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Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. Never have, never will.
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Part I
Chapter Five
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The inn's shop didn't offer much of a choice on clothing. But Link knew he'd have to make the best of what there was. A new pair of black pants, since his old ones had gotten so disgusting from the dungeons. He bought a new undershirt, a deep, dark green. If he wore his dark overshirt mostly unbuttoned, the green could show, and he loved the color green. A new pair of fingerless gloves to help him grip the sword he'd stolen. He hadn't used a weapon in so long he was sure to develop blisters soon without protection. There was a dented compass, but it seemed to work.
Picking for Zelda, who was still asleep upstairs, wasn't so easy. He just went with a pair of gray ladies' traveling pants and a faded blue tunic made of wool. He found some shoes that could work for her, if she tied them tight enough.
Link paid for his items, grabbed a plate of food which he did not pay for, and went on upstairs. He pushed open the door, seeing Zelda sitting up in the bed and rubbing her eyes. "Morning sunshine! I brought you some new clothes, and some breakfast."
"New clothes?" she frowned, eyeing them as he tossed them on the bed. "Why do I need new ones?"
"Because Captain Karane will be looking for us. You can't look like a princess."
She glanced at the pile he was holding. "Are those for you?"
"That they are. Now turn around so I can get dressed."
She complied, and quickly changed herself while his back was turned. The material was itchy and didn't fit as well as her dresses did. But then, her dresses were custom made. The shoes fit alright, too. At least she wouldn't go barefoot anymore.
Once done, she turned around to see him sitting at the cloudy mirror that was on a table so small it was laughable. He was delicately using the edge of the sword to shave.
She chuckled. "Shouldn't you use something smaller for that?"
"They're not selling any daggers or knives here. I'll have to see if I can get one at the next stop." He looked at her in the mirror. "You'll need to cut your hair, you know."
She flinched. "Cut . . . my hair?"
"Yep. Those long blonde locks are very noticeable."
Zelda fiddled with her hair. "I haven't cut it in years. Well, no major cuts, at least. How much do you want to take off?"
He shrugged. "Just above the shoulder should look fine."
"No! No way!"
He spun around to glare at her. "Stop being such a girl. It will grow back."
"Excuse me? How about we cut your hair? Bald might look good."
Link scowled. "Nobody touches my hair. The ladies love it."
"Oh, like that's important!"
"It is. When you live at the bottom of society, sometimes your looks are all you've got."
She scoffed, crossing her arms. "What are you, a male prostitute?"
Link scrunched up his nose. "No. Not at all. Though I know some prostitutes, so don't talk bad about them. Actually sometimes I sing in a club in Trash City. Looking good gets me bigger tips."
Zelda blinked. "I didn't know you sang."
"That's because I didn't tell you." He stood up, gesturing to the chair. "Sit down, Princess. I'll cut your hair. One slice and it will be over."
She slowly walked over to the chair, her legs feeling heavy. She sat down and squeezed her ugly itchy pants in her fists. As she saw him approach in her peripheral vision, she protested, "No, wait! I don't want to do this! When you live as royalty, sometimes your looks are all you've-"
Link rolled his eyes, grabbed her hair in one hand, and cut it off so it brushed the tops of her shoulders. Zelda stayed absolutely still, staring at her reflection, before she dropped her face into her hands and sobbed.
Well, this is awkward, Link thought. He paused, then sat the sword on the bed, turning back to her. "Princess . . . Look, I'm sorry. It just had to be done."
She slapped blindly at him. "Get away!"
Link backed up to the wall, leaning against it. "Alright, well, how much time do you need? Because we have to go-"
Zelda whirled around with lightning speed, scooped up the sword from the bed, and pointed it at his chest. He jerked, holding one hand up. "You monster! I should have let you rot in that dungeon!" Her eyes were red and tears were running down her cheeks.
"Sorry, sorry," he told her. "That was bad of me to just . . . do it like that."
She could tell he wasn't scared. He didn't care. So she took a step forward and pushed the tip of the sword against the hollow of his throat. That elicited a reaction. He pushed back against the wall, both his hands up, his eyes wide.
"Princess," Link said, his voice tight, "drop the sword."
"Why should I? You stole me from my castle, you make walk through the woods without shoes, you make me wear itchy clothes, and then you cut off my hair. Why don't I give you what you wanted back at the castle? You wanted death, didn't you?"
He wasn't sure what to say to make her calm down. The sword tip was biting into him, and it hurt. Wanting to seem as non-threatening as possible, he left his hands up and closed his eyes, staying still.
Zelda hesitated, staring at him. She wasn't sure if this was a sign that he'd given up, or if it was a sign of trust. Either way, she suddenly became very aware of what she was doing. That she was holding a blade to another person's throat. And she felt shocked at herself, and disappointed. She withdrew, tossing the sword onto the bed, and wrapped her arms around herself.
