Author's Note: Hey everyone, welcome back. I'd like to say right up front, this is not a full chapter or even anywhere close to one. This is the one scene I've managed to put together for Book III, Chapter 3 so far but I didn't want to go so long without sharing something. I also have some rather unfortunate updates to share, but I'll do that after the main body of the preview. This isn't particularly well-written I don't think and it's fairly lacking in detail, but I've gone over it about as much as I can right now and done my current best with it. Whenever I post the full chapter, I'll revise this scene and expand on it so it feels more like a real scene instead of a slapped-together mess.
But with that said, I hope you enjoy this little window into what's to come. Thanks so much for reading.
Book III – Storm
Chapter 3 PREVIEW
With the coming of the Fourth Month, Hyrule had warmed up significantly at long last, leaving Hilda much more content with the weather. She had taken lately to leaning against her windowsill and gazing out towards the flickering lights of Castle Town, enjoying the small starbursts of torchlight and lantern glow. And tonight, they were especially beautiful – they were heralding something she had been planning for days now.
A soft knock sounded at her door and Hilda turned away from the window, an anticipatory twinkle in her eye. Crossing the room, she took the handle and eased the door open just a crack, her eyes falling upon Aisen. It was quite late at night and normally he wasn't supposed to call on her at this time. It was okay this time, though; she had invited him.
"Good evening, Aisen," she spoke in a soft voice.
The Advisor gave her a calm smile and nodded.
"And to you as well, Hilda-sama. You wished to see me? I never mind responding to your summons, but it's rather late at night, isn't it?"
"Indeed, it is. Why don't you come in first?"
"If you're inviting me in, I would never turn you down."
"Excellent."
Hilda opened the door wide and beckoned him across the threshold. Aisen, however, froze and swallowed rather obviously. It wasn't surprising why – Hilda was dressed only in her turquoise nightgown, the sleeves and skirt hem leaving a good deal of her arms and legs bare.
"Now that I think about it," she mused with a knowing smile, "this is the first time you've seen me in such a state, isn't it? All of my usual dresses cover my legs much more carefully than this at the very least."
"Um, Hilda-sama? Are you…sure I should be here?"
"Of course I am. I asked you to call on me in my tower as the night grew late, did I not? Surely you must be aware of the implications of that."
Aisen still hadn't moved a step, instead electing to stand awkwardly in the spiral stairwell that led to the top of her tower. Hilda finally reached out and seized his wrist, pulling him into her large bedroom and shutting the door, fastening the lock carefully. It was something she only did when she was planning to sleep.
The Advisor's eyes were wide as he gazed between her and the door, blinking in disbelief. Hilda took a step closer to him and reached out, taking his wrist between her fingers.
"What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost, Aisen."
He opened his mouth and closed it several times before finding his voice again.
"Uh, it's just…I'm quite sure I must be misunderstanding the situation, Hilda-sama."
"Oh? And just what would you be misunderstanding?"
"It…certainly seems as if you intend…to…"
"Yes?"
Aisen didn't speak again so Hilda simply guided him across the room at a slow, casual stroll.
"You know, Aisen, you've done a tremendous job as my Royal Advisor for the last five years. Since you arrived at my side, things have gone so smoothly and peacefully for me. I know I'm not always the most agreeable person in the world, but you've even navigated keeping me satisfied on top of all your other responsibilities."
"I…have certainly always tried to live up to your desires," he managed at last, his eyes still darting around with uncertainty.
"Yes, you have. And you've done that magnificently, Aisen."
Hilda released his wrist and strolled across her room, smothering two of the four lanterns that illuminated the area, leaving the room bathed only in a dim glow.
"Much better."
"Hilda-sama…" Aisen began before trailing off again.
"Hm?"
"You're not…sleepwalking or otherwise possessed by some kind of spirit, are you?"
Hilda actually laughed very genuinely at his comment before recollecting herself and approaching him again.
"Of course not, though I thank you for the laugh. Did it ease your spirits as much as it did mine?"
"Um…no, I can't say it did if I'm being honest."
Hilda placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Are you hesitant?"
"Well…of course. You are my employer and charge, the Crown Princess of Hyrule. If anyone found out I was…involved with you, they would likely demand my head on a pike."
"That's only if I allowed it. You know me far better than that, Aisen. Do you really think I would let something to happen to my Advisor?"
"I…suppose not, no."
"Let me give you a bit more certainty, then – I would never allow harm to come to you by someone else's hand."
