A Shed of Hope

Chapter Tweleve: Link

I walk down the corridor to my room, skipping on my feet. In just a few hours, I will be down in the ballroom with Zelda next to me. I can't wait to see her dress, and I bet she can say the same thing about my suit. However, before that can happen, I have to get in it first. That’s what I'm going to do as soon as I get inside my room, get ready for the ball.

            I don’t hear anything, though suddenly I pushed up against the wall once again. I don’t even try to break free of Ganondorf’s grip; I'm going to let him speak with me. Once that’s over, maybe then I’ll be able to just go about my business. I look up into his yellow eyes once again, though he doesn’t stop at pinning me against the wall. Saying no words, he opens a closet door that just happens to be next to us, and shoves me in. I tumble to the ground amidst the buckets and mops, landing with my but on the ground.

            “Just to make this clear,” Ganondorf says through the now-closed door. “Zelda is mine, not yours!” I hear the sound of the door locking and Ganondorf say one more thing. “Try to get out of that if you can.” I hear his footsteps travel down the hall and out of hearing range.

            Great, just great! There's no other way to describe the situation. I look around the dark closet and see nothing but blackness. Getting clumsily to my feet, I feel my way to the door, tripping over buckets and broom handles in the process. Feeling the door, I dig in my boot and find the handle of the knife I bought that day in Castle Town. Ever since that day, I haven’t gone anyway without it, even inside the castle. Taking it in my hand, I find the lock on the door. Using the sharp end of the knife, I shove it in the keyhole and twist it around, waiting for the click that means that the door is unlocked. I eventually hear it and open the door. Nobody is around, so I hurry to my room to get ready. That only took a half hour out of my time.

            Back in my own room, a couple of Zelda’s helpers help me to get ready. In the end, I look at myself in the mirror of the bathroom. I wear a white suite with a hard blue around the collar and the cuffs of my sleeves. There's also a line of hard blue thread down the middle of my sleeves and the legs of my pants. Hard blue buttons line the front of my suite, making the suite have a splash of color here and there. The dress shoes I wear are silver, and while the girls aren't looking, I slip my knife into them so I won't be so defenseless if something goes wrong. I look at the way the white suit with splashes of blue here and there make the blue of my eyes stand out more. I never knew fashion could do that to a person.

            A couple minutes later, I wait for Zelda at the end of her hallway. I'm supposed to be her escort to the ballroom. When she finally steps out of her room with Impa trailing her, I'm at a loss for words. Her hair falls around her shoulders in waves; her dress is lower on the neck than what I'm used to, and her dress ends just below her knees. That’s something any boy would fall head over heels for.

            “Hi,” she says, looking me up and down. “You look great!”

            “So do you,” I reply, offering my arm. She takes it, hooking her arm around mine as we head down the grand staircase and to the ballroom.

            “Have fun, you two,” Impa calls after us. We both look behind us and call back at the same time.