The Twilight Princess

Seventeen

"Right through here." The Twilight Princess guided Zoey to the very back of the palace. "I don't see anything," Zoey said, staring blankly at an empty land that went for miles on. The princess couldn't help but smile. "Not yet you do." With a flick of her wrist, a large green and pink door suddenly appeared in front of them. It was covered with thorny vines and pink roses. "After you," She said. Zoey stepped in front of her, studying the door. "Well, go in!" The princess exclaimed with excitement.

Zoey opened the door and stepped through. For a second, all she could see on the other side was a bundle of light. Then it started to fade, revealing the most extraordinary and beautifully breathtaking garden she had ever seen.

She gasped. "It's.....It's beautiful!" She took her coat off and tied it around her waist, as it was now a lot warmer. It was like stepping into a whole other world. Bees happily buzzed around, collecting nectar from lilies, tulips, roses, hibiscuses, and various other flowers around the garden.

Zoey turned to the Twilight Princess. "What is this place?" She asked in amazement. "The last place I was ever truly happy," replied the princess. She glided over to a nearby bench by a pond and sat down. Zoey sat down next to her.

"It was created especially for me by my former true love," she explained. "We used to come here every day. Whether it was taking a lovely stroll by the creek, or feeding the birds, or smelling the roses, this was our safe haven. A place to escape to. A place where we could just be alone and enjoy ourselves."

Zoey looked up at her. "What happened to him?"

The princess looked down at her palms. "He's gone. Forever. Never coming back. This is the only thing I have to remember him."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago though. Like, 1,000 years ago. Somewhere around there. I've learned to move on."

"It looks like you haven't." Zoey spotted a giant pile of red roses off in the corner, under a large weeping willow tree. "What's that?"

The princess looked up at it. "Every year on his birthday, as well as the day we met and the day he first showed me this place, I place a red rose under the willow. They were his favorite. They're my favorite too. He used to say that they represented strength, courage, and beauty, just like my name. He gave me one every time we came here." She shed a single tear.

"I bet he was a wonderful man."

"He was. He really, really was." She stood up. "Feel free to explore this place. I'll be right back." She walked towards the willow. Zoey smiled as she did. Maybe the Twilight Princess wasn't so awful after all.

......

Drip. Drip. Aria's eyes ever so slowly flew open. Drip. Drip. She tried to sit up, but was being restrained somehow. She looked down at her hands. Bloody shackles chained them to the brick wall. For a moment, she felt so light headed that she couldn't remember what had happened. She scanned her surroundings. She was in a cell. The dungeons. The palace.

Am I....alive? In the dungeons? Is this for real? She thought. She could've sworn that she wouldn't survive the bombing. But somehow, strangely, it turned out she had.

"Oh good. You're awake."

Startled, Aria looked up past the bars of her cell. Standing right outside the bars was Darkini. "It's time to get you out of here," he said. He took his sword and swung it across the bars, and they suddenly burst into a bunch of purple flames, disappearing just like magic.

Dazed, Aria tried to keep her eyes open. "Why...why are you doing this?" She stuttered. She could barely keep her voice—let alone thoughts—straight.