With a click and a groan, the grand doors of Hyrule Castle were slowly opened to the public. As nighttime began to cloak the earth, a blanket of clouds accumulated in the heavens, warming the earth down below and reflecting the lights pouring out of every castle window.
Carriages began to arrive one by one, and important lords and ladies made their descent onto the paving stones leading to the grand entrance. Men and women of all types ascended the steps into the castle, the sounds of a chamber orchestra greeting their ears and drawing them in. The torches flickered in the dimming light, casting an orange haze upon the smiles of all who entered.
Hidden in the line of carriages was a very normal looking coach, and from this coach descended two very normal looking feet.
"Master Shad, if you'll follow me..." said the footman politely as the scholar brushed off his jacket. The footman glanced back inside the coach. "Ah, I see. Is this your, erm... date?"
"That would be me!" answered a cheerful voice, and Ilia ducked out of the carriage, taking Shad's arm in her own and following one of the many footmen as he lead them indoors.
"You look quite nice," Shad said quietly.
"So do you," Ilia answered in the same personal tone as the pair passed through the grand doors and entered the crowded, brightly-lit ballroom.
It was really very beautiful, Ilia thought to herself. Vast and elegant with titanic pillars and balconies, all illuminated by a dozen chandeliers that burned bright as suns. The sound of strings and a harpsichord echoed across the hall, and the crowd moved in tune with it, the vibrant skirts of the ladies spinning and twirling as they sashayed back and forth, heels clicking against the tiles. Her face split into a grin in spite of the take-down-a-dictator situation, and she found herself staring suddenly at Shad, who was dressed in a very starch shirt and coat, his hair greased back, really bringing out how pointed his nose and chin were.
Once the footman had vanished, Shad pulled Ilia behind a column, her skirt swirling in the process.
"When?" he asked under his breath, his face very close to hers.
The beginning of their plan was rather simple- wait for Zelda to make her speech, and then run to the roof to wave a burning tapestry- an old, ugly thing- as a signal to Link, Ashei, and Rusl that it was go-time. This way, the trio, with their respective portions of the militia- could barge into the castle and take it by storm before Crevan could, all ensuring Zelda's safety by keeping her in plain sight.
"Soon," she answered calmly, and fluttered her eyelashes. "They're coming up on both sides, remember? There are two courtyards and-"
"Yes, I know that," Shad answered very quickly, and he pulled away as he noticed the odd looks that their short conversation had garnered. "Come along, then," he said with a grin. "Let's blend in."
They sifted through the crowd and found a comfortable place right in the middle. They molded together as Shad's hands found Ilia's waist, and hers his shoulders. They swayed just as those around them were doing, the music moving them along like a current.
After a minute, Shad raised his eyebrows. "I must say, I am impressed. I'm surprised that a country girl like you has the ability to be so... erm, exquisite. You are surrounded by over a hundred aristocrats. Aren't you uncomfortable?"
Ilia smiled and moved closer to Shad. "I'm merely following your lead."
"I see," he answered, and frowning, mused, "you were acting quite bizarre the other day."
"Hm?"
"In the bar. Auru and I were drawing castle diagrams and you came down... well, you were slightly flirtatious."
"More flirtatious than normal?" she inquired innocently.
"So it would seem."
"Huh," she answered, and shrugged slightly. "Very well, then. If I'm being honest, my nerves were shaken at the time. Telma told me to wash them down with a small glass of scotch."
Shad's jaw unhinged. "I thought you hated drinking!"
"Oh, I do," she answered honestly. "But we also thought Link hated fighting, and we also thought Ashei hated Link."
"But-"
"Things change, Shad," Ilia said softly. "I was frightened. Nobody's themselves when they're frightened."
"So you don't remember how you acted that afternoon?"
"Oh, I remember," she answered with a wink, which only confused Shad more.
