Fall out
LINK POV
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!!
I guess that means I have to get up and go eat breakfast… or try at least, I am still not completely recovered from the Princess's personal brand of nourishment. I don't know what I was thinking, it was a small bite but it did a lot of damage, my stupid ass JUST HAD to make sure if she was really going to kill me.
Link gets out of bed, gets himself dressed in a simple tunic and some breeches, grabs his cellphone and stores it, then washes his mouth and heads to Nana's kitchen for some breakfast. He stops in front of Zelda's door; he grins and was about to knock on her door but stops himself.
What the fuck am I doing? This is NOT the way… I want her to suddenly realize her plan failed, and have to fake a smile to keep appearances, THAT IS THE WAY. I should hurry downstairs; I need to make sure my girls will stay away from the castle… I need them to be safe.
Link turns and continues down the stars towards Nana's kitchen. Once he reaches the kitchen, he looks around hoping that she is not there… but finds her serving what appears to be soup.
"HELLO THERE" he yells waving his hand at Nana, she smiles back at him.
"I thought you were going to skip the guard's breakfast today, with the ball preparations and all, I was sure you were gonna be too tired to wake up early and come" Nana tells him.
"Why would I miss it? I need your cuisine if I want to survive the ball" he tells her very seriously but avoiding eye contact.
"HAHAHAHA, stop being so dramatic, you are going to do just fine"
Link sighs if only…
"You are not the main cook Ivanna, and the guards are gone because of the ball, why are you still here?" Please just go, you don't have to be here, it's not safe, JUST GO.
"I was thinking about taking the day as suggested by the butler, but I can't leave my 4 big boys without food, I stayed to cook breakfast and prepare a small treat for later"
"4 boys?" Link asks her a little jealous
"3 guards that stay today to protect the King, but they will be disguised, and YOU of course"
She stayed because the idea of leaving us hungry bothered her? She needs to set her priorities straight. She wakes up early EVERY DAY for them, she is allowed to be selfish today, isn't she?... NO, that would not be her, she is a mother in soul and in practice, if we let her, she will baby ALL of us, and smack us if she feels like we need it.
Nana continues "And now I was thinking that maybe I should stay, it's the ball… somebody may need help, I will gladly help even the Cook if he asks me, unlikely because he hates me, but one can only dream"
Link looks at her directly in the eyes "Ivanna… leave, take this as a day off, go visit somebody or do whatever, but don't stay, you already work hard and long hours, let the rest of the workers earn their salary, LEAVE"
"OH, WOW… sounds like YOU don't want me here, and I thought you and I were" Link interrupts her rant by hugging her, this makes Nana stop talking immediately.
Link sighs "You are right, I don't want you to be here today, enjoy your free day, and sleep well because I want to try some beef liver or heart tomorrow" he releases her from his hug, and smiles.
Nana looks at Link with curiosity and suspicion, then releases a sigh "all right, I will leave if that makes you happy, right after breakfast of course, its beef gut in green salsa, how much do I serve you?" she says happily grabbing the ladle.
"As much as can be spared, I really need it" Link answers her
Specially since I emptied my stomach several times yesterday.
Nana gives him a BIG serving, and Link repeats that 3 more times praising Nana on the flavor, she just stares at him trying to decipher something, he kept avoiding her gaze.
"You are clearly not angry with me, why do you want me out of the castle? Was it something I did? or are you trying to DO something?" Nana asks with an inquisitive gaze.
Link struggles finding something to say when she just burst out laughing LOUDLY.
"ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO SURPRISE ME? Hahahaha, I love surprises hun, a promotion will be nice, but to what? I don't want to take Rolo's spot as the main cook, he has a family to support. I am fine where I am, so DON'T do that. What else could you possibly… OMG!!! It's my casserole is it not? You DID get me a new one? How big is it? no don't answer, I will come tomorrow and act all surprised"
Link just half smiles and places his index finger across his mouth winking at her. Nana finishes her breakfast exited, and prepares to leave after hugging Link good bye.
I hate lying, if there is one deed I take pride on, is my word. I don't lie, I mean what I say, and I keep my promises… but I am not feeling bad about letting Nana believe a lie right now, as long as she stays away from the castle and safe. I have to think of something witty to tell Chacha, she has to leave too. The last thing I need is a distraction… worrying for their safety IS A DISTRACTION, I need them both safe and away from here ASAP.
He starts going up the stars to his room when he hears a low scream, looking up he finds Zelda at the top of the stairs staring at him in shock, he just smiles at her and continues to climb the stairs, once he reaches the top, he stops right next to the princes and leans close to her hear to whisper.
"A little too high on the arsenic, I noticed on the first bite and threw it all away, good job on sprinkling it on the food without anyone noticing" he says and continues heading to his room.
I WISH I could have noticed on the first bite; I am lacking on that part of my training, all I did was eat a small piece and wait half an hour to see if it was safe, but she does not need to know that.
"Why… why can't you just fucking die?" Zelda mumbles after Link's retreating figure, not expecting him to hear of course, but he does… surprising her when he suddenly stops and turns to glare at her.
"Why indeed" Link answers, sadness pouring out of him, puzzling Zelda. Then the door to his room opens shocking both of them, and out came his young maid.
