I finally finished chapter 13 today! Whooo! I swear, some of these chapter are a pain to write. This chapter is longer than any of the previous. Well, good.
10
Arrest. Hyrule Castle. Meeting Princess Zelda.
Link had been with the Resistance for two weeks now. He made fast friends with Ashlyn and the others. The Amalgam became a home, filled with his close friends and comrades in the struggle against oppression. For a few days now he had been doing missions near the city entrance, often crashing at the Southgate safe house if he couldn't get back to the headquarters by dusk.
He had gone on three more raids since the armory. Each of those raids had been equally tense and dangerous, but rewarding for the Resistance. When there was not much to do, he went to lunch at Telea's tavern or went walking around town with Ashlyn, who had become his best friend. Many times he rode his horse around, just to enjoy it and free Epona from her boredom in the Amalgam's stables.
It was about two thirty when Link started to head to the Southgate safe house. He wanted to see if Johann had anything for him to do. It took him only ten minutes to arrive. He went to the door and opened it.
Something seemed rather...off. The foyer was empty. Where was everyone? Stepping into the room, uneasily put off, he tentatively called out, ''Hello?''
The floorboards creaked loudly in the silence, which was unnerving. Johann and the other people who lived in the safe house were always noisy and energetic. Link walked towards the main room.
It was oddly dark, he had noticed that earlier. The shutters had been closed, and now that he was just outside the main room, he saw that none of the candles were lit. Only minimal daylight seeped in through cracks in the shutters and from a window. It was strange that the building was so dark at this time, when it was in the afternoon.
He entered, getting the feeling that there was hidden danger in the room. It turned out, however, that the greatest threat was not hidden at all. A man was standing in the center of the room, his back not quite to the doorway, though not facing away. He was wearing a nice set of armor with a cape. The man had several badges of rank pinned to his breastplate.
He turned and spoke. ''Hello.'' It was the Captain of the Guard, Link realized with horror.
Link drew his sword, settling into a fighting stance. He hesitated, waiting for the other man to draw his.
The Captain sighed. ''Don't do that, please. Put your sword away.'' He made a gesture with his hand. Soldiers suddenly revealed themselves, standing up from behind couches and other furniture.
Link looked around him. He was surrounded. Link knew that he could not take on that many people at once. He sheathed his sword, his hands dropping to his sides. ''Where are the others?'' he asked.
''Not here. Apparently they are all on a raid.'' The Captain stepped forward. ''In the name of the Princess, I arrest you for treason,'' he intoned.
A soldier walked up and took ahold of Link, wrenching his arms in front of him and clasping manacles around his wrists. The man unbuckled Link's sword belt, taking it off. Another guard came up and both of them flanked him. The Captain headed for the door. Link was escorted from the building and onto the street.
A horse-drawn carriage was waiting. The Captain opened the door. Link stepped inside, the two soldiers sitting next to him. The Captain sat across from them, along with two other soldiers. The carriage started off.
Link stayed quiet, glancing out the carriage windows. The only thing to be heard was the sound of the horses' hooves on the street. He was afraid because he knew what happened to Resistance members who were caught. He didn't want to die. Whatever people said about bravery, Link knew that even the bravest people would falter when facing death. He looked down at his manacled wrists.
The carriage came to a halt. Captain Rusl opened one of the doors and stepped out. Feeling almost sick with fear, Link stood and got out as well, flanked by the four guards. They were in the castle courtyard.
The courtyard was large, far bigger than the one at Glurak's home. Lush gardens were on either side, with beautiful trees, flowers, hedges and fountains. The castle gates were made of strong, skillfully made wrought steel, coated to prevent rust. They gleamed in the sunlight. A high wall surrounded the enormous grounds of the royal residence. But all of that paled to the castle itself.
Hyrule Castle was the tallest building Link had ever seen. It towered above them, seemingly piercing the sky with its spires. The sight of such an enormous building took his breath away. People said that the higher floors of the castle were kept upright with magic. No other building had been built so high without falling. There were supposedly over three hundred rooms within.
Link was taken to the grand double doors that led into the castle. The soldiers opened them and they entered. The castle foyer was opulent, tiled with marble. Two hallways led off on either side. A grand central staircase led up to the second floor.
He was taken up the central staircase. Once on the second floor, he noticed that two halls were on either side. Ahead was another pair of fancy double doors. Link figured that these led into the throne room. The Captain opened them.
The throne room was large and long. A red carpet led to the dais where the throne was. Banners with the Royal Crest hung on the walls at regular intervals, displaying the gold body of a loftwing with the Triforce as the head. Other banners displayed the kingdom's crest, the red loftwing of the Hero of Skies. Since the Captain and two of the soldiers were in front of him, Link could not see the Princess, who he assumed was in the room.
The Captain bowed smartly. ''Your Royal Highness, I have captured one of the rebels.'' He stepped to the side, revealing the Princess, who was standing only a few feet from Link.