"And here I'd gone and thought you'd fallen in love with me," he joked, and Ilia just pulled him right up against her wordlessly. He didn't know whether he appreciated her lack of reply.
Hesitantly, he added, "Are you frightened now?"
"You know, Shad," she said, "truthfully, I realize that you are more a hindrance to me than a protector, and yet you make me feel much, much safer than I would feel with anyone else. No offense."
"None taken," he answered, still slightly bewildered but unsure of what to do about it.
The music ended and they stopped dancing.
"The princess ought to make her speech soon," Shad now stated, and Ilia pulled away to examine him.
"You're right, aren't you? She sure is taking a long time."
Shad bit his lip. "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure that we're just imagining things."
And yet the delay continued for far longer than either one expected. Nearly half an hour had passed, and the crowd was beginning to grow restless.
"Any time, now," Shad overheard one gentleman theorizing as he picked at the refreshments that had been put on display. Ilia cast him a strange look that he tried his best to brush off.
"I'm telling you," she said, and it was clear that she was beginning to grow nervous, "she should be out here by now."
"It's just a matter of time," Shad replied, repressing the lump in his throat. "Besides, what would you know about it? How many balls have you attended?"
Ilia harrumphed and crossed her arms, which was enough to shut Shad up on its own. His stomach was still turning as they returned to the crowd, which was now beginning to murmur in confusion.
"I'm telling you," one lady was saying as she cooled herself with a lace fan, "Her Highness has never taken this long to give her speech. Look, even the orchestra is growing tired of it!"
Sure enough, the music had come to a halt, and the uncomfortable crowd was standing very still in the center of the room. Whispers and utterances of confusion flitted across the crowd and suddenly everything came to a head as the lights flickered out without warning. The crowd fidgeted nervously in response, and Shad felt Ilia grasp his wrist.
"Is this part of the plan?" she whispered in his ear. His heart hammered in his chest.
"Not that I remember," he returned, and the entire room jumped as the doors slammed shut behind them. Somebody shrieked and glass shattered somewhere in the room. Suddenly, there was the sound of hurried footsteps, and a door was thrown open far across the room. Further footsteps thundered forward and grew closer- another scream- and suddenly the entire crowd was screaming as the newcomers dispersed amongst them. Shad found Ilia and held her very tightly, his body going very cold-
And then more doors started opening and legions of men burst in carrying torches. Firelight began to flicker across the room, and all that Shad could make out over the sound of screams and metal being drawn were the sound of different, almost recognizable footsteps echoing from the other side of the room.
Shad and Ilia jumped as they were grasped very suddenly and pulled away. Ilia shrieked, but a hand closed in over her mouth, and they made their way through the dense, heavily perfumed crowd as the stampede and the firelight drew closer, the volume of the shouts and whimpers of fright increasing and causing hearts to thrash within the ribcages of many.
"Shut up," came the voice of their kidnapper, and Shad's eyes widened.
"Auru?!" he whispered.
"Something's wrong," Auru said quickly.
"Why?"
"It appears that Princess Zelda will not be making a speech after all," Auru answered gruffly. Shad's heart dropped as Auru continued with, "Follow me."
The ballroom behind them became a dwelling place for chaos, and Auru led them into a side-hall, slamming the door shut behind him and dragging Shad and Ilia up a winding staircase and into a large, empty hall. He threw his ear against the wall; sidled up against it, and then, having found a door, opened it up a crack, peering through it.
The view that the three received was that of the ballroom. Hundreds of terrified faces were mixed with those of armed soldiers- Crevan's soldiers. And there, on the topmost balcony, surrounded by a small legion bearing torches, was a slim, dark figure.
"Now," the man was saying, his voice soft but dark all the same, "I want everyone to remain very still and very quiet."
Hearing that voice sent chills down Shad's spine, and he could feel Ilia's palm pressing into his own.
"Is that Crevan?" she whispered, her tone shaking.
