I am so sorry for the long wait. Next chapter should follow in a few days, it's nearly finished.
Love you guys (:
~Alyssa
Sneaking past the last of the guards, I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, rushing through a large arch into the light of an outdoor courtyard before I was back in the rotation's sight.
It was a rather pretty place, with a small river of water gurgling merrily around the perimeter. The grass swayed in the gentle wind, small daises and posies dotting the ground, several butterflies flittering to and from their colorful blossoms.
And standing in front of a small, square window, a little girl.
She stood at the opposite edge of the courtyard with her back to me, so concentrated on whatever was going on beyond the window that she didn't even notice that I was slowly treading over to where she was.
Timidly reaching out, as to not scare her, I gently sat my hand on her shoulder.
Not unexpectedly, she jumped half a mile, letting out a little squeak of surprise.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?!" she demanded after a moment, her voice dark and threatening.
I froze, but did not pull away or answer her, which turned out to be a bad idea, because a second later she had whirled around and punched me square in the cheek.
I cried out in astonishment, stumbling backwards and falling on my bottom in the grass, confounded at the fear and hatred in her eyes—they were a dark, sapphire blue...and though I wouldn't have admitted it then, I found them quite pretty, even with the loathing that burned inside them.
"My name is Link! I—I snuck in through the gardens!" I said quickly, lifting my hands over my face as she stepped threateningly forward, her fists up and ready. On any other occasion, it would have been comical—a nine year old girl with a stance like a prize fighter about to pummel his opponent—but I was taking her seriously. Sure, she was just a little girl, but I was just a little boy.
That, and she seriously hit hard; those rings on her hands weren't just for decoration.
"Why did you come here?" she demanded.
"The Great Deku Tree is dead!" I looked up, trying as hard as I could to show the pleading in my face. "Please, he sent me here to help you, I won't hurt you, I promise!"
For a brief second, she said nothing, her brows furrowing in confusion as she looked me up and down. What she was hoping to see, I wasn't sure, but whatever it was, I suppose I was it. Her hands flew to her mouth, anger sliding off her face immediately. "I'm so sorry!" she gasped, rushing forward. "I—I thought you were someone else, I've been so frightened lately and—oh, Nayru, your cheek is swelling up!"
She offered me a hand, and I took it, hoisting myself up. "That's not important right now," I said quickly, dusting off the back of my tunic.
She nodded once, immediately calming herself down. "You're right." She agreed, turning slightly and sparing a glance at the window again. "Come with me."
She led me forward with a finger at her lips, creeping back up to the window with me at her side.
The window led to the castle throne room, King Daphnes sitting on his very official, very gigantic chair, looking quite bored as a man with dark skin knelt at his feet. He risked a glance upward, his eyes full of malice and destruction.
I shuddered at the very idea of what he was capable of.
"Do you see that man…the one with the evil eyes?" she whispered, nodding her head towards him. I nodded, not daring to take my gaze from him.
"His name is Ganondorf. He's the Prince of the Gerudo tribe of the desert. He…well, as far as I know, he wants to kill my father and myself and take the Hylian throne for himself."
I was taken aback at the bluntness, the acceptance in her voice. She didn't even seem afraid.
"He was the one who put that dreadful curse on the Deku Tree." She continued. "To take the throne, he must get to the Sacred Realm, and to get there, he needs a very special artifact of the Royal Family…and three Spiritual Stones, one guarded by each of the other three prominent races of Hyrule; the Gorons, the Zora, and of course, the Kokiri. The Deku Tree had one…and it seems as though you have that very same one with you right now."
My eyes widened as a grabbed my pouch protectively. She smiled at my response.
"It's all well and good that you do, don't you worry. It means we're already ahead of that monster." She said. "We need to get the other two stones before he does. And that's why I need you."
"Me?" I squeaked, taking an automatic step back from the window. "Why me?"
"I cannot leave the castle on my own conquest." She rolled her eyes, as this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'll be missed. My father will tear the kingdom apart trying to find me, and that would be anything but productive. I need someone I can trust…someone brave and willing, to help me."
"But why do you trust me?"
She paused, considering her answer before replying. "You must understand, for as long as history was recorded, a select few of the Royal family have been…blessed, I suppose is the word, with the gift of foresight. The Goddesses themselves sent me a dream, a dream where I saw a boy clothed in green from the forest. I've been waiting for you since then, waiting for you to save the kingdom from the clutches of that terrible man…that is, if you're willing."
She looked at me with such pleading in her face that there was only one answer. Those beautiful sapphire eyes ensnared me, taking hold on my heart in ways I didn't know possible.
I had loved before then, yes. I loved the forest that had been my home all my life, with the sereneness and peace of mind that could only be achieved in the deepest part of the Lost Woods. I loved Saria, my one true friend. I loved the Great Deku Tree, the one person I looked to for guidance, for help, for comfort.
But the Princess…
In that moment, I felt something for her that I had never felt before, a warm feeling rising in my chest and butterflies filling my stomach. In that moment, looking into those perfect eyes, she could have asked anything of me, could have ordered me to the edge of the earth and back again and I would have without a second thought if it meant I could see those eyes again.
Why did I feel this way? What had she done to me?
"Of course I'll help you, Princess…er, Princess…" I stuttered, unsure of her name.
"Oh, do pardon me," she said as she realized my problem, extending her hand. "My name is Zelda. Zelda Emmelina Harkinian Nohanestine, Princess of Hyrule…and most pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir Green Hero." She added as an afterthought.
I bowed as deep as I could, drawing all my knowledge from every storybook I had read in my childhood as I took her hand and brought it to my lips, where I bestowed upon it the gentlest of kisses, my ears burning.
"I'm no Hero," I said honestly as I straightened, grinning at the faint blush on her cheeks. "Just Link."
She returned my smile, starting down from the elevated platform that led to the window and out the way that I came, looking expectantly over her shoulder. "Well, just Link." She said, "There's the manner of getting you properly suited up for the journey ahead of you. You'll have to go to Goron City next, and I doubt that wooden shield of yours will hold up in a volcano. I'll have Impa find you something more suitable."
"Wait! Before I go…" I followed quickly at her feet, not even bothering to try and conceal the jealousy and pleading in my voice as I asked of the favor.
"Do you think you could teach me to punch like that?"
So I wrote the bulk of this chapter in bed sick with a nice case of pneumonia. If there's blatantly obvious mistakes or it doesn't make any since, I profusely apologize.
I need some aspirin.
~Alyssa