The King had taken the news much as the Princess had anticipated; a nationwide manhunt for her lover had now commenced in full force. Even Impa had had no idea that their ruler would take the news with such fierceness.
There was a knock at the door. Hara stirred, groaning as she flipped to face the other direction in her bed. “Who is it?”
“We are Hylian soldiers sent by the King.” Hara shot awake, her heart beginning to race as she listened to the stern voice outside her door.
“We mean you no harm, we have been asked to search every home in Hyrule for the presence of someone. We are to leave his identity secret, but he is wanted by the King for various reasons, please allow us in and we will soon be on our way.”
Hara, though still frightened, thought for a moment and then got up, quickly running to the other room. “Hey! Soldier guy!” She stopped next to the bed where Link lye sleeping, his head wrapped in bandages, and began to shake him. “Wake up!” Another knock came from the door.
“We will have to enter by force should you not open up.” The voice of the Hylian soldier was scaring the girl even more now.
“Wake up! Wake up! There are these weird guys here who want me to let them in!”
He stirred, reaching beside him, his fingers seeming to search around for a moment before he finally opened his eyes. Awareness returned to him and he sat up, “What…is it…” He spoke to her through a yawn, though thinking to himself, a bit embarrassed, how unconscious it had become for him to find and touch his princess in the mornings as he woke. She always seemed to be up before him, yet he always seemed to find her snuggled up closely to him when he woke, she never getting out of bed until he was there to rise with her. He thought dazedly for a moment, wondering why…
BAM! The door shot open, causing Link to jump and return to reality. He stood frantically as he heard Hara let out a small scream of fear. “There he is!” He heard one of them shout as they stormed into the room, suddenly grabbing him by the arms.
“What are you doing!” Link yelled and began struggling furiously as one of the two powerful men began tying a rope tightly and painfully around his wrists, binding them together, Hara simply staring in shocked horror as they drug him out the door.
--
“You lost her!?” Impa's voice echoed through the glowing blue room shortly after she had reappeared.
“We just got up this morning and she was gone! We don't know where she went!” Nabooru's voice sounded hysterical as she shouted back from across the room.
“It's true! She wasn't even conscious when we went to sleep last night…” Rauru looked at the floor as he said the words.
“This is serious people! The King was angry that I left my post as is, and now his daughter is missing again? You people are…you are so…such…” The old woman was stammering for a word that was halfway suitable for someone of her age and status to be uttering.
What began as an argument soon exploded into a verbal death match as Impa failed her search for an “appropriate” word and let a few less-than-sagely things slip.
Back to Part 12 | Continue to Part 14