Link let out his breath in relief, opening his eyes. She wouldn't meet his gaze, so he said gently, "I'm sorry everything turned out like this. Let's just move on. Get to Trash City, and then you can go home."
"That's what I want," she muttered.
"I know."
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LoZ
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Karane surveyed her team from atop a horse, looking out over the twenty soldiers she'd selected to help her rescue Princess Zelda. Twenty was a good number. Any less and she feared they wouldn't be effective. Any more and they would be slowed down and cumbersome. She selected some of her best men and women. Sadly there were more men than women; Hyrule's military was still a career challenge for females. It made Karane all the more proud of herself for reaching the top. Of the twenty she'd picked Jon and Kev. And she was starting to regret it since they were late. And she didn't take kindly to lateness.
She and the eighteen were outside the outer gate surrounding the castle, Hyrule Castle City spread out around them. Many citizens were glancing curiously at them from further inside the streets.
"I'm about ready to leave them," Karane complained grumpily to herself.
But then she saw Jon and Kev riding their brown horses towards her. Kev was grinning guiltily, but Jon had the decency to look properly ashamed.
"Captain," Jon said as they came to a stop before her, "I'm so sorry for our tardiness. I asked Kev to accompany me on my errand, so if there is punishment to be dealt I ask that it only falls on me."
Karane glanced at the younger man before returning her glare to the older one. "And what is the cause of your tardiness?"
"Something suspicious happened the other night I wanted to look into," Jon explained. "But the situation just ended up getting more puzzling and so it took longer than I expected."
She sighed. In reality they were only five minutes late. But that was five minutes wasted. "I guess I'll forgive it this time. I want you to ride beside me and tell me what this situation is that you thought so important." As Kev took his place with the others, she shouted back to them, "Form ranks and move out! We're heading down the main street to Hyrule Field."
The group made their way down the stone street, Hylians backing out of the way and watching them pass. The sky, barely visible between the tall buildings, was spattered with clouds.
"So what did you think was suspicious?" Karane asked.
Jon took a breath, beginning, "The other night Kev and I went out to a tavern. A man came up and asked me some questions about Link's execution for the newspaper. He said he was writing an article. After he left, not even a minute later, a woman came in and questioned Kev about Link. She ended up leaving, too. I shared my concerns to Kev, but he convinced me it was nothing. But before we left the city today, I wanted read this article and see what it said. Only the article wasn't in the paper. So I dropped by the Hyrule Castle City New's office. I asked about the article, but they said there were no plans to write one on the executions this time. I asked about that man, and he didn't work there."
She blinked, surprised. "Really? That's odd. Do you he is connected to Link's escape? And the woman, too?"
The old man shrugged. "I'm not sure. The woman may have been an accomplice, or just a coincidence. No one reported seeing a suspicious man around the castle. But he could have been working behind the scenes. Or just very sneaky."
Karane nodded, thinking this over. "I hope our mission to rescue the Princess gives us some answers."
"I hope so, too." He paused, then continued, "Captain, if we find Link with the Princess, what is your plan for him?"
She sighed. "I part of me wishes to interrogate him. Find out what happened in the castle. But the Princess may be able to give us details. And I can't jeopardize her safety for anything. Link was already set to be executed. So if he gets in the way, then my order is to remove him no matter what the cost. The Princess comes first."
Jon nodded. "Understood, Captain."
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LoZ
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The back of the carriage smelled of hay and animal manure. Zelda was glad only the former was visible. The wooden transport rocked and creaked over every uneven patch of the dirt road that wound through Hyrule Field. She knew this was a little used road. All of the major roads through Hyrule had been paved with stone. Link liked to travel the back ways, she realized. He'd bought this carriage driver off with some rupees. He was a big fat man directing two horses to pull squares of hay towards a ranch. But Link had promised they'd be gone before he was even close to the ranch.
"Nice day, isn't it?" Link asked with a smile.
She glanced up at the sky. "I guess so."
"You guess so? What could you possibly be finding fault in?"
She scowled at him, not liking to be questioned all the time. "Nothing, it's just . . . I've never been to Hyrule Field."
He seemed genuinely surprised at that. "You've never been . . .? I swear. There's a whole world out here beyond Hyrule Castle City. And this part of it," he gestured with a wide sweep to the rolling green hills, the sparse trees, and the snowcapped mountains in the distance, "this is my favorite part. It's so open. So free. It makes me feel like I can do anything."
Zelda looked around, taking in his meaning. Maybe that's what was making her feel so uncomfortable. The sheer openness of it all. She didn't feel safe. Well, it could also be the fact that she was on the run with a known criminal wearing itchy clothes and riding in the back of a stranger's carriage.
"So tell me more about Veran," she said, lowering her voice slightly.
