Gliss: Yay! It was my turn to write another chapter! XD I really hope everyone's enjoying the story so far because it's gonna get exciting! Sorry about the über long update, but everything's been very...crazy I guess! XD
As always, enjoy and don't forget to follow/favorite/review! :D
(Link)
The castle was hectic. Guards were rushing about, the King was frantic, and poor Paeon, the castle's healer, was very hysterical when Link walked into his corner of the castle. Just after the group had their picnic, they went their separate ways, and Link went to practice his swordsmanship. One of the castle guards came up from behind and told him Zelda was missing. This frightening news made him lose concentration, and he accidentally cut his right wrist with his sword. An amateur mistake.
"Paeon!" Link called as his tip-toed around the old man's office. "I know this is a bad time for you, but you have to help me!"
"No! Not now! Too many! Too many!" The old healer shouted in agony.
Link rushed to the man's side. He was lying down on one of the sick beds that were used for his patients. "Too many what?"
"PEOPLE!" He exclaimed. "Too many people! They rush around and around and around and arou-"
"PAEON!" Link yelled, violently shaking the man with his good arm. "You have to help me! I'm hurt really bad!"
Paeon shut his eyes and rolled over, facing the wall instead of Link. "It's too hard..."
Link rolled his eyes in annoyance. "We need a new healer if this one won't even do his job anymore!" Link straightened up and turned to exit the room. He was going to have to find someone else to help him. He looked down at his arm, which was still gushing pretty badly along his wrist. He covered his hurt right arm with his left hand and took a step.
"Wait!" A girl's voice exclaimed. "I-I'll help you!" Amala stepped out from the corner of the room and stared at the floor.
"Thank you," Link told the girl. She rushed over to Paeon's office to grab some medical supplies. Link slowly made his way over to her as well. She was going through all sorts of different cabinets to look for something, but it must not have been there.
Amala quickly darted past Link and ran over to Paeon. "Paeon. You moved the bandages since I was last here. Where did you put them?" Link was surprised at the shy girl's calmness and confidence when talking to this man in hysterics.
"Aghuh-hughuh!" the man exclaimed. He then burst into tears. But not just any tears; these quickly became loud, ugly, old man in hysterics, sobs.
"I don't know what that means..." Amala muttered under her breath as she walked back over to the office. She went through a few of the cabinets and completely dumped out all the supplies. She ruffled through them frantically until she turned around and motioned for Link to sit down.
"Well it doesn't look like we have anymore bandages up in here, but we can go to my quarters because I believe I have some," Amala calmly explained. The girl was surprisingly good under pressure. "How much blood have you lost?"
Link took in a deep breath and lifted his blood-covered left hand to look at the wound on his right arm. "Quite a bit. I'm a little dizzy, but I should be able to make the walk back."
Amala searched through the supplies for something else when Paeon's wailing suddenly stopped. The two of them both momentarily froze. Amala began to ruffle through the supplies some more until someone's voice was heard in the distance.
Link got up from where he was sitting and Amala put down the supplies and they rushed to see who was at the door. It was-
"Link! What are you doing here with one of the castle maids alone?" Impa sternly asked.
"It's not- Look I-" He took a deep breath and did what he thought was "standing up to the bully", but it came out like: "Well I'm alone with Zelda all the time and nothing bad ever happens then!" Link then swallowed something very uncomfortable. He realized it was his pride.
"That is because it is your duty to protect her. Your job is to make sure nothing bad happens!" Impa exclaimed furiously. "Well guess what, something bad did happen!"
He puffed up his chest and stomach (because that's where his pride was in his digestive system at this point) and looked Impa firmly in her ruby red eyes. "I came to the healer because I got cut," he spat.
"Well if you were doing you duty and attending to the princess you would not have gotten hurt," the Sheikah spat back.
"In order to do my duty there is some training involved!"
"The best training for a warrior is going into the battle itself!"
"That's completely irrelevant!"
"Only to the weak minded it is!"
"What do you- Wait! Hey! I am not weak minded!"
"Well you are at least lacking in your physical skills then if you were foolish enough to cut yourself in 'training!'"
"I-"
The bickering was cut short when Amala pushed herself in between them. "I apologize for my forwardness miss, but this is not the time nor the place for that. Regardless of what you may think, we are not in here to mess around. We aren't even alone in here. Link is seriously injured and needs immediate medical attention. Paeon is well he's-"
She was cut off by the sound of the medic wailing again in the background. Impa nodded. "I see. I will see what I can do with him. You two may get back to what you were doing."
Link and Amala rushed back to the office and Amala grabbed a few other medical supplies to take with her. "That was the most I've ever heard you speak before," he dumbly stated.
