Hello and welcome, this took a while to get out but now here it is. Enjoy!
The Timeless Shadow
"The real question is: How do you react? What do you do next? Evade responsibilities? Bury yourself in work? What do you do? All three of my novels take up that question, although none gives an answer." – David Guterson
Chapter 07: Evade
A woman with long white hair moved gracefully around the crowded village. She smiled in the direction of the people who stopped working just to greet her with kind words. As some of the people in the village were walking around doing their normal routine they stopped and bowed in respect of the Queen. Thought the way they treated her was far more special than normal they allowed her to be one of them and to live free without the need of much protection.
As the Queen moved farther into a more deserted part of the Village, she encountered an old time friend that had been kind enough to allow her stay. She smiled at him and greeted him silently as she studied his aging complexion. His robe hadn't changed much throughout the years; it was kept simple so that he wouldn't forget where he had come from and most importantly his traditions. His dark onyx eyes shone with admiration as he saw that a few years had been taken away from her features.
"You seem to be enjoying it here." The man said the smile never leaving his face and his kind eyes never changing.
"Yea... I had really forgotten the peace one gets here." She answered his hidden question, her eyes wandering away thinking of her early years with her kids.
"Don't worry Zelda. Lately life hadn't been treating anyone as it should." He said sadly thinking about the death of his wife, it reflected vividly in his eyes but soon he covered his emotions once more. "I remember when you used to bring your kids."
A silent tear slid anonymously from the corner of Zelda's blue eyes. She felt hurt thinking about them and how happy she used to be when they were young. But as her kids grew they started to grow more restless and crueler by the day. She had gotten to the point that she cried every night, till the day that one of them recognized her pain once he had fallen in love. That lone boy who she felt like he was her only child had gone back from being a teen to being a kid and went back to his mother comfort.
"Mother..." He sniffed. "Why?" He couldn't hold his heartbreak anymore and collapsed on his mother, using her as his only support.
That small memory kept haunting Zelda to this day and she wondered how that son was surviving. She closed her eyes once more and tried to erase those memories, the memories of a time in which she used to feel like a real mother. As she looked away from her friend and opened her eyes to see the entrance to the rocky area that she had visited in the past. She thought suddenly that maybe there was something she could use over there. Without telling her friend to where she was heading she started to walk out in the direction, her eyes being filled with determination.
"And where do you think you are going?" Her friend asked her, not moving from the place in which he stood.
"To visit some old friends." She told him a smile creeping up her face as she thought of the adventures she used to have with the Gorons and her old time lover.
As a few sun rays decided to peek upon the rustic decorated room, a resting young female started to stir. She was tired from yesterday since she had used most of her energies on trying to capture that small rabbit. She covered her face with the lining of her covers and turned her face away from the light that was currently glaring at it. She fell on a slight slumber that only lasted a few minutes as she heard the opening of a door and it closing fast once it heard her struggle under the sheets.
Lilia pushed the covers of her face and did a stinky face once she was hit fully by the hot rays of the sun. She sat on the bed a few more minutes not fully aware of anything around her but trying to open her eyes without having them closing fast. Her glare was fully noticeable when she opened her eyes so that she could watch her surroundings. As she found noting with one quick check, she thoughtfully pulled the covers off the rest of her body and stood up slightly lazily.
The way her body was wavering after she stood up firmly on her two small feet, seemed as if her body would give out at any second. However, what was expected didn't occur and she proceeded to walk around towards the only mirror in the room. Once she stood in front of it she rubbed her eyes to shake off the drowsiness out of her face. As she opened her emerald green eyes to see at her reflection, those big eyes widened even more, something comparable to saucers.
Her head twisted to see what was standing behind her trying to get to her but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. She closed her eyes trying to calm her raging heart rate, once she was stable she relaxed and glared at her reflection. Her short brown hair that was hanging slightly under her shoulders had a mind of her own. She tried to place it down with her hands but it went back to its original position. She shook her head to see if the mess went down and it didn't, all it did was cover her face more and block her sight for a few.
Already growing tired of fighting with the mess she had for a hair she pulled a bandana from her mother's items and put it on her hair. That seemed to have done the trick since it went down and she smiled proudly as it stayed that way. She walked around the room a bit more to see if she could find something more fit to move around instead of the dresses her mom had. She yelled bingo once she had found a pair of worn out pants and a shirt that had a few slashes around.