Princess Zelda was his age, sixteen. She was wearing a white dress with a sleeveless pink mantle over it. Two pink stripes were near the hem of the dress. She wore long white gloves that went a little past her elbows. A golden belt circled her waist, held in place by slits cut into her mantle. A tabard embroidered with the Triforce and the kingdom's red crest hung from two gold clips attached to her belt. Ceremonial gilded armor adorned her shoulders, the small pentagonal breastplate emblazoned with the Royal Crest.
Her hair was parted in the center, some of it pulled back, while the rest hung a few inches below her shoulders. Two strands hung in front of her ears. She was wearing gold Triforce shaped earrings. A golden crown with a red jewel was perched on her forehead. Her hair was blonde, but it was white blonde. Silvery white like salt. Her eyes were an icy shade of blue. She was both the most beautiful and the most terrifying girl he had ever seen.
She gave a nod of approval to the Captain. ''Well done, Captain. You have my praise,'' she said, her voice strangely flat and emotionless.
Captain Rusl bowed his head at her praise. ''My thanks, Your Royal Highness.''
She turned her attention back to Link. He found himself wanting to hide from her icy gaze. She waved a gloved hand dismissively. Immediately, the two guards flanking him took hold of his arms above his elbows and started to escort him from the room.
Link felt terror rise within him. They were surely taking him outside to be executed. But when they stepped off the bottom stair, they went past the doors leading outside. Instead, they took him down the left hallway. At the end of the hall, where it turned left, was a staircase leading down, most likely to the dungeon. The guards led him downstairs.
At the bottom, a long hallway stretched out in front of them; where the hall ended couldn't be seen from where they were standing. The hall was lined with cells on one side and lit with torches in metal holders. There was a space before the cells started where the soldiers could sit at the table. All of the cells that could be seen were empty. Link was led to the first cell on the left.
One soldier took a ring of keys from one of the on duty guards and unlocked the barred door. The other soldier removed the manacles from Link's wrists. Both of them nudged him into the cell. The door closed and the lock clicked as the key was turned. The two soldiers left, going back upstairs.
The cell was surprisingly clean. Not perfect, but clean enough. He had expected the dungeon to be disgustingly filthy. It seemed as though that was not the case; it was plain and sparsely furnished. Close to the left wall in the middle of the cell was a narrow, metal framed cot. In the back left corner was a latrine bucket. Link went over and sat on the edge of the cot, folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head.
Why hadn't they taken him outside? Usually, they executed Resistance members rather quickly and in the central square. Were they waiting to hang him later? He supposed it didn't really matter.
An hour passed, though Link did not know it. A click drew his attention and he looked up. Two soldiers were unlocking the cell door; the Captain was with them. His terror started anew, for he thought they had come to bring him to his execution.
''Are you taking me outside? Am I going to-'' he cut himself off, unable to bring himself to finish.
''No. The Princess has sent for you,'' Captain Rusl replied.
That did not alleviate Link's fears. He stood up and walked out, both soldiers moving to flank him. He was taken upstairs and then back into the castle's foyer. On the wall next to the right hallway were some sets of double doors. The soldiers went up to one set and opened them, revealing a small wooden room with a lever.
They entered, much to his confusion. One of the soldiers closed the doors.
''What is this?'' Link asked.
''A lift. They're used to go up, like stairs. They're only in the castle because they're new, expensive technology,'' a soldier said.
One of the soldiers pulled the lever up and held it that way. Link felt the lift start to ascend.
''How does this work?''
''A system of ropes pulls it up or down. You should stay by the lever, though. Otherwise you might miss the floor you want.''
Link wondered how they knew which floor they were on. Then he realized he could see other sets of doors as they went up. The soldier manning the lever suddenly let go. The lift stopped. He opened the doors in front of them.
They exited the lift and Link noticed that they were in a fancy hall with marble flooring. He assumed that most of the floors in the castle were marble.
''This is the seventh floor, where the Princess's office is.''
The Captain led him to a rather ornate door. He knocked before opening the door. The Princess was inside, sitting at a large, fancy mahogany desk. Captain Rusl took Link's arm and brought him into the room.
''Thank you. Stand outside the door, Captain.'' Her voice was still in a flat, emotionless tone.
Captain Rusl bowed and exited, closing the door. Link was now alone with the Princess and he did not feel very safe. Actually, it felt like he was with a dangerous predator ready to pounce.
''Sit,'' she said to him.
He did as he was told and sat in the chair in front of her desk. She nodded in approval.
She noticed his obvious nervousness and smiled faintly, a smile that sent a chill down his back. ''You need not fear for your life. You are useful to me, it would be a waste to execute you.''
He had no idea why he would be useful to her or what she was planning, but he had a feeling that it wasn't something good and he would not like it. ''Your Royal Highness... What are you... Why are you...''