They walked out of the office to the sight of Impa slapping the old man's face back and forth. "THE GIRL MAY HAVE GONE EASY ON YOU, BUT I WILL GET YOU TO LISTEN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!" Impa's approach was probably a little too...fierce for the hysterical man to handle, for it only made his sobs and wails louder and less controlled.
"Can we get back to healing me before I pass out?" Link reminded Amala. Together they ran out of the room, down the halls, past a few doors, up the stairs, through a few corridors, and into the maids' suite.
Link fell down onto the floor and Amala rushed to his side. He claimed to be okay, but didn't stand back up and laid sprawled out. The young maid brought over a bucket with some liquid in it, a dry rag, a wet rag, and some bandages. She grabbed Link's arm and washed it with what must have been water on the wet rag. Then she dipped the dry rag in the liquid substance and dabbed it on his sore.
He yelped in pain. "It burns! It stings! What is it?!"
"Alcohol. It cleans," Amala quietly answered. She was transforming back in to the shy girl she usually was. After she was done putting the alcohol on him, she grabbed the bandages and wrapped the wound several times.
Amala took a breath and started picking the items back up. "It' may need to be re-bandaged at some point, but that's all I can do for now," she whispered.
Link slowly sat up. "I still feel dizzy. Do you mind if I lie down on one of these beds for a little while?" Amala shrugged and without another word quietly left the room.
He carefully stood up and slowly stepped closer to what must've been one of the girls' beds. He laid down and closed his eyes momentarily. I wonder where all the other maids are... Then he remembered the whole castle was having a panic attack because his friend was missing. They were probably out searching for her, and he should be helping, but he really needed to rest. I should have enough time to rest my eyes for a little while...
"Ahhhhhhh!" someone screamed. Link shot right up and looked at the screaming girl who dropped her bucket. "What are you doing in my bed?!"
Link held out his hands in front of him and shushed the girl. "I-"
"Ahhhhh!" she cut him off with that ear-piercing scream only girls can make. "Get out! Get out!"
The young bodyguard stood up and slowly walked away from the girl who threateningly had picked up a mop and was pointing it at him. There was no way he could give an explanation. That girl just wanted him to leave! She he began to step closer and closer, so Link stepped back further and further until he just bolted completely out of the maids' suite.
"How long have I been asleep?" he asked aloud to himself in the hallway. He jogged over to the closest room he knew would be available. Zelda's room. He took a deep breath before he entered then slowly turned the door knob. He stepped in and saw two girls standing in there.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll leave! I'll leave!" Link said as he covered his eyes and began to back out. No way was he having another encounter with a crazy maid.
The two began to laugh, one sounding very masculine. "It's alright Link. It's just me and Frode!" Ahnah said.
Link uncovered his eyes. He could have sworn that there were two girls in here though. And where was Frode? Immediately after that thought, Frode stepped back into Link's line of sight, wearing one of Zelda's dresses. This made him wish his eyes were still covered.
"Oh my-! Why did-? What is-?" Link stuttered.
Ahnah started cackling with laughter. "I think Link wants to know why you're wearing that pretty dress."
"Well it's not so pretty when he wears it..." Link remarked under his breath.
Frode took in a deep breath. "I...lost a bet. With Ahnah." He looked to Ahnah to explain the rest.
"So we were arguing over who the king favored more, right? Well we made a bet that if Frode was least favored, he had to wear one of Zelda's dresses! And if I was least favored I had to wear...some man's clothing."
"And where would you have gotten that man's clothing?" Link questioned.
Ahnah hesitated before she answered. "Your room... But it really wouldn't have been that big of a deal since you practically wear a dress anyway!"
Link rolled his eyes. "How exactly did you determine who he favored the most?"
"Whoever he sent to go investigate Zelda's room!" Frode replied.
The bodyguard shook his head. He couldn't believe the king had actually chosen these two 'adults' to be his right (and left) hand counselors. "You guys' stupidity makes me and Impa's bickerments seem like discussions during tea with the king!"
"Is that even a word?" Ahnah asked, snickering. "Bickerments?"
"It is a word if he got his point across when using it," Frode answered.
Ahnah shook her head. "That is not what qualifies something to be a word!"
"Well each word wasn't a word once! It was only when used in context that made them valid!"
"Not true! Words that make up a language are either borrowed or have some sort of root from another language. That's what makes them a word!"
"But if you didn't know what a word meant in another language you would have to figure it out through the context, so it really doesn't matter where it came from; it's how it's used in a sentence."
"I change my mind. True words are what is written in the dictionary!"
Link stomped his foot angrily. "Guys! Wasn't there a reason you came here?"
