A/N Welcome to another chapter.
This chapter is going to be Zelda/Mipha centric, however I promise we'll return to the action next chapter.
Reviews as always are always appreciated.
CHAPTER WARNING: None
Chapter Three.
Zelda needed to be anywhere but here.
She kicked off her heels, opting for a more comfortable pair of flats and then sprinted out of the manor. She even managed to evade three of her father's bodyguards before climbing straight into her car. Her heart was pounding as she slammed her palms against the steering wheel. She felt angry, confused and scared.
In that very moment, she thought about packing up her things and hightailing it out of there. With any luck she'd never have to see her father ever again. She could have, should have, but no! She wasn't supposed to just run away from her problems. She had to choose to be the better person. The adult in this very screwed up relationship.
She decided to text Mipha, asking if they could meet. She really needed to see a familiar face right now, and she knew her best friend would always be there to offer comfort, lend support, and undoubtedly provide her with some valuable and much needed advice.
Mipha replied immediately, suggesting they meet at a diner, called The Noble Canteen. It was located over in the next town and apparently, not only did they serve the best burgers, but they were also famous for their exclusive non-alcoholic beverage, dubbed the Noble Pursuit.
Zelda quickly typed a reply and then headed out. When she reached the gate, Dorian, the security guard greeted her warmly.
"Hello there, Miss. Zelda. Leaving the party so soon?"
She wasn't about to tell him the real reason for her sudden departure. "It wasn't really my scene. You know, too loud, too stuffy and all that jazz. I've decided to meet up with a friend instead. Don't worry though, I won't be back too late."
Dorian raised an eyebrow. "So I take it your father has given you permission to leave the property then?"
She exhaled sharply. "I don't need his permission to leave, Dorian. Now please open the gate."
He gave her a sheepish grin. "I don't know. I could really get in trouble for this."
"Oh believe me. I think my father would most prefer it if I'm out of his sight right now. In fact, you'll most likely be hailed a hero for letting me out of here."
The older man let out a short laugh. "Well if you say so, Miss. Zelda." He pressed the button and the gates slowly opened, allowing her to exit.
Once safely off the grounds, Zelda searched up the diner and then typed the address and zip code into her GPS, which for some reason she had decided to name Fi. She then turned onto the highway and followed the directions. Unfortunately, even with a high tech navigation system, things can easily go wrong, especially when she managed to take three wrong turns. 'Fi' was beginning to get cranky when she had to keep recalculating. Finally though, she reached her destination and parked up.
Considering the time of night it was, the diner was rather crowded. Immediately upon entering, she was greeted by a tall, older woman with a strange looking updo, large, round earrings and several other pieces of jewelry.
"Come in! Come in! Welcome to The Noble Canteen. My name is Furosa and I'm the owner of this fine establishment. Please take your time to look through our menu. Everything you see on there is freshly prepared and made with the highest-quality ingredients. Our burgers are also famous for being made with one hundred per cent Hylian beef."
Zelda followed her further inside, opting only for a Noble Pursuit whilst she waited for Mipha to arrive.
Furosa eyed her curiously. "Yes, yes, coming right up." The woman then headed back to the counter, conversing with one of her younger employees.
Zelda slid into an empty booth where she checked her phone for any messages. Nothing. She gazed out of the window, as the thought of her father sending spies crossed her mind. After all, she was the daughter of a senator who had taken off without any kind of warning. But as she scanned the darkened parking lot, she saw nothing unusual. No suspicious vehicles, no signs of her father's lackeys, nothing at all that would indicate she had been followed. She realized her father must really hate her if he was willing to risk her safety. She could be abducted or worse.
Of course the most likely scenario was that due to all the socializing, political discussions, speeches and presentations, it was unlikely he'd even realized that she was missing. If it had been any other day, Impa would surely have noticed, but tonight she was far too pre-occupied with security, which was of course imperative when it came to keeping her father and all of those other attendees safe.
"Penny for your thoughts," a soft voice announced, interrupting her reverie.
Zelda whipped her head around, her green orbs immediately lighting up at the sight of her best friend standing there. She quickly rose from her seat and opened her arms wide for a tight hug. "Mipha, I'm so happy to see you."
Mipha had been her one and only friend growing up. They had both attended a prestigious private school together and they were virtually inseparable. That was until, Zelda had been shipped off to university and Mipha had stayed behind to go into the family business. Her father, Dorephan owned a large fishing company, and both Mipha and her younger brother, Sidon decided to work for him. During the summer months they also organized boat tours around the stunning lakes of Zora's domain.
"You seem upset, Zelda. Is it your father again?" Mipha asked.
At times, Zelda hated offloading her problems onto others, but right now, Mipha was all she had. "He is so overbearing that I feel suffocated at times. He's also only ever interested in what he wants, as opposed to what I want."
Mipha agreed. "I do understand. When it comes to the day to day running of the business, my father is like that too sometimes."
"That's different though. At least you chose to go into the family business. My father is practically forcing it upon me. He's already trying to team me up with some of his influential buddies. It's like he wants me to be some heir to his empire and what I want doesn't matter."
"Have you tried talking to him?"
Zelda sighed outwardly. "I tried, Mipha, I really did. He just wouldn't listen. He believes that what I want to do is a waste of my time and talents—his words not mine."