"Yes," Auru answered very calmly, and watched intently as the figure out in the ballroom stepped forward into the torchlight.
Ilia squinted, but his face was still difficult to make out. All that she could recognize was a rag of long, greasy gray hair combed back against the back of the man's neck. He was dressed in some sort of cloak, and his mouth was wide and drawn, his cheekbones high, and his brow impossibly cold and slanted. He was old and wrinkled, but not worn; in fact, his mannerisms were not cold, but instead impossibly alert and, for lack of a better term, creepy. Ilia could feel herself breaking into a cold sweat as the chancellor raised a bony hand against the firelight and continued speaking.
"First of all," he said in a way that was both quiet and firm, "welcome. Welcome to you all. I am so very honored to have you. All of you."
Shad's breathing went very ragged in Ilia's ear and she could hear him gulp. She gritted her teeth together and tried to repress her fear- a futile action, but worth the attempt all the same.
"Second of all, I am afraid that the, um... princess will not be joining us this evening. She wants you all to know that she extends her sincerest apologies."
The crowd began to groan in protest.
"SHUT UP!" Crevan cried suddenly, having descended into a visible fury. He took another step forward and gripped the banister bordering the balcony.
"Now," he continued, his voice quiet and bone-chilling once more, "we have... business to discuss." He peered about, eyebrows raised. "If you do not know who I am- and many of you do not- then it will interest you to know that I am Hyrule's first chancellor. I have been in this seat of power for months now. Surely you have noticed more than anyone the changes that I have instated during this short time."
Silence.
"I have washed out the poor leaders of surrounding townships and have replaced them with my own; I have replaced a failing, cowardly team of soldiers with a strong and sturdy force from my own land. And I have long kept my eye on your dear princess as she began to wither, her political power slowly seeping from her and into me. You see, my dear company, I have observed her and her mannerisms for months, now. And I have seen her faults. And now, as we come to the pinnacle of our parley, I think it is fair of me to inform you that I plan on removing her from her seat of power and instituting myself as your new king."
The crowd roared in protest, and Ilia turned to Auru in a panic. What now?!
"I AM SURE," Crevan belted, silencing the crowd very rapidly, "that you are not going to give in to this idea with much ease. And my dear company, I do not blame you, because..." He grinned sinisterly. "I would be frightened. My presence here should be enough to remind you of that."
Auru's hands landed heavily on his companions' shoulders. "Come along, then," he breathed, but they'd hardly moved an inch when a voice stopped them.
"I WOULDN'T DO THAT IF I WERE YOU!" Crevan shouted, turning in their direction and sinisterly eyeing the spot where the door had been cracked open. He chuckled at the lack of response and took a step over to the end of the balcony so as to be closer to them. "Don't tell me," he said, lowering his eyes and smiling, "that you actually thought your rebellion had gone unnoticed... I have long made provisions for this day, and it should strike you as no surprise that I am accustomed to such dissent by now."
He paused. "You know," he said after a moment, and frowned slightly, "I think... Yes, I believe it is time for that after all. I was saving it for later, but it seems I've gotten far too ahead of myself. Or rather, the rest of you have." He turned to face the still-hidden Shad and Ilia. "Remind me, what was that 'coast-is-clear' signal you were going to give them? A burning flag? Yes, the sergeant should be finished with that by now. Which means that you will all-" he gestured to the congregation below- "meet my close friend Link in approximately three... two... one..."
"NO!" cried Ilia, throwing herself forward onto the balcony adjacent to the chancellor's. But it was too late- Crevan's false signal had worked, and there was an explosion of sound as doors and windows were kicked open, glass shattering as howling soldiers streamed into the dark ballroom. Ilia gasped as she picked out Link's figure charging with them.
"LINK! NO, IT'S A TRAP!" she screeched, and writhed as Shad and Auru grasped her shoulders and pulled her back into the confines of the dark corridor, slamming the door shut and muffling the sound of the battle cries down below.
