#ch.25

Robert shook his head in frustration, "You'll end up marrying her and I'll be there to tell you 'I told you so'."

They were nearing the end of the cave, and there was no sign of anything but babas and keese, Robert had kept on insisting that Zelda was practically waiting for Link to make a move, and Link was growing more and more frustrated by the minute. "Robert, for the hundredth time, Princess Zelda is a nice-"

"You do know she's called 'Ice Princess' for a reason, right?"

"Well, maybe I invite people to talk to me. You tried to kill me like a week ago and by now I know all your sappy backstory."

Robert put a hand to his chest, mock shock on his face, "Well," well, what? It was true. Blondie had a way with people, "Well, it doesn't change the fact that I can feel it."

Link squinted his eyes, tried to discern enemies in the dark, "It?" Robert had the gall to clean his throat, "Oh, for the love of Hylia, Robert-"

Robert curled his tongue, enjoyed Link's discomfort and said, "Love, buddy, lo-"

A metalic sound, impossible to be natural, echoed throughout the walls that surrounded Link and Robert.

A second, and Robert found his voice, "Did you-"

Link shushed Robert, "Yeah, I heard it, too. Lower the lantern's light, keep quiet and follow me."

Robert's hand trembled, the sound had been faint, but it had been from a sword. No doubt. A sword, for Hylia's sake.

Link waited for Robert to catch up, "Hey, just stay behind me and I'll take care of it."

Robert nodded, then grabbed Link, "You get stabbed and I'll run away, I swear."

Link smirked, "Sure, as fast as you can."

Link advanced, sword and shield in hand. Robert was silent - Link was not thanking the monster in his head - and Link could feel excitement run through his body.

"You're smirking, you sick bastard."

Link got close to Robert, "Maybe I'm happy not everyone back in the castle is a liar."

Robert nodded. Point taken. "Well, let's see your magic."

A three-minute walk away and Link could start to smell and see the streaks of smoke in the rooftop.

"Do they have a fucking fire going on?"

"You can do fires inside caves if you keep them small enough."

Robert hummed a worry-filled agreement.

Link repeated, "Yeah, they are dangerous, which is why you gotta keep them small."

"Okay," Robert was not convinced. "Why didn't we make a fire, then?" Robert had been cold.

"Because they're a hassle and we had a lantern."

"I was cold."

"Sorry?" Link then shook his head, "You should've told me."

Robert remembered the way Link had given an edge to his words, the way Link had looked dangerous with closed eyes, "Yeah, well, you were pretty pissed."

Link was starting to hear a distinct murmur getting closer, and he remembered their conversation, "Ah, right. You were spying on me."

"I mean," Robert made a shrug that Link couldn't see, "Everyone is."

Link sighed, "Well, be a pal and tell me what they know."

"Am I gonna get like friendship points?"

"You're gonna move from the 'I do not trust you' group to the 'He has been honest and is trying to change his attitude' one. Your choice."

Robert made a silence just to spite Link, he had been planning on telling him anyways, "Just so you know, everything I've been telling you is because you have been nice with me."

"Is that the way to your heart?"

Robert made as if he was thinking, "I think so. Don't go telling everyone, though."

Link pointed to a baba spot, Robert eyed the space with disgust, "Yeah, ok, so. They think you have nightmares, and I say think because even though there have been like three maids who said so, you look menacing enough for people to doubt it."

Link frowned, menacing? Him?

"They also know you're and orphan, that you are fairly good with the sword and shield, that Her Majesty has been overly nice with you, and that a maid has been trying to get into your pants to no avail."

Link blushed and turned.

"Ooh, nice reaction."

"So they spy on me all day long?"

"Sure they do, they wouldn't want to miss anything to blackmail you."

Link remembered Zelda in his room, Zelda holding his hand. A cold shiver ran down his spine. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, now I'm not allowed inside the itty bitty details since, you know, I'm a Castle now, but that was everything they knew back then."

Link nodded. Well, if Zelda hadn't told him anything then they didn't know, "They have too much free time."