As she put the clothes on she noticed a dot resting on the hem of the shirt. Lilia pulled it up so that she could see it upon closer inspection and gasped lightly as the memories hit her. The small spot on the grey shirt she had found was a dark reddish brown. It took her some time to notice the rest of the dark spots on the shirt but she had already known where it had come from. There was more of the dark substance around the gashes that the shirt had but it all seemed decorative, however Lilia thought that it couldn't simply be a plain decoration.
The young brunette moved around the room, pacing. She didn't remember why this shirt had those gashes or what she guessed was blood but she could be sure that probably it was the last thing her mother wore. Once she had decided to forget the cause she exited the room but before closing the door she looked inside, remembering the figure she had imagined behind her.
As she looked inside the room to see if there was anything out of place, she did come around something she hadn't seen since here childhood. The small book obviously full of writing had been laid carefully on her bed. The young Lilia entered the room once more to pick up the diary in her hands and stare around to see if she could catch a glimpse of her dear friend. The more she looked around the less she could feel his presence but she knew he was around.
"Link?" She called out loud. "I know you are around, please don't hide from me." She called out once more but was welcomed by an eerie silence.
The more she tried to call for him to come to her the more silence she found. Her green eyes watered slightly when she saw that he wouldn't appear so that he could hear what she wanted to tell him in real life. She walked outside and cursed slightly at her sore muscles that she had forgotten about back inside the mansion. She called out for Link once she had gained control of her body. But at hearing no answer a tear fell from the corner of her eye since she was starting to feel alone and hurt, her only friend being gone.
Outside of Hyrule Castle and deep within the city gates a nearly platinum blonde was walking hand in hand with his wife. The royal matrimony was dressed as commoners and passed unnoticed by the people surrounding them. A few guards from the Castle had decided to follow them but lost sight of them once they were surrounded by the hundreds of commoner in the market area.
Today was a busy day in Hyrule Town as the married couple walked around ignoring the great offers that the many merchants were trying to get. The more the prince and his wife walked around the more they felt comfortable around that many people. They were already heading in to the fun and games area of the city but were stopped by a playful brown dog nearly trampling the wife of the prince.
"Are you ok?" The prince asked holding his wife by the waist so that her body or the child she held met the rough floor.
"Haha, I'm alright." She said shifting the weight of the baby in her arms who didn't woke up by the small trampling. "She didn't even woke up." She told him smiling down to her sleeping baby.
"No wonder I've never liked dogs." He told his wife as he nuzzled to her neck making her giggle in the process.
"But he didn't do a thing." She told him as she looked at the small dog sitting in a corner. "Its only a pup." She told him once more as she saw the dog put a sad face.
Nick on the other hand didn't trust his wife words and stared to where her eyes were glued to. He could see that the dog had the feeling of guilt but he wasn't about to forgive him from his treacherous act. He would never forgive anyone who hurt his wife, even if it was by accident. As he kept glaring at the small dog, his wife was doing mocking and happy faces to cheer the dog up. Her efforts seemed to work better than his and the dog decided to approach her with its head down.
"Aww, how cute! Can I keep him honey?" She told her husband with the eagerness of a two year old. The dog lay down by her feet as she kept making more delighted sound when the dog showed her its belly.
"Do you have to do that now?" He asked her in mock annoyance as she used her feet to play with the dog. "Sweetie don't you dare drop baby Zelda." He told her as she tried to balance herself and the baby in her arms.
"Come on can't I have a puppy?" She told him with big dark blue eyes. "Or can't baby Zelda have one?"
"Love, can't you take things more seriously?" He asked her, giving his wife the cue that he had given up to her charms.
As she gave the sleeping baby to its father and picked up the pup from the floor, she laughed as it started to lick her face happily. She looked over to her husband but stopped smiling as she remembered that this would probably be the last time she would see him in his life. The second prince of Hyrule seemed to notice also what his wife was telling him with her sorrowful eyes. At this they both gave in a second of silence, lamenting that things had to end like this.
"Come on, let us go." He told her silently, not wanting his voice to break in public.
"Nick, please promise me that we'll meet again." She stated as they escaped the city without any guards taking notice of them being part of the royal family.
"I can't promise you anything." He told her sincerely as they walked towards a carriage that had been waiting for them since early morning.