A thought seemed to come to her and she stood up, walking around her desk to him. She didn't answer his attempt at a question, instead she said, ''Come with me.''
He stood from the chair. Princess Zelda opened the door and stepped out as he walked behind her. The Captain was standing there with the soldiers.
''Done already, Princess?'' he asked.
''No. I will be taking him up. Follow at a distance and do not come all the way.''
She turned and started walking down the hall towards the stairs. Link had no idea where she was taking him, but he followed her regardless. He could hear the clicking of her shoes, though her long, many layered dress hid her feet. When they went up the stairs, she raised her skirts a small amount, just to the ankles, revealing short pink heels. He also noticed she was wearing white hose, hiding her skin. He made a point not to stare at her, not being that kind of boy.
They reached the eighth floor. She did not stop, heading for the staircase. After three more floors, Link was starting to get tired. He didn't understand how the Princess was not in her trailing skirts and heeled shoes. She noticed his fatigue and smiled in a pitying manner.
She went over to a set of lift doors and opened them, while he wondered how she knew the lift was even on their floor. They both stepped inside and she pulled the lever up. After a short time she let go and opened the shaft doors.
''We still have one more flight of stairs left. The lifts do not go to the roof,'' she said.
They ascended the flight she mentioned, coming to the castle roof. A metal railing surrounded the edges, preventing someone from falling to their death. A tower stood in the middle of the roof, a set of closed ornate doors the entrance. Link glanced up; he couldn't see the top, though that might have been because of the misty clouds.
Princess Zelda went to the railing, looking out. Link went forward, stopping a few feet behind her. He looked down. Castle Town appeared to be much smaller. How high were they? And this wasn't even the highest point, the tower...
A thought occurred to him. The Princess's guards had not followed them up here. He could leave while her back was turned. He started quietly backing up, turning when he went a few feet. Then he walked quickly to the stairs. He heard her start to run after him. He ran downstairs, hearing her calling for the guards.
He went to the closest lift and opened the shaft doors. Thankfully, the lift was there. He entered in a hurry, shutting the doors and pulling the lever down. They couldn't get him while he was in the lift.
He had descended a few floors when he heard guards shouting. ''Stop the lifts! Hit the emergency lever! Stop him!''
Link knew he had to get out before they shut the lifts down. He waited until he saw a pair of shaft doors and let go of the lever, returning it to its original position. He threw the doors open and ran out. He didn't know which floor he was on. He ran to the stairs, taking them two at a time.
Link hid in a storeroom of some sort. About three hours passed before he was found, much to his dismay. The guards that had found his hiding place took him and hauled him back into the throne room, where Princess Zelda was waiting.
He expected her to be angry, but her face was utterly expressionless. ''I would not try that again,'' she said mildly. ''You are not familiar with this castle. My men would eventually find you. Even if you did make it out of the castle, you would not be able to walk out of the gates, nor could you climb the walls.''
She waved a gloved hand at the soldiers. They took Link from the room and back to the foyer. It was now late in the evening, about seven. Keeping their firm grip on his upper arms, the soldiers led him back down to the dungeon, where they locked him in the same cell as before.
Seeing as it was late, Link figured that no one would be bringing him anything to eat. Not that it mattered. He had more serious things to worry about than missing a meal. He decided to retire early; there was no point in staying awake.
He took off his boots and set them on the floor next to the cot, afterwards lying down on his back. The cot was rather stiff, but it was better than the floor. He was happy there was a bed for him to sleep on, actually. Within minutes, the cell was silent save for his slow, rhythmic breathing.
So, I told you we'd finally meet the Princess. Her dress and everything is kind of based off the Ocarina of Time one with some changes. Hmm, it seems like she isn't a very nice person...but things aren't as they appear! Poor Link, he's so afraid right now. The reason he doesn't fight the guards is because he's heavily outnumbered during his arrest. When he's in the castle, that counts even more, even if he tried to fight more guards would arrive.
The castle is 15 stories high, not counting the tower on the roof. Counting the tower, the castle would be 25 stories. It's like a modern-day mini skyscraper. How did they build it so high in the Middle Ages!? Well, because I thought it would be cool. And it has lifts! Which are only in the castle because they were recently invented and are expensive. Only rich people get to have them.
And since I'm trying to make this realistic, Link is going to have to relieve himself at some point, hence the bucket in his cell. Because we all know they didn't have modern restrooms in the Middle Ages, yes? I know I didn't mention it before, but Castle Town does have a sewer, as does the castle, so they use indoor privies that empty into said sewers. Link's village does not, so...outhouses. The Amalgam has indoor privies (still not as nice as a modern toilet). And everyone has a chamber pot in their bedchamber, so they don't have to get up in the middle of the night (that goes for Link's house too). All the characters have relieved themselves off-screen before now, by the way.