Robert snickered, "You're the new toy. As I said, give them time and you'll lose your enticiness."

Link shushed Robert.

"Are you blushing? I meant enticiness as in-"

Link covered Robert's mouth with his hand, pointed to the winding wall in front of them. The fire's light painted the cave orange.

"Turn off the lantern and keep behind me."

Link crouched a little, there was no sound aside from the fire's cackling. Was it night outside? No way, maybe midday. If these were the monsters who roamed at night then of course they would sleep at this hour, though.

"The fuck is that?"

Link glared at Robert who was pointing to one of the monsters down there.

"Shut up." Robert whined and looked up as if asking for providence. Link looked down again, a rather small group, twenty, maybe? And were those? Link realised what had scared Robert, "They're lizalfos." And the others were bulblins. All of them. Link frowned, he had defeated King Bulblin before his fight with Ganondorf, King Bulblin had respected Link's strenght and had promised to stop fighting. Him and all of his followers.

Robert repeated the name in silence. More like creepy reptiles, green and weird and with swords. Nightmarish.

"I'm gonna go while they're asleep. The only ones who could pose a threat are the lizalfos, they're quick and clever. Hide behind a rock and don't even breath if they're near."

Robert's pulse was going a mile an hour, not even while training for becoming a knight had he felt like this. "Can I scream?"

Link pinpointed the lizalfos place and then turned, "Only if you're about to die. I'll rush to you."

Oh, Link was a goddess send. Oh, Link was so nice and brave.

And when Robert hid and Link made sure he could not be seen, Link jumped.

Link fell soundless, he had made sure he grabbed his sword and shield tightly to prevent them from clanking. Link tiptoed through the monsters, they were sound asleep, one snored loudly and made Link stop in his tracks. He was near, a couple more steps and he would-

One bulblin stretched his leg and touched Link's. Link eyed the bulblin with his breath held. The bulblin scratched his head, mumbled in it's unintelligible language and looked to Link's direction, to a crouched hylian armed with weapons, and he died with the start of a scream.

Link cut the bulblin's head off and ran to the fire. While the monsters started to wake up one of them went to attack Link with his fists closed. In a swift motion, Link cut the bulblin's hand and then slashed at his body in an upward move. Link started to hear the quack of the lizalfos and he hurried to put out the fire. Dirt and stomps, and now all of the bulblins were screaming, confused and being easy targets.

Link danced through the monster camp, was able to kill one of the three lizalfos that seemed to lead the group. When the bulblins were scarce and the two remaining lizalfos were zooming in on Link, Link rummaged through his pocket and grabbed a deku nut.

A blinding light shone in between them and the monsters covered their eyes. Link felled the two lizalfos while they were swinging their words blindly. The three bulblins left were grumbling and wiping at their eyes.

Robert saw the fire go out and had to ate the scream on his throat. He felt tempted to glance to the battle but the fear of being detected won over. It was kind of funny, Robert would have never thought that this was a situation he would ever have to live. The moment Robert started to hear the gurgling shouts of the monsters, the screeches of the reptiles and the desperate screams that came from the monsters... Robert felt a shiver run through his spine. When a deku nut exploded, Robert turned a little, let his head be seen from there, just enough for him to see Link. Link, who was practically plodding to the remaining monsters, one hand its hands up in surrender, and Link made quick work of them.

Robert turned to his previous position, his pulse quick. He had never been so scared before.

Zelda grabbed her arms, looked out the window. She had been playing with her memories these past days, with her dreams and hopes. Had she lost something along the way? Zelda knew for a fact that the common folk would say that she had lost her smile, her happines, her vibrant personality. Zelda had thought it slanders and lies, a carefully crafted machination to make her give up. It hadn't worked, it had only fueled her up. It had only-

The door opened without a knock and Zelda knew that it was William.

"Tim is asking to have Link train some guards when he comes back, and-"

Zelda didn't move.

"Something wrong?"

A lot of things, actually, but nothing that could be said so freely, really. Nothing that Zelda could really say to William, either. Not when he had given up so much for her. Zelda sighed and turned, "I'm tired."