"I'm sure—"
"And then earlier tonight," she interjected, "well...let's just say I had the pleasure of meeting with his new advisor. His name is Ganondorf and firstly, let me tell you he is a total creep, not to mention a male chauvinist pig. Anyway, he said some things, my father decided to take his side, disrespecting my mother in the process, and then has the audacity to slap me when he doesn't like what I had to say. It appears I'm not allowed to have a mind of my own. Anyway, that was when I decided to tell him that I hated him and wished that he was dead," Zelda confirmed.
Mipha's eyes widened in shock. She had witnessed the tension between Senator Rhoam and Zelda before, but never anything intense. "That must have been some heated argument. However wishing your father dead is pretty harsh."
Zelda let her head flop forward onto the table. "Ugh! Am I bad person? Am I going to be struck down for wishing my father dead? Am I going to hell?"
Mipha lay her hand upon Zelda's. "No of course not. We all say things we don't mean sometimes. It's human nature. It's what you do next that counts."
"The thing is, Mipha, is that I did mean it!" Zelda let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, the dark thoughts towards her father slowly dissipating. "Okay perhaps I didn't." She groaned again, heavily conflicted. "It's what you may call... complicated."
Mipha's heart ached at her friend's words. She knew how much Zelda struggled under her father's expectations, always trying to please him, always trying to be the perfect daughter. "I know it's tough," she said, her voice filled with empathy. "But I'm sure your father just wants what's best for you, even if he has a hard time showing it."
She struggled to understand how Mipha had come to that conclusion. Then again, her friend did try to see the best in everyone. "I actually find that hard to believe. He doesn't have a single paternal bone in his body."
"I understand your frustration," Mipha added, her voice firm. "But he's still your father. He loves you in his own way."
Zelda cast her gaze downward, locking onto her fiddling hands. "He doesn't love anyone...well perhaps himself," Zelda admitted. "I'm beginning to doubt he even loved my mother."
Mipha winced at Zelda's words. However, she knew her friend spoke from a place of hurt and anger. "Maybe you're right," she argued. "But that doesn't change the fact that he's the only family you have left."
Despite Mipha's sympathetic words, Zelda's breath hitched. "He maybe the only family I have left, but I don't need him. I have my trust fund and also the inheritance that my mother left me. I've never had to use any of it, but it's there should I need it. I can easily sustain myself for a while, and then I'll find a part time job to fit around my studies. My father seems to think I'm incapable of a hard days work. I may have been born into a privileged life, but I'm not going to allow that to define me. I'm going to show him that I can stand on my own two feet."
Mipha could feel the determination in Zelda's voice, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She knew she was strong standing up to her father. "You know I'll support you in whatever you decide to do," she promised.
"I know you will. Now, enough of my family drama. Let's order food, I'm sort of starving."
Mipha nodded, signaling to a nearby waitress who happily took their order.
The food arrived in under thirty minutes, Zelda opted for a jalapeño and cheese burger, house salad and a frappachino, whilst Mipha decided on a classic cheese and smoked bacon burger, buffalo wings, french fries and a Noble Pursuit.
"So, how is Sidon doing?" Zelda questioned, finally glad to be talking about something that didn't involve her disastrous relationship with her father, her forlorn life, and her endless family woes.
"He's doing great, actually. Dad's health has steadily been on the decline, but Sidon has really stepped up. Did I tell you he even has a girlfriend now?"
Now, Zelda was curious. "Oooh, really? What's her name?"
"Her name is Yona. She's cool. A little older then Sidon, but they get along great. In the beginning, I was really trying to be the overprotective big sister, but I soon came to realize that I had nothing to worry about."
"Should I be expecting a wedding invitation anytime soon then?" Zelda teased.
Mipha widened her eyes. "God no! Well maybe in like ten years. He's still my baby brother. I'm not ready to let him go just yet."
The two friends continued with their girly chat, talking about anything and everything. The more time Zelda spent with Mipha, the more she realized she didn't really want to return to the manor.
Mipha, therefore had a suggestion. "I know. Why don't you stay over my house tonight?"
"You mean like a sleepover?"
"Yeah, you remember those right? We can pig out on ice cream, eat popcorn, and stay up all night watching Netflix. You're a sucker for those soppy romance movies."
Zelda chortled. "I'm way past romance."
"How about a scary movie then? You know the ones that numb the brain. Watching like every victim escaping from a crazed killer, tripping, falling, running upstairs when they should be running out the front door. It's actually mind boggling how they are so dumb. They trap themselves with a psychopath. They never pick up weapons available to them, and when they do they end up hitting the killer once and expect him to be dead. You never just hope they're dead. You hit them until their skull is crushed and their brain is mush."
Zelda grimaced. "That's disgusting."
"It's the only way to survive. When your life is on the line. It's kill or be killed," Mipha warned.
"I shall remember that then if I'm ever being stalked by a crazy psychopath," Zelda replied, appreciative of the advice.
"You better. It could mean the difference between life or death," Mipha clarified. "Now, did you still want to come over?"
As tempting as Mipha's offer was she knew she should return to the manor. "I'd love to, but I guess I really should be getting back."
"Promise me, you'll apologize to your father."
Zelda relented. "Okay. As soon as I get home I'll apologize, I promise."
"Text me tomorrow. Perhaps we can arrange to spend the day together sometime. I'll take you out on our boat. Toto lake is beautiful at this time of year."
The prospect of spending the day with Mipha lifted Zelda's spirits, even if it was just temporary. She managed a small smile. "That would be great," she said, her voice filled with a flicker of excitement. "Just you and me, no distractions."
Mipha smiled at Zelda's enthusiasm. "No distractions."
A/N More to come...