Chapter 14: Zelda and Strife

The scratching of pencils on paper dampened the low hum of a digital projector. A martial artist was upon the screen, striking multiple foes without much difficulty. Zelda's worried expression was glued to the scene. This was Ryu, a martial arts champion that had saved the world with little more than his fists. Zelda wiped away a fleck of sweat from her brow. She had assumed, by drafting Cloud, she would automatically get a high seed in the tournament. When she got the news that their team was a lowly 8 seed, she was stunned. And Peach got a 2 seed! Zelda's hands balled into fists. Life is incredibly unjust!

"Yo, you're gonna crumple your notes, your majesty." Zelda looked at her counterpart disapprovingly. Cloud had gone through a whole notebook on Ryu already, and was starting a new one. All that came out of the man's mouth was the occasional "mhm", which was starting to aggravate her. He was so calm, even when it was obvious they were outmatch. Cloud looked at her, amused. "You know, if you look like that tomorrow, we're probably gonna lose."

"What?" Zelda was taken aback by Cloud's words. "What's wrong with how I look?"

Cloud motioned around his face. "You look shellshocked." He attempted to imitate her expression. The resulting face made Zelda frown even more. Surely she didn't look so … "Can't lose before we enter the arena, right?" Cloud finished his statement. He went back to watching more film of Ryu. Zelda looked back on the screen. It was hard to figure out his weaknesses. He could fight in the air, he was fast, and he seemed to know where opponents were coming from. Zelda heard another sigh from Cloud's direction. She glared, daring him to say something. He rolled his eyes. "It's like you're not even trying to look for a weakness!" He finally said.

"Find me a weakness, then." Zelda retorted. Cloud paused the video, standing up from his seat.

"Gladly." He coolly replied, walking over to the screen. He pulled out a small pen-like device, and proceeded to play some more tape. "Ryu is very fast and strong," He began. "I'll give you that. But, he's very bad at covering his back." Cloud paused the tape. Ryu was throwing a fireball, but Zelda noticed something in his eyes. Those eyes were very familiar, focused on a singular target. Much like a wolf hunting prey through the woods. "You see? If we can force him into instinctual behavior, he'll move into a one-on-one fight." Cloud explained. "All we have to do is deal with McCloud after that."

"Smart, but how do we do either of those?" Zelda knew Fox well. And as confident as Cloud was, it wasn't going to be as easy as he claimed it would be. Cloud opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it. He walked over to his notes, flipping through page after page. Zelda leaned over the table, trying to peek at what he was looking for. However, when Cloud found the page he was looking for, he turned the notebook over to her. The pages had a drawing of someone clad in dark blue, walking on rooftops. Zelda looked up at Cloud. "It's a lovely drawing, what of it?" She asked, semi-casually. Cloud smirked, though his eyes maintained their razor-sharp focus and steel color.

"My friend is a member of the board." Cloud explained. "She also enjoys sneaking around and learning about everyone." Zelda sneered. Cloud noticed and waved an arm, seemingly dismissing her expression. "She's a bit of a gossip, but pretty harmless." He paused, gauging Zelda's reaction. She looked impassive, eyes revealing nothing. "She found a neat little thing about someone called 'Sheik'." Zelda got up from her chair, cold fury etched in her expression. She saw a brief look of hesitation in Cloud's face. True, she had once gallivanted about, but that was a long time ago, back when she wasn't a member of the ever expanding round table.

"I was young then, Cloud."

"You're still young."

"Immature, then." Zelda countered. "Blinded by the need to do more than I could, even though I had all the power I ever needed." She sighed, before turning towards the exit. Cloud may have meant well, and she did want to win, but "Sheik disappeared two years ago, and I'd prefer if she stayed that way."

"Zelda, this cannot continue."

The princess sighed. Frustration was evident in her expression. She was currently in a meeting with five other men, four of which were old, curt, and stiff as a board. The fifth was the young Zora Prince, Ralis, who's countenance oozed with young nervousness and a lack of political savvy. All in all, these meetings were ones that Zelda dreaded. "I honestly have no clue about what you're referring to, your lordship." Zelda managed to say as politely as possible.

