear it out. "Oh, uh, no, it was nothing you need to worry about." She added "Your Majesty" as a hasty afterthought, bowing as she did so. Link was chuckling at her in the corner.
"Excellent," Princess Zelda smiled wider, and gestured towards a cushioned chair with one of her gloved hands. "Then, please, make yourself comfortable. There is something I would like to discuss with you."
Hey guys, guess who's still alive? You thought you could get rid of me that easily? HA! But seriously, sorry for the long hiatus (two years, eesh). I was just really busy, getting my first job and trying to get through an online psychology course that was conceived by the devil. Then I got really lazy, doubted myself, and spent a lot of time trying to figure out where I wanted this story to go. It's one thing to daydream, another thing completely to put it into words. I've made some progress though, and I'm not ready to give up just yet. Plus, with winter break coming up, I'll have plenty of free time.
Hope you're all doing well, and are still enjoying this story. Until next time!