Ahnah snickered. "To see Frode sporting one of Zelda's dresses."
Link took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "I don't know why that's something you would ever want to see." Then louder he asked, "Didn't the king send you here?"
"That's right! I won!" Ahnah cheered.
"But what were you supposed to do?" Link questioned.
"Investigate?" Frode offered his answer.
"Good," Link confirmed. "So instead of acting like complete nincompoops, maybe you should do your job!" In sudden realization, he shuddered. "I'm starting to become an Impa."
"You do realize we are older than you," Ahnah reminded him.
"Then why am I the only one who realizes what's wrong with this scene?" Link threw back. He had realized it during the two's argument over words, but couldn't explain it over their stupidity.
Ahnah and Frode glanced at each other for one second then looked at Link. They were completely unaware of what was wrong. The bodyguard began walking in the direction of the two windows in the room. For the first time in a long while, the two counselors had stopped bickering.
Link pointed to the left window. "It's open."
Ahnah shrugged. "The princess opens the windows sometimes when it gets too stuffy in here."
"That proves my point exactly! Only one of her windows is open. Not both. Usually when she cools the room down, she would open both the windows," Link explained.
Frode caught on to what he was suggesting. "You think she ran away herself!" Link nodded.
Ahnah however, disagreeing, shook her head. "Not necessarily! If she was kidnapped her captor could have escaped out the window with her!"
"True, very true," Link acknowledged. "But you have to think. What happened before she got kidnapped?"
Frode nodded vigorously. "I get it! We had a picnic! And-"
"Are you stupid? He wasn't talking about the picnic before she got kidnapped!" Ahnah cut him off.
"You didn't let me finish!" Frode grumbled though gritted teeth. "Everyone was upset at the picnic because the princess couldn't make it! And why couldn't she make it? Because she had a fiesty argument with her father just before!"
"The perfect set up for a runaway!" Link summed up.
Ahnah still didn't agree. "It could have been one of the castle guards! They could have noticed and taken this up as the perfect opportunity for kidnapping her!"
"Maybe," Link said, thinking some more. "But I think for now I will report to the king himself what we have found out about his daughter."
"That kid shouldn't be a bodyguard! He should be a detective! He's good!" Frode remarked to Ahnah.
"Well I think it's just that he probably just has it bad for the poor girl! They practically see each other all day everyday! Of course he'll come up with any story that will let him see her again!" Ahnah whispered to Frode, but Link still heard anyway.
Even though Link had heard that part of their conversation, he walked out of the room and headed for the king. All truth be told, he was tired of saying "we're just friends" to everyone who brought it up. Having a crush on the princess would be ridiculous anyway. Her father is having her get married outside of the kingdom for "political reasons" as Zelda put it. His friend wasn't too happy about the marriage deal, and quite frankly, he couldn't blame her. Link couldn't imagine if he had to be married, especially at this age, to some stranger just because it was "good for making kingdom bonds." Part of him didn't half blame Zelda for running away, if that is what happened. The other part hoped everyone just overlooked the castle because he was missing his friend. A lot.
Link stepped into the king's throne room, quickly snapping out of thought. Maybe his theory wasn't right, maybe it was. In any case, this suspicion was better than no suspicions at all.
"Come here, my boy," His Highness said, once spotting Link. The young man bowed to him, but was simply told, "Don't got any time for that son!"
"Yes your Highness," Link replied, standing up again. "Sir, I think I may have an idea about Zeld- your da- er, the princess."
The King waited in an awkward silence for Link to explain himself. "Are you planning on speaking or letting me guess during this silence?"
"Sir! Zelda was not kidnapped!" Link exclaimed with glee.
"The princess," His Highness corrected.
"The princess," he repeated, for what seemed like the thousandth time, through gritted teeth. "I think- I am almost positive- She ran away!"
"Ran away?! My Zelda?! But why?!" The king asked raising his voice.
The bodyguard looked down at his feet, suddenly less enthusiastic. He didn't want to blame her run away on the king just because he argued with his daughter earlier. "I'm not sure. But Zelda-"
"The princess!" the king corrected more sternly this time.
"Right. Well, her window was open. Window as in one, singular," Link started to explain, holding up a single finger to emphasize his point. "Whenever she feels stuffed up in her room she opens both windows. Windows as in two. Always." And on cue he held up a second finger to go along with his first.
The king let out a sigh. "I see. You may very well be right. You do know her best after all, so I am giving you permission to leave the castle and search for her wherever you think she may be."
Link was dismissed and thought he knew just the place to find his friend. Her thinking place, also known as Lake Hylia.
Chapter three everybody! Did you like it? Please be sure to let us know! :) Laters!