Hilda pushed Aisen with surprising force, sending him falling backwards onto the bed behind him. His eyes were enormous now, as large as saucers. He raised himself up onto his elbows and watched her in absolute shock.
"As my treasured Advisor, I ask that you take some comfort in those words. And rest assured you may entrust yourself to me. I have every intention of repaying your loyalty over the years in spades, Aisen."
Hilda lowered herself onto the bed as well before throwing her leg across him, settling into his lap and meeting his eyes. He was finally starting to relax into the moment a bit more, the previous hesitation and disbelief beginning to melt away as his eyes fogged over with desire.
"And you're quite certain, Hilda-sama?"
She reached out and took his chin between her fingers before leaning a bit closer.
"I'm very certain, Aisen."
With that, she shoved him down onto the mattress, delighting in the surprise on his face. She reached down towards him and took his right hand in her left, threading her fingers between his. Her right hand moved to the hem of her nightgown and began to slide it upwards.
"Hilda…sama…"
"Don't worry, Aisen. I'll take wonderful care of you," she whispered breathily.
But the mood vanished an instant later. Hilda reached beneath her nightgown, pulling a dagger from the holster she had fastened to her upper thigh. In one swift motion, she leaned down atop him, pressing the blade closely against his neck and fiercely tightening her grip on his hand. All of Aisen's lust and desire evaporated, immediately replaced by fear and confusion.
"Hilda-sama? What are you doing?" he whispered, his voice near having left him.
She fixed him with an icy stare, making sure he felt the press of the cold steel against his skin.
"Like I said before, I'm repaying your loyalty in spades, Yiga."
Aisen's eyes widened yet again but this time he showed no other reaction, no doubt intimidated by the dagger against his throat.
"Y…Yiga? Hilda-sama, what are you talking abou-"
"Shut up, Aisen," she ordered, her voice still low. He did as he was told. "Did you think I was stupid? Did you think you could hide right under my nose forever? Did you think the Royal Family doesn't have every bit the same level of information coming in as the pathetic Yiga Clan does? I guarantee you we do; we probably have much higher quality informants than you do, even."
"Hilda-sama, wait-"
"Are you about to try telling me I'm wrong? Choose your next words very carefully now, Aisen. Don't forget the position you're in. You can't use your ninjutsu to teleport away from me without the use of your right hand and I promise this dagger can pierce your throat faster than even you can strike me from this distance."
Aisen didn't move at all though his initial shock was beginning to settle again. He closed his mouth again and waited for the Crown Princess to speak.
"Good. Now. The truth. You're part of the Yiga Clan, aren't you?"
Aisen hesitated for a long moment before she pressed the dagger a little more firmly into his skin.
"…I am."
"I'm glad you finally admitted it. But that's not all you are…is it?"
Aisen's eyes widened as Hilda leaned in a little closer and spoke in a whisper.
"You're one of their Generals, aren't you?"
Aisen's breath hitched in his chest.
"Don't bother denying it – I already know the truth. You're one of the Yiga Generals who has been sent here to infiltrate the Castle and get close to me. You were only ever my Royal Advisor out of convenience for yourself and your organization. How you managed to infiltrate the Sheikah, I'm not sure. But I suppose that doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
Aisen finally spoke again, his voice soft.
"It's true. I've always felt rather guilty hiding the truth from you – I really do have tremendous respect and admiration for you, Hilda-sama. But everything is as you say."
"Isn't it always?"
"Indeed. So…what will you do with me? Kill me in this tower? Use me as a hostage?"
"What kind of barbarian do you take me for? I simply want information that only you can provide to me."
"And what information might that be?"
"You know of the Witch Queen, don't you?" she asked, her voice accusatory.
Aisen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Where did you hear that name?"
"From the same excellent sources that uncovered your identity, Aisen. So, do you know of the Witch Queen?" she demanded a second time, pressing the point of the knife against his skin until a small pinpoint of blood appeared on its silver tip.
"…yes. I know of the Witch Queen."
Hilda's eyes narrowed and she lowered her voice even further.
"Tell me every bit of information you have on her. Now."
Aisen hesitated for a long moment before meeting her gaze with a bit more resignation. The point of the dagger no doubt helped sway his decision.
"…as you wish, Hilda-sama."
UPDATE:
Hey everyone, thanks for reading this short preview/update for 'Stars in the Darkest Night.' As I said up top, I have some things to discuss which I'm not very happy about but unfortunately I don't think I have much of a choice anymore.