"OH, you are here already, come and see what I did to your closet"
Chacha tells Link with a prideful grin as she pulls him inside his room closing the door. Once inside hell, Link rubs his temples.
"Chacha, today is going to be a LONG day, whatever you did… I forgive you" Link says as he pats on the head holding his mocking grin.
Chacha squints at him and slowly mouths: ¨FUCK YOU¨, then grabs him by the edge of his tunic and pulls him in front of the closet to show him her work.
"TA-DA!!!" Chacha exclaims as she opens the closet door, everything seemed neatly arranged, all the chest were no longer on the floor, but accommodated on shelves and with tags attached to them.
Link whistles as he enters to inspect.
"I had not noticed the shelves, or did you bring them here?" Link asks her.
"NO, I am strong but not THAT strong, they were here already, you just missed them because you are obviously blind, or got overwhelmed seeing everything misplaced and on the floor... cuz you know, men are weak that way" she tells him mocking back.
Link chuckles at the comment "Maybe that is why… the writing on the tags looks odd, like done by a toddler, when where they done and by whom?" Link says looking at the tags an laughing a little
Chacha frowns irate "yesterday, by ME with a hammer and a pointy rock" she says folding her arms and shifting her gaze to a side.
HOLLY MOTHER OF… she did them cave man stile? Damn... my comment may have hurt her ego.
"I didn't mean… the tags are beautiful" Link tells her apologetic.
"Pff, like I am going to believe that, DONE by a TODDLER you said, be grateful you CAN read the doodles of an illiterate maid who was trying her best to…" she immediately shut up when she sees Link bending on a knee in front of her.
I SWEAR I did not plan ANY of this… maybe the goddesses ARE on my side this time. This is just too perfect, I accidentally insulted her, now I just need to sweeten her ears, and maybe bribe her with an off day. She is a proud girl; she will take the bait and leave. DID SHE SAID SHE IS ILITERATE?
"I am terribly sorry if my comment insulted your hard work, you were not obligated to do it, it's not part of your job description, I just asked for it and you took care of it like the incredible and amazing friend you are, I just hope you find it in your heart to forgive me" Link tells her still on a knee, Chacha's face is red with embarrassment.
"By Din's flame please just stand up, this brings me shame, why do you keep punishing me" Chacha whines.
Link stands up chuckling.
"Fair, I don't want to punish you further… I must ask though; how did you do the tags If you can't read or write?"
Chacha exhales loudly at the memory "I… asked Maco for the wood pieces, he is a nosy little bugger, so I ended up telling him what I was going to use them for, he wrote the names of each tag I was going to use in a piece of paper, I just did my best to copy it."
Maco? Who the fu… [young boy with glasses smiling and shaking his hand] MACO!!!, I forgot about him damn it.
"Looks like he did us a solid, I should thank him before the ball"
I need to get him out of here too
"Maybe tomorrow or next week, he is just here for a couple of hours since he is not an official worker, so he is not coming today to avoid judgment from nobles"
OH YEAH, he had informed me of his particular training schedule. Link don't let anxiety cloud your head, FOCUS.
"All right, I will thank him later… this must have taken a lot from you" Link gives her a side glance with a half-smile "I am actually very proud"
"You better be, you have NO IDEA how hard it was to try to hammer letters I had never written; I deserve a reward" Chacha says raising her chin with pride
"You are absolutely right" Link reaches to open his desk's drawer and grabs a purple rupee "you have the day off… also take this and buy something nice for yourself, or use it as you please" he says throwing the rupee at Chacha, who grabs it midair and open her eyes wide once she looks at it.
"Ar… are you serious?" Chacha asks incredulous
"Not good enough?" Link grabs another purple rupee and throws it at Chacha who quickly grabs it
"DON'T DO THAT! My salary is good enough already, you insult me by offering money" she says stressed
Link takes a deep breath and stares at her with anger "YOU DESERVE A REWARD, this is the only reward I can currently offer, you don't deny it, you shut up and accept it with gratitude, unless you want to offend ME" Link says faking being insulted
Chacha looks down at her hands currently holding 100 rupees, then back at Link and mouths ´I HATE YOU´ but she still walks up to Link and hugs him "Good Luck today, just don't bite any heads off and everything should be fine" she then turns leaving the room.
Link breaths in deeply once he is alone in hell, relief evident in his facial expression, then walks towards his closet, reads the tags searching for the chest that holds the Jackets.
Found them, THANK YOU SO MUCH CHACHA, the fact that she was able to pull this off, despite being illiterate juts adds value to the feat. Now I should choose what I am going to wear, there is brown-red, dark-grey, dark-blue, black, brown and a yellowish green. Dead leaf green… it's fitting, if I die today, I will be wearing my patron goddess's color.
Link starts to dress up, puts on a white inner tunic, then the breeches and jacket. Lastly, he puts on a belt and shoes that combine with the umber gloves he refuses to take off. He then looks at his image in the mirror behind the closet's door. The attire reassembles a high rank military uniform, Martin must have been inspired by the specifications he requested, or maybe it was just easier to pull off with this cut in mind. The silver embroidery made Link's grey eyes stand out even more, giving him a dangerous vibe.
I am ready for the fall out.