"This running about as this 'Sheik' character!" The first lord shouted out. "You need to focus yourself on the Hylian people!"

"I'm as dedicated as I can be." Zelda retorted. "And Sheik has done great things as well."

"We have Link! And the Peacemakers! And soldiers!" The second lord interjected, slamming his hand on the table for emphasis. "This is no job for a princess!" Zelda slammed her own fist on the table. Ralis looked at Zelda in shock.

"It is my duty as princess to make sure my people are safe!" She bellowed. "This meeting is over!" The lords grumbled, but slowly complied, exiting one by one. As the last one was about to leave, he turned himself to face the Princess. Zelda recognized the portly gentleman as the lord from Ordon, even though he preferred 'mayor'. He looked tired and worried.

"Zelda, I implore you to reconsider." He begged. "Ordon won't revolt, but the citizens in the Castle Town grow restless." Zelda took a deep breath.

"Sheik has done no harm, and I feel as though she was a help in this society." Zelda retorted.

"I just want you to know that our camaraderie isn't bought, but others are. And with the world still reeling from the war with Ganondorf. Do you think that the people want another 'hero'?" Zelda shifted nervously. "I just want you to think this decision through, Milady." The portly gentleman took a bow, and left the room. Zelda paced in the room. Deep in her heart, she thought that Sheik was an integral part of her life, apparently most others didn't agree.

"Maybe it's time to retire Sheik." Zelda said aloud, as the bustle of the Hyrule Castle Town echoed from below.

Robin opened the window in his room. The cool night air trickled in, clearing the smells of musty books and ink from his nose. The moon shone brightly, illuminating Robin's exhausted face. Cordelia had gotten home safely, and Severa had met up with Morgan to go out into town. Robin was worried about Morgan, he had hardly had time to say goodbye to her, and wasn't sure how she would take it. The two had been nearly attached by the hip while he was the Grandmaster of Ylisse, and now that he returned, he felt … distance. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Robin paused. There was a soft thump, a few rooms back. However, though that was the lateral distance, the sound had come from above. Another light thud, followed by small scratching sounds. Robin leaned out the window, looking towards the roof. He grunted in frustration: nothing. Robin ran over to his bookshelf. He pulled out an Elwind tome.

"Well, if you can't beat 'em …" He muttered, slowly climbing out the window. Robin opened the tome. He felt a spring breeze on his face, ice water down his spine, and the heat of a pyre in his chest. Even though he was successful training with Ganondorf, using wind magic to fly was a theory at best. He aimed himself above the roof. Elwind- His thoughts were interrupted by sensation of his feet lifting off the ground. He spun in the air once, twice, three times, before landing heavily on the roof. Robin felt the air leave his lungs. Alright, test two is a failure … he thought. As he regained his bearings, he heard several voices. Robin immediately flattened himself against the roof, listening in.

"-hear that? We should go check it out."

"No need, I doubt it's anything of consequence."

"Yeah, a large thump is nothing of note." Sarcasm, nice.

"We should check it out." A new voice, gruff. Robin could tell it was attempting to disguise itself. He heard footsteps approaching slowly. He cursed to himself. So much for spying …

"Sir Robin, spying is considered rude, you know." Robin froze. There was a voice right next to his right ear. The whisper drifted into the breeze. If he didn't know better, he would've guessed that Gaius had paid him an unwelcome visit. "Do you need help?"

"What do you think?" Robin hissed. He may have been mistaken, but the voice was familiar, and for a brief second, he saw a braid of blonde hair from his periphery. "Am I in trouble?"

"Probably not, but I don't think you'd appreciate being called a spy in your first year." The footsteps were now nearing the ridge. Robin finally turned to face the origin of the voice. He saw bright blue eyes and a blonde braid. He blinked, and he heard several footsteps leaving his location. She was already gone, and several frantic voices followed behind. Robin took a deep breath. Maybe testing Elwind should be saved for another night.