His wife entered the puppy into the carriage first before picking up the baby from her husband's arms. She looked at him quickly as she stared mostly to her sleeping baby's face. A small tear was shed and she quickly turned away from the man she loved. As she started to place the baby inside the carriage, little Zelda started to cry. The long haired brunette looked with worried eyes towards her husband as he starred down to the floor.
"She must feel it." She cuddled the four month old baby to her chest to see if she would calm down and it worked.
"There's no going back, get inside before I have to do something that I'll regret." He ordered her as he pushed her inside the carriage.
"Nick you wouldn't!" His wife half screamed at him but saw that his eyes showed his real feelings. 'He can't take this... Nick.' She though as she whimpered lightly, holding back what would be impending tears.
"Make sure you give this to Impaz once you arrive there." He told her once more as he gave her a book his mother told him was meant to be protected by the Sheikah.
Before the carriage had started to move he pulled his wife by the arm roughly and kissed her delicately on the lips. I love you, he mouthed that to her as he let go of her. He looked away from the departing carriage and prepared a murdering glare that was only meant for his enemies. 'Markus, you'll pay for this.'
A younger version of Zelda's dead husband but with slightly darker eyes appeared in the local bar. He was slightly pissed and didn't even bother to change into more commoner like clothes instead of the high quality clothes belonging to the royal family. Once in he sat in his normal chair near the corner of the dirty bar and didn't even make a signal for his drink to be served since he was royalty after all.
He only waited a few minutes to have his first shot of the night. Right after it he started to curse his day to the waitress who had always listened to him.
"Another one." He said after he had confessed how pissed he was. "Hey precious give me a lap dance." He told his favorite waitress as she brought the drink to him.
"I don't care if you are the prince but don't treat me like a whore." She told him straight up but there was a hidden smile behind her words.
"Hah, you know I only ask that of you." He said chunking his small drink fast, loving the burn it had on his throat.
"Yea and every other girl in this room." She told him close to the ear but loving the way he reacted to the small touch of her lips nearly upon the skin.
He looked at her with the corner of his eye and laughed at her try in seducing him. Kain loved that girl but he knew his family would never allow him to bring her to the Castle but he didn't have to worry, he already had many kids with her. As he stared her up and down he called in for another shot. She brought two with her and sat next to him in the small table that only sat two people at a time.
"Why did you visit this time?" She asked him casually as she played with her cup of beer, which she hadn't touched.
"The kingdom is going to fall and I'm the only one who notices." He told her and for the first time in days showing his real feelings.
"Would our kids be alright?" She asked him touching her chest lightly in worry.
"You know with each drink I have and the more you do that-" He signaled to her chest. "The more I want to do you here."
The sound of a slap resounded around the calm bar and most faces turned to see the semi couple in the corner. Once they saw who the male was, they turned their head away from the commotion and into their cups of cheap beer. But both partners didn't care, they had done this before and always gained the same reaction from the people, not that they would care for anyone other than each other in this room.
"Stop being such an ass and tell me if our kids will be alright." She told him slightly mad that he was trying to skip the conversation.
"Geez can't a man have fun?" He told her as he held his cheek but stopped playing around once he received her glare. "They will be fine; the only one in the Castle alive that knows of the two of us is the servant that sends you the money." He told her as he rested his back on the chair and turned to study the room. Everyone that drank in the bar was members of his rebellion. He felt proud of what was achieved, not only had they gotten war veterans, he had gotten merchants, old members of the council and even women.
The problem was that the more quiet Kain stayed observing around the more suspicious his lover became. She had never seen him this alerted and had the feeling that something was going to go bad, since both of them knew that he only came here to get drunk. Feeling the hostility from his part she turned serious and moved her hand towards the knife she always carried around in her thigh. But her hand was stopped when Kain decided to grab the knife and then grab her ass.
"Hey!" She screamed, this time wanting to break his face for being so bold and daring, with her knife hanging between his lips.
But before any contact was done a lone figure entered the bar and searched around to see if it could find the person that it was looking for. When the light blue eyes from the man fell on the corner he smiled seeing the act that his brother was putting up. Ignoring the looks the platinum blonde got, he walked over to them and moved a chair to their table. Some of the man around wanted to protest at the unnecessary sound that he was producing but they stopped once they noticed who it was.
