Blinding Darkness - Zelda X Ganondorf

Chapter 2

     The girl wrapped in gold backflipped, her knives flashing silver, and her feet met the chest piece of her opponent with a dull clunk, the force of her momentum driving him back a few steps. She landed neatly without so much as a stumble and used the stun opening to slip the knife between the chinks of her opponent's armor, taking care not to pierce actual skin.

     The man about twice as tall as she was lashed out with his wooden sword, the tiny girl jumping nimbly out of the way and using the moment of vulnerability the attack left to counter, her right knife brandished for defense if it was a feint to trick her into letting her guard down, her left sliding through the weak point at the man's side.

     The girl twirled to his back as he parried her, the shock waves not affecting her so acutely as she dodged. With a flying leap she landed on his shoulders, the silver knife pressed against his throat. The man seized up, recognizing defeat.

     She held him down for five counts, listening to her own heartbeat. Then she backflipped off him gracefully and bowed her head respectfully to him.

     "Not bad." The trainer standing by and watching this fight noted reluctantly, and the child named Aria (YES, I REUSED ARIA (from one of my older stories that I took down a while ago). I LOVE HER CHARACTER. SUE ME.) felt a slight surge of anger. She wasn't one to think too highly of themselves, but even she felt that her performance deserved something more than just a "not bad".

     It was all because she was a girl, wasn't it? 

     Well, no matter. She didn't care about a cheap compliment that the trainer could pay. The man she had defeated was eyeing her with disbelief and something close to wonder.

     That was nice. 

     She still had worth. 

     Just knowing that was enough.

     Zelda returned from a field survey, exhausted and frustrated beyond words.

     When would people stop looking at her when she tried to ask them questions about their lives with amusement and, dared she say it, condescension? Did they believe that princesses were not supposed to connect with her people?

     Well, maybe they were right. But did Zelda care?

     Kind of.

     She was so scared of not being a proper princess, one that her people would love, since her mother passed away when she was but a toddler. Nobody was there to teach her what to do, how to do it. She had always just did what she thought was right.

     Maybe that was wrong.

     Maybe she should have simply acted meek and obedient, simply sat back and looked pretty.

     Once again her thoughts spiraled back to Ganondorf. Perhaps she had made all the wrong decisions? 

     Zelda jerked her head irritably, anger surging up again. A week had passed, and that was all she could think about. She would drive herself crazy soon if she kept this up.

     It was no use. Confined in the closed walls of her room, with no one for company but her own frantic thoughts. Suddenly pressure closed on Zelda's windpipes and she couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't think. 

     She wanted air. Just some fresh air. That wasn't too much to ask, was it? 

     Zelda pulled on her leather boots and tied up her messy hair. Without bothering to put on any of her jewelry, ornaments, fancy lace, she raced out of the stifling cell of a room and let her feet take over.