"It's too dangerous for you out there," Auru said gruffly.
Ilia thrashed in Shad's grip. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I HAVE TO WARN HIM, I HAVE TO-"
Her screams were halted when a hand clapped over her mouth.
"Shut up, Ilia!" Shad scolded, and she fell very silent. He'd never been rough with her before, but he didn't seem phased. Her shoulders slumped as Shad continued, "Ilia, you haven't done this sort of thing before. I've done it many times. You don't understand how it works."
She could feel tears tugging at her eyes, but she forced them back.
"Fine," she choked out once the hand had been released. "Then what do we do?"
"First of all," Auru said calmly, "We must locate the princess. Crevan is very clearly holding her captive somewhere. It could be anywhere- the dungeons, her study, even his chambers are a possibility."
Ilia shuddered at the thought.
"So how do we find out?" Shad asked, his voice quiet.
"Hold on," Auru grunted, and then he struck a match, finding a torch on the wall and lighting it.
"Shad, do you have those castle diagrams?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Shad replied, withdrawing the requested diagrams and kneeling next to Auru and Ilia on the floor. He rolled out one of the maps and Auru held the torch above the exposed surface.
"Well, we know one thing," Auru said, "and that's that Crevan's troops stormed into the ballroom from the west side. So it's probably safe to assume that they're keeping her Highness somewhere in the west wing."
Shad adjusted his glasses and peered closer at the map. "So you suggest starting there, then?"
"It's the only information we have, but it's better than sitting here and doing nothing," Auru answered, and packed up the scroll. "Come on," he said, and began making his way through the dark corridor, the flames flying from the torch as be proceeded into the next corridor. They found themselves in an expansive but empty hall, and, having crossed it, located the door leading into the west wing.
"Damnit!" Auru snapped. "It's barred shut!" He scratched his jaw and turned to the other two. "They're trying to keep us out," he theorized. "Now what?!"
Shad bit his lip and advanced upon the vertical bars blocking the door. In the torchlight, he could make out grooves in the metal where it could slide into the ceiling. "It's completely mechanical," he stated, and turned to face the others. "It's activated by a switch. But where..." He glanced about him. "The walls! Check behind all of the portraits!"
They went to work immediately, checking behind each of the paintings on the walls. Finally, Ilia found a diamond-shaped switch behind one painting just as Shad found one behind another. In confusion, they lifted the final painting to locate a third switch.
"Great," said Ilia bitterly. "Now what? They're trying to keep everybody out!"
"Not everybody," Auru countered. "It is my belief that this is a test that somebody designed personally... for Link."
Ilia blinked. "Link?"
"It would not surprise me if Crevan has set his sights on the young hero," Auru answered. "Link combed this castle once before. He's solved many such puzzles- booby traps, if we're being honest. Crevan probably recognized that and is using the puzzle as a sort of... filter. To let Link in and keep others out. There's nothing to it, then." He turned to Shad and Ilia. "The princess is definitely in this part of the castle," he finished, "and Crevan wants Link to be the one to find her."
Ilia was very quiet. "Well, we're smart," she finally pointed out. "I'm sure we can... we can figure out how to... Shad?"
Shad was examining the paintings that the crystals had been hidden under. "There must be a clue here," he theorized. "Auru, bring that torch over here. Uh, please."
He flipped over the painting and read the title in the torchlight. "Sir Ordich at The Hyrule Fields," he read, and moved to another. "Sir Ordich at Dawn... this next one is- oh- The Flames at Cyneheard."
"Well what does that mean?" Ilia asked.
"The puzzle requires basic knowledge of history and heroics. Cynedheard Hall was a place of hero worship- bards sang epics of Hyrule's greatest heroes, great feasts were held there- that sort of thing. But it was also the place where war heroes were buried- or, as this painting suggests- where war heroes were cremated," Auru finished.