"Oh wow, so The Second Prince of Hyrule decided to come?" The sinister façade of the younger brother came back, the knife being held in his hands and no longer in his mouth.
"Shut up." The older one growled. "Bring me some dark beer." He called over to the bartender who sat in a stool cleaning some glasses.
"So ya' finally gave them up?" Kain said placing his arm heavily around the shoulders of his lover, who slightly growled at his heavy arm weighing her down.
"I will never give them up." Nick said glaring at the Third Prince of Hyrule.
"Oh yea I forget you aren't that heartless... you have something called feelings." He said with amusement in his voice as if he had never heard of something like that before; yet as he busied himself with talking and drinking the female in the group too her knife away from Kain.
"Heh, if I were you I would start protecting your kids." Nick said as he chucked on his beer with only one gulp. "Another one," he called over to the bartender.
The bartender shook his head in annoyance to the two royal members that in his mind both should take a royal dump their head. As he worked his way around the bar he saw that most clients had left in fear of the two powerful men. He cursed mentally as he saw that most of them didn't even leave a small tip. 'Those two riches should pay for this.' He thought menacingly but stopped his trail of thoughts once he noticed the real foul mood surrounding the brothers.
"Here you go." He said placing the cup as he would normally place it for any costumer in his bar.
"I still wonder how you two can drink that low excuse for alcohol." The younger brother broke the silence and tried to lift the mood but he was still slightly pissed from not having an army to himself.
"Kain!" The woman yelled next to him as if trying to get his attention on more important matters.
"What?" Kain asked as his beer was dancing dangerously close to his lips, he licked them. "Temptation," he whispered as he drank some more.
"I still can't believe you!" His lover yelled out loud, frustration running trough her veins. "Nick, please swear it to the Goddess that my kids will be alright." She pleaded the most sensitive brother who was far more cooperative than the father of her kids.
"Name?" Nick asked as he had never met the woman before.
"Ellie," she answered quickly as she found herself not liking introductions.
"The leader of the rebellion?" Nick asked once more as he found himself amused by the people that surrounded his youngest brother.
"No brother," Kain said as he extended his arm over Ellie's shoulders. "That would be me."
"Hmpt, well Markus must know by now of the money he has been sending." He said as he gulped another been in only one try.
"Kain!" Ellie yelled to the Third Prince of Hyrule. "How come Nick knows?" She told him as she placed her hands on her hips.
"I don't know he's just smart." The darker eyed male told the woman who had started to fight against him. "Please bartender, your strongest beer!" He yelled over to the man behind the counter once he couldn't stand anymore her screams.
"Nick! You got to do something!" She chooses the other brother who was wincing at her loud pitch voice.
"Urg, bartender, please bring me the same as Kain!" He yelled over to the man who grunted in the process. 'Man now I understand why he gets drunk.' Nick thought as he drank the night away.
"What!" The yell of the irreversible king was heard throughout the castle.
The oldest of Zelda's sons was in his normal rage. As he tried to control everything that stood under him, he wasn't capable of noticing the strange movements his brothers had done with the money management. He wanted to take control of everything and dictate the life of even the loveliest servants. But he had failed on observing the money the youngest of his brother was sending off to a random woman in within the city's diameter.
"Lord Markus please calm down." His advisor stated trying his best to protect the other brother's interest.
"What do you mean calm down?" The king yelled in frustration. "Can't you see they've been playing me all this time?" He yelled once more.
"Yes but think of it this way, wont it be better to gain the people's trust by being the victim or worsening your brothers state?" He suggested but had to duck fast as a book was thrown in his direction. "My lord, please!"
"Please what?" He screamed once more as he took all the paper sitting on his desk and pushed them off with his mighty arms. "Can't you understand that traitors aren't accepted in my family?" He said glaring at his big and full of cuts hands.
Calm and tranquility ruled the room for a few minutes but it didn't last long. He made his way to the highly decorated door on the other side of the room and didn't say a word. He kept moving his way around the Castle till he got to the area in which the maids stood around each other talking casually. As soon as they noticed of his presence they all stood straight and made a perfect line, all of them bowing at his presence.
"Where is Kay Lyn?" He asked courtly but they all knew of his great and sick façade.
"Here" An old servant said, not afraid of what will surely befall on her.
"Come over here, yea stand here... next to me." He said with a fake smile on his face, or really not that fake when some thoughts crossed his mind.