Link glanced in the direction of the driver, but he was blocked from them by stacks of hay. Seeming satisfied, he said, "Well I told you she's a sorceress."
"Yes."
"And she can possess people."
"Yes."
"And she's been hunting me for years."
"Yes."
He sighed, rubbing his neck. "Let's see. She can fly. I've seen her create fireballs before. And she seems to attract . . . well, spiders."
"Spiders?" Zelda repeated, disgusted.
"Yes. They're always all around her. Sometimes it gives me a heads up that she's close. Though she's been known to sneak up on me a few times. I'm not sure what the deal is with the spiders. She seems to like them, though."
"That's gross."
"It is."
She studied his profile as he turned his head to look back over the way they'd come, his hair blowing around his face. "I'm still considering you are the Hero, you know."
He glanced sidelong at her. "Why would you do that? The Hero wouldn't be a criminal."
"Unlikely. But this Veran seems to think you're important. And my Triforce reacted to you."
Link turned back to her, giving a small shrug. "Guess we'll find out one of these days."
She paused, a thought occurring to her. "How come, if Veran can just jump into people's bodies, she hasn't been able to jump into yours?"
He looked to the side, seeming to contemplate this. "I'm not sure. For some reason, it isn't as easy with me as it is with others."
"Do you think she could just jump into mine? Maybe we should have a codeword you could ask me for if you think I'm possessed."
He waved dismissively. "No need. You say you have the Triforce. Veran, being a dark sorceress, can't get close to holy objects. Your Triforce should protect you."
"Hmm," she nodded, feeling better. It made her wonder, though. If Link did have his own piece of the Triforce and just didn't know it, maybe that was protecting him from Veran. But then if Veran knew this, why would she bother trying to possess him at all? Zelda made a mental note to look into this further, later. "Well, just in case something does go wrong, or not the way we think, you ask me for the word, and if it's me I'll be able to say it. And vica versa. So I'll know if she has finally possessed you or not."
He seemed to agree with that line of reasoning, nodding once. "Okay, yeah. Sounds good. What word? Or words?"
Zelda paused, liking the idea of a few words. It would be less likely Veran would guess. But they also needed to be something significant for them. After considering a few moments she smiled mischievously and answered, "Secret dungeon visits. Those will be our words."
A smirk spread across his face and he chuckled. "Oh yes. Secret dungeon visits. I like it."
They passed the next few minutes in comfortable silence. Hyrule Field rolled by them, and clouds made their slow trek across the sky. Zelda decided she really liked being out in the open like this. It felt good. It felt like she could breathe.
They rode in the carriage for another few hours. Link seemed to know when to disembark and they walked for twenty minutes until they reached a shabby, but bright and happy, town. Zelda was glad for the daily walks she went on. Someone like her friend Mila would have been crying of sore feet by now.
They went into the market area, which consisted of many stalls all crowded together selling goods. People came and went, keeping the pathways crowded. The stalls were painted different colors and some had banners, but the paint was peeling and they were lopsided. Zelda found the scene somewhat charming.
Link glanced around. "I'm going to look around for any supplies. Maybe some knives or daggers."
"Buy or steal?" she questioned.
"It depends which one will work out best."
She sighed. "Well if you're going to be off doing that, give me some rupees. I'm going shopping." When he gave her a look she pressed, "That's my money, anyway. Hand some over."
He gave a wry smile as he gave her a portion of the rupees and she watched him weave through the throngs of people, looking at the vendors. She made her own way along them, trying not to seem too interested in anything. That didn't stop a few of the shop owners from calling out to her, asking if she wanted to buy their items. She'd smile and politely shake her head. The movement would make her notice her shorter hair length. She tucked one side behind a pointed ear self consciously.
Looking ahead, she saw one stall that instantly caught her interest. She made her way over to it, grinning down at the selection of paints and brushes.
"Some art supplies for the young lady? Perhaps she'd like to body-paint?" the woman vendor asked.
"I would. The biggest set you have."
The woman pushed forward a brush set and a square of multiple paints. "It's this one. It comes with a bag to put them in, too."
Zelda nodded. "How much are they?"
"Seventy-five rupees."
The princess fished through her pocket to get the amount and paid the woman, receiving her paint supplies in a square bag that had a shoulder strap. Feeling very happy, she slung it on and went to look for Link. After a few minutes of searching, she saw him a few yards away, eyeing a man that was riding a horse laden with bags. Link noticed her, winked, gave a subtle hand motion for her to stay put, and then started walking towards the horse.
Zelda watched, curious as to what he was doing. Some of the man's belongings were sticking out of the bags. She tensed when she noticed this, wondering if Link was about to do what she thought he was. The criminal just started passing the horse, the two going opposite ways, when his hand snaked out and grabbed the hilt of a dagger that was hanging from a bag, sliding it free with perfect precision. He quickly tucked it into his pants, never breaking pace. The man on the horse glanced back at him, but Link gave no indication he was doing anything other than walking through the market. So the rider turned back around and guided his horse away.
