A Shed of Hope

Chapter Four: Link

"Ganondorf," the princess screams, but the man is already out of the room. I'm left alone, standing in the middle of the throne room, still clutching my stomach, which throbs after the punch that man, Ganondorf, the one who kidnapped me, gave me. I do my best to ignore the pain, as it has already started to fade, and straighten myself, keeping my eyes on the ground.

            During that one moment that I let my eyes sweep the room, I found out that other than myself, Estrella, and Ganondorf, there is only two other people in the room. I was shocked at how Ganondorf was bringing me towards the princess, the princess of Hyrule and only heir to the throne. I've heard the rumors about her, about how beautiful she is, but I never truly believed them until now. During that moment when I surveyed my surroundings, I saw the princess standing there and didn't know what to think. During that glance I saw that her dress was white with a pink vest lined with gold lace. Her arms are covered with long, white gloves and her shoulders are covered with gold shoulder plates. What looks like an apron is tied around her waist, but it's blue and bares the Hylian royal crest, a bird with three golden triangles in between its wings.  The trim of her dress is lined with golden swirls and triangles, making the dress all the more elegant. Her golden hair was draped around her shoulders and on her head was a golden head-dress, which would blend in with her hair if it wasn't for the jewels lining the bottom of it, which were green, red, and blue. Her eyes were also a deep sea blue, the kind of blue that is hard not to fall in love with.

            How did I pick all that up so fast? I don't know. But now that Ganondorf has said what he wanted with me, it seems that he wants me to be the princess's personal servant. Just great, I'm going to be the servant of some power spoiled brat. Personally, I haven't heard any rumors about her personality, though most of the princes and princess I hear about from foreign countries are blinded by their power and take advantage of it, never being kind to those of lower status than them.

            I stay where I am, gazing at the princess and the elderly woman standing next to her through my bangs, which are in desperate need of a wash and a trim. The princess glares at the door Ganondorf left through for a few more moments before directing her attention to me. All at once, I see the anger and coldness gone from her eyes. It's like she's a totally different person now. She walks down the steps and paces over to me, the woman following closely behind her. I shift my gaze to the floor once more, not really sure what to do. What do you do when a man who kidnapped you brings you to the princess of the kingdom and demands that you be her personal servant? The answer: no one knows.

            I see the edge of the princess's dress as she stops right in front of me. She says nothing, but I feel her fingers on the edge of my chin, guiding my head up to look her in the eyes. Her touch is soft and warm, gentle and not demanding. I do look at her, and see that her eyes are filled with kindness, warmth, and a little pity. She removes her fingers from my chin, though I still feel a shadow of them once they are gone. I want to move my gaze to the ground again, but this time I continue to look at the princess, knowing that that is what she wants me to do.

            She's the first one to break the silence. "I'm sorry about the circumstances of which you were brought here; Ganondorf does not treat others kindly unless they can do something for him. I am Zelda, princess of Hyrule. And you are?"

            "Link," I say quietly, nervous and not believing that Princess Zelda is standing right in front of me and speaking to me personally.