"What can I do for you my Lord?" She said bowing to him.
"Noting." He said lifting a dragger he had hidden in his left pocket. "You are useless." He said as he moved the dragger and placed an even cut all over the aged lady's neck. He didn't press it further but backed away not wanting to get blood on him. "Now if all of you want to survive first be useful and clean this and two dare to break my rule and you'll die." He threatens them all to make sure he didn't have to waste useful weapons on pitiful people.
Link looked off to the sky as he rested against a tree that was starting to bloom its early flowers. He looked around and thought back to what he had done the other day, which had him running away and hiding today. He couldn't figure what was going on with him since he never in his life had run away from Zelda, and he was the first to kiss her. He, however, felt something wrong deep within him since for the first time he noticed that he hadn't reacted to the thoughts of his fist kiss to the Princess of Destiny.
'Maybe I'm not falling in love as I thought... maybe I'm already in love.' He thought as he stared into the nothing far away from the lake.
The blonde hero hadn't moved much from this place since early in the morning that he had left to lay the book on her bed without her knowing. He heard her call for him and he heard her search around till she gave up and left with a salty trail of tears floating in the air. He had wanted to go over to her and hold her but he didn't dare. He had also wanted to go and protect her never leaving her to doubt his dedication to her. But he didn't.
As he thought back to everything he had done with her and all the games he used to play with her head he couldn't help but smile. Her young innocence had gotten him and he couldn't help but start thinking of her in more ways. He had fallen in lust before and knew that thanks to the memories he shared with Malon but those didn't last long and he found himself alone and lonely.
His large hylian ears perked up when he heard small and slow footsteps on the slightly wet grass. He got on guard and saw behind him over his shoulder but stopped there. Only a few feet away from him stood the girl that had been troubling him for some time. He didn't know what to do but got up at her presence and stared at her hidden behind the tree, her eyes glued to the floor.
"Lilia..." He called her name, making her lift her head in his direction showing pained emerald eyes.
She didn't say a thing but stayed where she was looking at him with the same expression. He on the other hand pushed himself way from the tree and a foot distance from her. Both of them never moved their eyes from each other. However, the small girl closed the small distance between both of them and hugged him afraid for what could have happened. Her body started to shake as she kept holding on to him as a support beam and cried her heart out.
"It's alright, I'm here." He told her as he hugged her back and brushed his hand on her shoulder length hair.
"Why you did that?" She said into his vest as her body continued to shake from her sniff.
"I'm sorry." He told her kissing her head with all the growing love he had for her.
"Link..." She looked up to his beautiful blue eyes and sniffed loudly which blocked her words for a second. "I'm scared." She told him sincerely as she didn't release her hold around his torso, not that he minded.
"Lilia, I owe you so much." He told her as he held her small chin with his right hand, the other being kept protectively around her shoulders.
"No you don't. I'm the one who always needs to be rescued; I'm the one who is really meaningless in your life." She told him, remembering back to the days in which he stood up for her and pulled her over to safety.
Link, however, smiled she looked so adorable in his mind. Her small face in his hands and the closeness of each other made him say and do something that he didn't regret, this time that is. "Lily, I have a reason for that and for this." He told her bluntly as he leaned down to press his lips against her slightly cold ones.
The small brunette who reached him to neck length widened her eyes. This had been the second time he had done this and this had been the second time she found herself reacting to it. Her body subconsciously pressed closer to his body and deepened the lip locking by pressing back softly. As she grew in more comfortable in her own skin she closed her eyes and relaxed in to the kiss that the man was giving her so tenderly.
On the other hand his left hand moved over to her lower back so that he could support her slightly wavering legs. As he did that he also moved his right hand to the back of her head making sure to deepen the lip locking motion. While doing that he felt as if he was in heaven. He must have died and fallen to this place and got an angel as a reward. He wanted to make one more push to see what could happen but he stopped himself and broke the kiss before he did something he knew he would run away for sure.
"Link, I- " He silenced her with shush.
"Don't, we already know what we have to do, let's just enjoy this moment." He told her hugging her small body and protecting it from any harmful wind she could get.
Yet as Lilia rested in Link's arms she closed her eyes and opened them to see the setting sun, she looked down to the grass and then once more to the sun thinking: 'how can I tell him that I'm not in love with him?'