I missed my December 8th update because I was sick - not with a cold, but with a stomach virus that has had some pretty bad effects on the rest of my body too. To be extremely brief, back in July of 2021, I got very sick (likely with Covid). I had bad symptoms and aftereffects for months and months and didn't feel anywhere close to myself again until February of 2022. I had never had any health issues like that in my entire life and I was miserable for a long time. But since that February, things improved to a point that I mostly felt normal again by summer of 2022 and I've been moving forward in my life and trying to look back on that time as little as possible.
This stomach sickness, however, has reignited some of those old symptoms (not all, thankfully). The worst one is that I feel a burning sensation under my skin that makes it difficult to sit down for even ten minutes without proper measures being taken. Obviously, that makes writing at my desk nearly impossible at the moment, which is why I've had to skip updates the last two weeks. I saw some notable improvement on Wednesday of this week and I was encouraged. But if that improvement is going to continue, it's clearly going to happen more slowly than I was wishing and hoping for.
So as much as it absolutely breaks my heart to do this, I'm going to have to put this story of mine on a brief hiatus while I recover.
I hate doing this. Writing 'Stars' has brought so much joy to me each week for the last several months and I didn't even realize how much I had come to treasure creating these chapters. Not being able to write it now makes me feel like I've been forced to say goodbye to my characters - my friends - against my will. Not to mention the fact that reading all of your comments and reviews across both sites just made my weekends a sincere delight. Without having the ability to do much of anything at the moment, I feel this frustration and isolation a lot more deeply than I would if, say, my life schedule simply got hectic and I needed to pause updates for a week or two.
The worst part of all this is I'm not sure when it will end. Last time this symptom manifested, it took three months before I found some semblance of balance. But I've seen much quicker and more notable improvement this time, as well as less severe effects by comparison, so maybe it'll clear up in a matter of weeks or even days. The frustrating thing is that I just don't know. And I don't want to keep kicking the can down the road with regards to this story, hoping I'll feel up for writing the Lover's Pond date that I've been dying to write for months when I likely won't be - I'm just in a pretty low emotional state at the moment and I'll never be able to do that scene justice as I am right now. I suppose I could try to force it, but it would turn out terrible and I don't want to do that.
So, as much as it breaks my heart, I'm going to reluctantly put a pause on updates for 'Stars.' I will 100% be back and writing just as soon as I'm able to be - it's absolutely miserable that I can't do this right now and I'm so saddened and angered by it. I've also been putting off doing this but I figured I may as well just rip the band aid off and get it over with, so to speak, so that's why I'm posting this on a Thursday night instead of the usual Friday - just to get it over with. But eventually, I will start to recover again and I'll have my life back, whether that's in days, weeks, or months. What I can promise is that I will never abandon this story. It may take some time to get it going again, I'm not sure, but once I'm well enough to sit at my desk and relax and write again, I'll be writing that Lover's Pond date with so much joy and excitement in my heart - I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that.
And who knows, maybe I'll update with a full chapter next week if things do end up improving quickly! But it's a more likely bet that this story will be paused until the new year, perhaps slightly into January as well. I'll do my best to be as transparent as possible with you all but I wanted to give you some realistic expectations for now, no matter how sad it makes me to do so.
In the interim, I did put something small and fun together. A friend of mine asked me last week, "why not put together a community Discord server?" And I didn't really have a reason to say I shouldn't beyond I felt like it was a little self-indulgent. But right now I'm sad and frustrated with my life, so I spent the afternoon doing exactly that - making a Discord server for myself and any of my readers that might be interested in hanging out and chatting! It'll be super lowkey and very relaxed so if you're so inclined to come join, you're more than welcome to. Whenever you see this, this link will never expire and you'll definitely be welcome to join in and chat. I hope maybe I'll see you over there soon! It would be very nice to keep in touch with all of you while I'm between chapters/while my health is returning to me, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Link to the community Discord (you'll have to take the spaces out manually if you use the link here on FF):
discord . gg /s6XJmJ3SSJ
To everyone who has ever read even a single word of this project, thank you so much. This is absolutely not the end and I'll be back and better than ever as soon as I can be. But for now, this will be the last update to the plot for likely a few weeks. I hope it gives you a little bit to chew on and have fun mulling over with regards to the overall plot and story going on. And thank you so much for taking the time to come back to these postings each and every week.
I'll be back when I can be and, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your constant support. Have a wonderful holiday season, a happy new year, and I'll see you all again soon. That's a promise.
- Jrhall2
12/14/2023