Many emotions flashed through Zelda at once. She was impressed, certainly. But she was also horrified and angry. She made her way over to him, giving him a meaningful glare. His smile dropped as he said, "Too soon to put on a show for you?"
"Can we talk?" she seethed.
He sighed dramatically, looking around, before spotting a location. "Sure, follow me."
He led her away from the market area and around the back of a two-story building. The weeds grew thick in this area, and Zelda gingerly made her way through them as Link stopped behind one corner of the wall. There were no windows or doors around, and any people were too far away to worry about.
"Alright, what's the problem?" Link asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the building.
She gawked at him. "What's the problem? You stole that man's weapon."
He gazed at her passively. "I'm a thief, Princess. That's what I do."
He had a point. Why was she surprised he'd stolen? That's how she met him, after all. "I know, but I don't like it. I don't want to be involved."
He pushed off from the building, his tone sharpening. "You weren't involved. You did nothing to assist me."
"But I saw you."
She didn't like the expression that came over his face. It was dark, angry, and sarcastic. He took a step closer to her. "Oh, you saw, did you? How about next time I give you a heads up so you can cover your eyes and be blind to the harsh realities of the world you live in."
"It's a harsh reality you caused!" she snapped back.
"I am no more the cause of crime in this world than you are the cause of poverty." He took another step closer, leaning over her. She refused to back down, staring him solidly in the eyes. For once the blue of his eyes didn't make her stomach flutter. "If you ever do step foot in Trash City, Princess, I guarantee your paradigm will shift. The perfect way you view things, and the callous judgment you place on those who don't obey your rules, will shatter."
"I wouldn't dirty myself by going to a place like that," she retorted.
A grim smile went across his face as he backed up, holding his hands out. "You're right. You stay clean. The rest of us will wade through the mud and you can keep the one dry ground."
Zelda didn't like what he was insinuating. She put her hands on her hips. "I know about life in Trash City. I know what the poorer people of Hyrule do and how they live."
"And yet you do nothing to help," he shot back.
"They're beyond help! Just like you. You don't want help. You choose to live a life of crime. Even now when you have the rupees you steal."
He flung his arms out. "Yeah, you're right! You know everything about me and can judge me however you want."
She scowled, glancing away. "I want to go home, Link. Take me home."
"I'm trying," he growled. "Just one more day's journey and I can pay for a boat ride back towards the castle. Unless, of course, you'd like to leave now. You're free to go. But it will be on your own."
Zelda almost started walking away. Away from him, away from this town, and back to the safety of the castle.
But she didn't. She wasn't sure why she stayed. Maybe the thought of wandering through Hyrule Field hoping the army would find her scared her off. Maybe she wanted to prove him wrong and show she could tough this out one day more. Or maybe she was still intrigued by his mystery, and didn't want to leave without finding out who he was.
"No," she sighed, glancing away. "I'll stay until the border of Trash City for the boat ride."
He looked to the side, also, his shoulders heaving with one last heavy breath before he calmed. He looked at her more gently, then glanced down at her shoulder bag. "What did you buy?"
She fiddled with the strap. "A paint set. I like to paint, and do body-painting."
"I know, I remember the body-paint," he nodded. "I didn't know you just paint in general, though. That's, uh, neat."
"Yes, I do. Um, thanks." The conversation was sounding a bit awkward, but at least they were on more civil ground. "That's neat that you . . . sing."
A small smile tugged at his mouth. "You've never heard me sing before."
"You've never seen me paint."
His eyebrows shot up at that, bemusement written all over his face. "Ah, touché."
"So," she sighed, "where to next? What's our road like until Trash City?"
"Simple," he stated. "We'll leave this town and head southeast until we reach the Lumpy Pumpkin inn. We can spend the night there before heading east to the coast. Hopefully we'll catch a ride or get horses. We'll reach the docks before the sun sets."
Zelda knew that area of Hyrule's coast was only used by the less than savory population. It made her nervous to go, but she knew it had to be done. She helped Link escape the castle, and she was going to see this through until the end. At first glance her path seemed rather linear and easy. Get Link out of the castle, travel undercover with him to the coast, and then part ways. She could go back to the castle and pretend he'd kidnapped her. Which he somewhat did.
But then she would remember Veran. This Sorceress of Shadows was still out there, somewhere. And still hunting Link. She didn't know what she was going to do about that problem. But despite her frustration with him and with the situation, and despite her desire to get out of this, a part of her didn't want to leave him until Veran was stopped. Not just for his sake, but for Hyrule's. This woman was a huge threat. And she wouldn't be doing her job as the Princess if she didn't try to eliminate it.
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