Zelda sat in her room. The meeting with Cloud was useful, but she left unsatisfied. The mention of Sheik was unnerving, to say the least, and now the moon was shining into her room. The light reflected off her desk, and it helped her reminisce. Things were better now, but sometimes she missed the freedom that being Sheik brought. The late night meetings, rooftop excursions, the strange feelings of individualism …

She paused. Why not? Zelda thought. She approached her closet. She felt the cool blue fabric. It felt the same as usual; it felt … clean. As she put it on, she closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of the fabric. It felt good. It felt good on her skin, it felt good to braid her hair again, and it felt … right. The mask finished the transition. Time for a rooftop exploration.

The cool breeze caressed Zelda's face. She loved how free her Sheik outfit felt, the dress was so constricting. She sneered at the thought of all of her advisors. They told her that her duties as a princess necessitated the death of Sheik. She mentally kicked herself. She believed them. What an idiot. She thought. Zelda snarled, the sounds muffled by her mask. She lifted herself out of her room, flipping gracefully onto the rooftop. Zelda let out a sigh of relief, as she moved from a jog into a sprint.

With every jump, Zelda felt herself shed another layer of her royal facade. It was strange. As Zelda, she constantly worried about saying the right things, about her royal image. As Sheik, it's just her, the wind, and the rooftops. As she landed, she heard a loud thump. Zelda whipped around. She saw a prone figure a roof away. In the moonlight, she also caught a glimpse of three other figures. One was obviously Metaknight, or Kirby wearing some strange apparatus. The other two were much harder to discern. She focused her attention towards the prone figure. They had moved, crawling on their belly. One of the standing members had started moving towards the figure. Zelda took a quick leap, and in a few bounds, she found herself laying next to none other than Robin. She smiled to herself. The chance to intimidate Robin is a rare treat.

"Sir Robin, spying is considered rude, you know." She whispered in his ear. She felt Robin's body stiffen in fear. Oh, how she missed doing this. "Do you need help?" She decided to ask.

"What do you think?" She heard him hiss. Zelda frowned. He didn't need to be so rude about it. "Am I in trouble?"

Zelda thought about it for a second. "Probably not, but I don't think you'd appreciate being called a spy in your first year." She looked down at him, and she was startled to see his eyes meeting hers. Robin was a nice man, and a family man, but his eyes. His eyes burned with eternal fire. Zelda shook herself. The footsteps were approaching. Zelda set herself in a sprinter's position, and pushed off. In a brief second, she caught a glance of Metaknight in the moonlight.

And then she was on the next rooftop.

As Zelda snuck into her room, she flopped onto the bed, removing her mask. Her hair was unkempt and messy, her breathing labored. But she felt great. She held a smile of triumph as she thought about what she did. Maybe … maybe Cloud was right. Zelda was still young, and Sheik was not dead. She raised both arms in the air, victorious.

"... That was the best."

"I imagine so, it was the loosest I've ever seen you."

Zelda shot up. In the windowsill sat Metaknight, his eyes glowing with the moonlight. Zelda covered herself with a blanket instinctively.

"You seemed happy out there, and don't worry about Robin, I didn't tell anyone about his spying." Metaknight continued. "It was nice to see you on the rooftops again."

Zelda shrugged. "It felt good." She admitted. "I missed doing this kind of stuff."

"To be honest, I never understood why you stopped." Metaknight responded. "Just because some stuff old advisors told you?" Zelda huffed in protest. "They don't control your destiny." He moved around, facing the outside. "Please, consider the return of Sheik. I may be selfish, but I enjoyed our talks in the darkness of midnight." And with a flurry of his wings, Metaknight was gone.

Zelda slowly lifted herself up, locking the window. She went back to the bed, reclining. For now, she'd just sleep in her clothes.

Sorry about the long wait again. I'm finally in Spring Break, so now I can edit the next two chapters in a good timely manner.

This chapter is shorter than usual, but the next couple of chapters are starting to get into the depth of the story, so I wanted this to be separate.

As always, I love getting Reviews, comments, and criticism! Thanks to everyone for their patience, and let me know what you think!

Next Chapter: Opening Day! Ganondorf and Robin vs Peach and Palutena