"But what does that have to do with solving the puzzle?!" she questioned, beginning to grow impatient. A history lesson? Now?!
"The switches are to be struck in chronological order, all according to which painting they were underneath."
With this, Auru took account of each painting, and went to striking each switch with his blade in the order that he deemed fit.
"There's more to it than just a dumb puzzle, you know," Shad said quietly to Ilia.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the puzzle was left for Link in particular, right? And the story... Well, it's chronicling the death of a great hero."
At this moment, Auru struck the final switch. A second later, a series of clicks sounded and the bars slid up, the door before them having ended.
But before anyone could sigh in relief, something terrible happened.
Bells- dozens of them- started alarming the entire castle of the security breach. Ilia's eyes widened and she turned to Shad.
"They know we've broken in! What do we-"
"Oh, for gods' sakes," Auru complained, and he grabbed Shad and Ilia, dragging them with him into the newly unlocked corridor. The bells continued to clang as they ran, and as they entered into a wide, torchlit hall, they gasped.
Crevan's soldiers were barreling in their direction. The petrified trio stood frozen in place as the mass of soldiers grew closer shouting, "INTRUDER! INTRUDER!"
And then, suddenly-
"RUN, YOU IDIOTS!" someone cried, and they were pulled along as the newcomer bolted down the hallway.
"Ashei!" Ilia breathed as they turned a corner and continued running. "How did you-"
"I know where the princess is!" Ashei shouted.
"What- where's Link?"
But Ashei didn't have a chance to answer, because Auru had fallen behind. Ashei half-turned.
"Auru!" she cried.
"Go on without me!" he answered. "I'm old, go on without me, don't let me hold you back!"
Ashei gave a quick nod and, with Ilia and Shad in tow, continued in her sprint down winding corridors. The soldiers never ceased in their hunt- if anything, they were getting closer.
"WAIT!" Shad cried. "I- can't do it- can't- keep up-!"
"Shad, come on!" Ashei groaned.
"I- can't-" he stopped running, and Ilia stopped with him.
"Shad!" she cried.
"Ilia, no!" Shad protested, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Go on- leave me- I'm too slow-"
"Shad, no, I'm not leaving you here!"
The footsteps got louder as Crevan's soldiers got closer.
"ILIA!" Ashei belted. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I WON'T LEAVE HIM!" Ilia cried.
"YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE! THEY'RE GOING TO GET YOU, TOO!"
"I DON'T CARE!"
"Ilia, go, I'm begging you!" Shad panted. "Please- go-"
"No, I can't, you'll-"
The volume of the footsteps grew thunderous, and Ilia's protests were cut short when suddenly Shad pulled her in and kissed her, kissed her with everything he had for an eternity of a second. When he released her, she was all sorts of things- shocked, terrified, and at a loss for words.
"Save yourself," he begged, his forehead pressed against hers. "Do me a favor and save yourself!"
Ilia just stood and stared at this man, this wonderful, brainy, beautiful man, and wondered how she could ever find it in herself to let him go, because Oh Gods, this was Shad, the only Shad, her Shad-
"ILIA!" Ashei screamed, "LET'S GO!"
So Ilia turned on her heel and escaped as the boy she loved fell back and was dragged down by the masses.
Shorter hiatus for a shorter chapter.
Oh, so I totally missed MRMR's anniversary. It was the 17th of June, if I'm not mistaken. Make sure to wish MRMR a very happy belated birthday!
Next chapter: Girl power! Ashei and Ilia team up to save Princess Zelda. Meanwhile, Shad and Auru must deal with their capture. MEANWHILE, Link does a thing. A very dramatic thing. And Telma's awesome, and Rusl's awesome, and shit happens. Believe me, you do not wanna miss this next one. I think. Also, secrets are disclosed as plot lines finally start running into each other. I'm very excited, probably because I'm almost finished. Idk.
-Ctj
P.S. SHAD AND ILIA YOU GUYS D:
