Ryan ran until she was out of breath. By now it was sunup. She went far and deep into the woods nearby. She looked behind her. No one followed her. She continued to run, but since she looked back, she didn't see a branch in her path and she tripped on her face. She fell on her left cheek. The ground was muddy and there were a few leaves sticking out.
But Ryan didn't care because what she saw was terrifying. There was a strand of hair sticking out of her cover. It wasn't white. Heart racing, she quickly got to her feet and ran to a nearby pond.
She was on her knees, looking at her reflection in the water. With shaking hands, she slowly pulled off her cover, revealing strand upon strand of dark brown hair. She screamed and grabbed her hair. It wasn't the brilliant white anymore. She was…normal.
She never had the thought or even the need to want to be normal. She was fine the way she was. And she was happy the way she was. She had her sight back and now she didn't have to hide anything. But that wasn't the life she was used to.
Ryan got to her feet. She looked through the thicket and saw smoke in the sky. There must've been a nearby village. She went towards the place it was billowing from. There was a cluster of houses about with many people outside. Judging by their apparel, Ryan knew much of them were travelers. It seemed that the village served as a safe haven for refugees of some sort. The whole place seemed to be bustling and disorganized.
As soon as Ryan stepped into the place, everyone shot glances at her; especially the women, who, Ryan noticed, all had garbs to cover their faces. Of course she'd meet people that also concealed who they really were just as she had no reason to.
A man approached her. He was young and well built. He reminded her of James. iOh James…I hope you're alright…./i Ryan thought when she saw this man. "Are you a traveler or a refugee?" he asked. His voice was warm and sincere, but it was also firm and unyielding. She clutched her head covering in her hands.
Ryan thought it best to not let on she needed a place to stay. "I'm a traveler," she said, looking straight at him. The sun was in her eyes and made her look down again. She wasn't used to being able to see.
"Travelers can congregate over there," said the man, pointing over to a group of people sitting on rocks and talking. She walked over there. Everyone seemed to be bustling with eachother, but one person sat alone. He was dressed in black and he looked around her age. He didn't look hostile, but he was sitting alone. She approached him.
"Is anyone sitting here?" she asked, making a kind gesture.
"No, miss," said the young man. "It's nice to have company."
Ryan sat on the large rock beside him. "So you're a traveler too?" she asked.
"Yes. I am looking for someone that is of great importance to my well-being," said the young man. He had a pack at his side. It didn't look large at all.
"You certainly are traveling light."
"I don't need much. I find things along the way to sustain my health."
As he said this, Ryan noticed he hadn't turned to look at her yet. But she didn't want to pry. She just tried to keep talking. "So you're by yourself?"
"Indeed. Are you?"
"Yes. But…it's not something that I was prepared for."
The young man leaned back on the rock to look behind Ryan. He pulled up forward again. "You're not carrying anything at all. Why is that?"
"My traveling was unexpected. It was only yesterday I celebrated my birthday."
"Birthday? Let me guess…fifteen? Sixteen?"
"I'm fifteen, yes."
"Thought as much. You're around my age. But it's not safe to be traveling alone. And you're going to have to leave here soon."
"What do you mean?"
"Travelers aren't allowed residency for more than a night in this village. Unless you can prove you're a refugee, you're not allowed to stay long."
"So they'll just kick you out?"
"I know it seems harsh, but traveling is a lifestyle, not an inconvenience. Space is scarce in these turbulent times. There is a war going on in the world over. You can guess that there are people that have come a long way just to be safe."
Ryan nodded. "I guess that makes sense. But I do wonder though…"
"Hm?"
"Why do all of the women wear coverings over their faces?"
"It is law here. The only reason you're not forced to wear one is because you're merely passing by. The princess that rules over here demands that all women cover themselves. I know it's treason to speak of this, but I believe she doesn't want anyone's beauty to be admired more than hers."
"The princess demanded this?"
"Yes. I can't remember her name…they don't speak it much here…I believe it was Lia. Yes, Princess Lia."
Ryan felt the blood drain from her face. She knew she looked pale. So the ones that took her companions were being ruled by the same person as in this village. It all made sense now. "Do you agree with any of it?" asked Ryan.
"I'm merely a traveler. I don't understand much of the things here. For all we know it's just their way of life. But personally, as one on the outside looking in," the young man leaned to his side and whispered in Ryan's ear, "I find it rather ridiculous."
"I have been affected directly by this ruler. She unlawfully took my friends to their castle. That's why I am here. I barely escaped."
The young man slowly nodded. "So this is a personal issue then?"
"Yes." Still, the young man did not turn to face her directly. She could only see his profile, even though she was looking right at him. He had deep gray eyes and thick jet black hair. It was kind of messy.
"How are you planning on getting your friends back?" he asked.
"I don't think I'll be able to. Something is telling me that I should wait here and that they'll find their way back to me on their own."
She saw him frown. "That's not the way to handle it. From what I've gathered about you, you've come from far away. And you're not used to being separated from your friends. They must be powerful enough for you to believe they'll make it back here. I'm not saying they won't. But sometimes you have to let go of doubt and take matters into your own hands."
"…are you suggesting I go after them? That I go to the castle and get them out all by myself?"
For the first time since they started talking, the young man faced her. "Not by yourself…" he smiled.
Ryan didn't have time to properly react for when she was about to, three people sat down beside them. There were two girls and one boy. They all appeared to be related. "So you're travelers too?" one of them asked as she sat down on the ground.
Ryan nodded and the young man just hummed a yes, looking down. They were all clad in outrageous clothing. One would think they were in a circus of some sort. But Ryan didn't say much. She had on layer upon layer of purple garbs to conceal herself.
"We hail from many places," said the girl again. Her short brown pigtails swayed as she talked. The ribbons used to hold them in place held dangling beads. She was adorned with many beads and other ridiculous accessories. "We spent much of our lives in a circus."
Ryan smiled at the fact that she thought right. She looked at the other two. They had on different styles of clothing. The male had on a white tunic with a black under garment. The other girl had a large ponytail behind her head. Like her companion, she was adorned with many ribbons rather than beads. Ryan was so fascinated by them that she didn't even notice that the girl was still talking.
"But we didn't like it there that much so we ran away," she continued. "What about you? Why are you here?"
Ryan shook her head slightly. "I am here on refuge; trying to find a way to save my friends."
"Oh where're my manners?" She motioned for her companions to gather around. "This is my brother, Ryo." He waved and smiled shyly. "And this is my sister Rain." The girl grinned widely and waved. "And I'm Raye. We're triplets."
Ryan knew something was going on between them. So they were all related just as she thought. "Nice to meet you all," she said. "I'm Ryan."
"Ah, another R name. Isn't that nice?" said Raye.
The young man beside Ryan didn't say anything. She turned to him. "So…if I understand correctly: you're going to help me find my friends?"
The young man opened his mouth, about to speak but was cut off by Rain. "You're looking for your friends? Maybe we can help. Where did they go?" asked Rain.
"They were taken by the princess of this kingdom."
Ryan felt the boy beside her clasp her mouth shut forcefully. "Keep your voice down," he looked directly in her eyes. They were so deep. Just by looking into them, she could see as much as from when she was blind. The boy certainly had been through a lot. But without her powers, she wouldn't be able to see it at all. "Although you are a voice of reason around here, this is law to these people. We don't even know if these three are for or against this princess." His hand continued to clasp over Ryan's mouth. She nodded slowly.
He released her slowly. He was intense, but at least he was looking out for her. "You don't need to worry about that," said Rain, hearing him. "We came from far away and princess or not, taking someone is never okay."
The boy looked back at Rain. He looked her up and down. "Alright, I suppose some help wouldn't be so bad." He stood and picked up his pack. Ryan saw that he had two blades at his side. "It is too risky to say much here." He pointed to a small clearing back in the woods. "Meet me there later tonight and I can tell you my strategy." He walked away.
"Wait!" Ryan called as she stood up. "Will you not stay?"
He didn't look back when he said, "I'll meet you there. There're some things I want to do." He waved his hand.
The villagers were kind enough to give Ryan and the three siblings tea. No one inquired about the appearance of the young man. It was probably due to the fact that there were so many lost people trying to find where to go. Ryan stared at her reflection in the tea. She didn't even get his name. She'll have to ask him next time she got the chance.
When dusk came around, everyone in the village geared up to go to sleep. Even the three siblings did the same. The moon was high and bright. Someone could easily read in the given light there was. Ryan didn't even sleep at all.
She noticed many people set up tents. Travelers all slept on the bare ground while refugees shared tents; some with as many as ten people in them. Ryan anxiously waited for everyone to settle down. It was deep into the night when she decided it was time. She gently awakened the three siblings.
Ryo forgot about the meeting but remembered as soon as he was reminded. Groggy, all three of them followed Ryan to the place the young man designated. They went far into the woods. On the way, Ryan started thinking that he had forgotten all about it. Her fears were put to rest when she saw a small fire in the distance ahead. She started jogging towards it.
She saw him sitting at the fire. "So you found me," he said. "I was beginning to worry that you've forgotten."
She shook her head. "Of course not," she said. She sat down near the fire. The three siblings did the same. "Alright, now that we're settled, I'm going to tell you my plan. First of all, we're going to do it tonight while it's still dark outside."
"Why so soon?" Raye yawned. "Why not wait until tomorrow night?"
"Because we don't know what they'll do to her friends in that time."
Ryan felt her heart sink. "You don't think they were…"
"Honestly, no," he said. "But you never know. For all we know they could be dead right now. Either way, the sooner we get them out, the better. I don't know much about this princess, but from what I hear, she's incredibly insecure and wouldn't hesitate to resort to drastic measures if it is in her best, selfish interest."
Ryan gave him an understanding nod. "Then what is your plan?"
"I spent the rest of today's afternoon trying to find out as much as I could about the area." He pulled out a piece of parchment. It appeared to be a crudely drawn map of the area. "The field beyond these woods, the place I suspect you came from, Ryan, is actually sparsely guarded. Although it will take time for them to find and get to you, staying in one place for too long isn't smart."
"My travel companions and I were sleeping when they were captured."
"That makes sense. An idiotic thing to do when out in the open. I will not pass judgment, but in the open you're an easy target."
Again, Ryan nodded in understanding.
"So what does that have to do with the princess? Do you even know where her castle is?" asked Rain.
"I can get a good idea." He pointed down at his map. "There seems to be a very heavily guarded, walled-off section at the foot of this small mountain. It loops off around to the ocean. With so many guards there, it only makes sense that this is where the Princess resides."
Ryan studied the map closely. "So we weren't very far from the castle when we went to sleep, were we?" she asked.
"Not very, no. But like I said, we have to get through this tonight before sunup. I don't know much of the internal structure of the place, but I can guess that once we're inside, we should be able to formulate a better plan."
"So what're we going to do?" asked Ryo. He seemed to be more impatient than his sisters.
The young man folded up his parchment and put it in his pack. "Ryan and I will do our best to infiltrate the castle. You three will help us by distracting much of the guards. I can tell that you are all skilled in evasive maneuvers from your experience in the circus. So I don't expect you to be captured. When you manage to escape the guards, I want you to go into the castle and find us. Can you do that?"
Raye and Rain seemed to be on board. But Ryo was reluctant. But eventually, he came around and nodded with approval. "This plan seems pretty flawed. It's very vague," said Ryo.
"Like I said, I wasn't able to find out much; just the direction we need to be headed." The boy handed the three a stick. "Light those on fire and run off in the field ahead of us. Someone is bound to see you. If we're lucky, all three of you. Most of them will all be centered on you three. This will be the opportune time for Ryan and me to run past them and make it to the castle. If any guards remain at their posts, Ryan and I should be able to take them on.
"In which time, if you are able to break free, I want you extinguish your torches and follow us inside."
The boy certainly was brave. Ryan wondered why he wanted to help her anyway. Then she remembered that she hadn't asked his name yet. She opened her mouth to try and ask, but was cut off by his voice again. "Okay, we need to go. We only have a few more hours until the sun comes up."
He stood up. The three lit their torches. The boy told them to run off in different directions holding them. He held Ryan back until after a few minutes when they ran. After enough time, they both ran over the field. They had covered a good distance when they heard a bell sounding in the distance. One of the siblings had been spotted!
Ryan was hesitant and slowed her pace, but the boy yanked her faster. He gave her a look that reassured her. It was all part of the plan anyway. In the darkness, they could see soldier drones heading in scattered directions. They could see the distant torch flames and the guards were heading in that direction.
Ryan looked behind her and noticed that they covered nearly that entire field. She was so anxious; she didn't even notice she was out of breath. But she had to keep going. They were up to the base of the rocky mountain. Ryan didn't see any guards, but if she still had her powers, she could at least see better in the dark.
The young man took out his two blades and held them in his hands. "Climb on my back," he said. Ryan did so and held on. He jumped with amazing airtime. The rocks were very large and it would've taken Ryan hours to climb over them. He jumped his way deep into the crevasses of the mountain. When they made their way around the small mountain, Ryan saw an amazing sight.
There was a large castle hidden in the mountains. It overlooked the gorgeous sea and she felt her heart sink. Her friends were in there. "There's where we need to be," he said. He let Ryan down. "Stay close to me." Ryan nodded. They inched their way toward the castle.
James, Zelda and Link were all brought in with chains. Their weapons were confiscated and they were brought into an amazing corridor of magnificent stature. It was black marble and had a golden ceiling. Zelda would've believed it was a Great Fairy's Fountain. The blue star-like paints on the wall made her feel like she wasn't far from home.
Zelda was put behind the two men. James and Link thought it odd that she wasn't put in the front. She was a princess after all. They made their way into a large throne room that far surpassed the opulence of her kingdom. The three were ordered to keep their heads down as they entered.
Zelda wanted more than anything to look up and see who their captor was, but she was forced to keep her gaze on the white marble floor. "The intruders were captured, Majesty," said the head guard. Zelda recognized his voice.
"Bring her to the front," said a seemingly distant voice. She was in such a daze she couldn't make it out too well. She felt the two guards at her side jerk her forward by her shoulders. She took a few steps, passing feet that belonged to the others. Finally, she was pushed forward and forced to get on her knees.
All the while, Link could hear this going on. He was becoming infuriated. If only he had his weapon!
"Look up to me!" said the Princess.
With only slight hesitation, she slowly raised her head up golden steps that led up to a massive throne. Her heart stopped when her gaze met the Princess'. Her eyes went wide. She was…so young. She was just a child. She couldn't have been past her 21st summer. She was probably not too much older than her.
"So, Princess Zelda," she said. Her voice was less intimidating now that she saw how old this girl was. "I must say I am flattered that you personally came to my kingdom to negotiate your soldiers' freedom." She smiled.
Zelda's mind was racing but then came to a halt. "Soldiers?" she asked, confused. "What soldiers?"
"Don't lie to me! You should know as well as any other that they are here!"
Zelda slowly shook her head. It was almost humorous but she didn't dare laugh. "I know naught of this. My companions and I were merely passing through."
"Well that may be 'just passing through'. That's exactly what they told me when they passed on my territory."
"Forgive me, Princess, but I do no have any idea what you're talking about."
An advisor dressed in scarlet to Princess Lia's right stepped up. "Your Highness, I believe she speaks the truth. Perhaps she really doesn't know," he said, timidly.
"Perhaps you're right, Shiro," she said. She turned her gaze back to Zelda. "As you should be aware of, Princess, there is a war occurring between your kingdom and some other country. A party of your men had been trespassing on my land and was apprehended many months ago.
"I have been keeping then here as prisoners and have sent numerous messengers to your kingdom in request for a negotiation for their freedom. When I was told that Hyrule's crown princess was on my soil, I had assumed that you were here on official duty to discuss this with me."
"I knew nothing of this. But I am glad I do now."
"So what do you have to give me in exchange for their freedom?"
Zelda was at a loss. She left everything behind in her kingdom when she fled. There was nothing she could give her. The mere fact she was asking was appalling to her. "I don't have anything. I am merely a refugee from Hyrule. I am not here on diplomatic duty."
Princess Lia narrowed her eyes. He gaze went back to an infuriated Link. Instantly she knew there was something more than a friendship he had with Zelda. She looked back at Zelda. She certainly was beautiful. "I have an idea." She motioned for a guard behind her forward. "She will work here as my servant. Princess or not, she did trespass on my territory. Dress her in rags and give her quarters, along with her friends, in the south wing."
The guards were beginning to take Zelda away when Link stepped forward to say something. "Your Highness, if it pleases the room, we are guilty of no crime," he said.
"Step forward," she said.
Link did so. He bowed on one knee. He lowered his head and was able to sneak a glance at Zelda to his right; still in the arms of the guards. He stood up again and looked up at her. "Perhaps there is something else you we can work out."
Princess Lia whispered into Shiro's ear, "Clearly he has a deep affection for this princess." Shiro nodded in agreement. "I don't care. She is not any example of beauty like I am." She turned back to Link. He was quite a catch. She knew he had a great attachment to Zelda, but if she could devise a way to get him in the palm of her hand, she would be without equal in terms of being desired.
"Unfortunately, I already ordered her to be my servant," she said. Link let out a frustrated sigh. "However, since I have said naught to you, I will allow you to discuss the circumstances of our negotiation."
"I suppose."
"Very well. Guards, take Princess Zelda and her other companion to their quarters. Dress them in proper servant attire and allow this person and I time to discuss the terms for their freedom."
Link approached her while walking up the stairs. "My name is Link," he said, slightly annoyed. He stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to see the guards taking Zelda and James away. "Wait! One more thing," he said. He didn't face the princess this time. He kept his gaze fixated on Zelda and James. "They aren't to be harmed or imprisoned like common criminals." He turned back to the princess. "Do I have your word on that?"
Princess Lia was amused. "You have my word that they will not be treated cruelly. But they are still to be my servants until I say otherwise. In the meantime, they will work on scrubbing the corridors. I suppose you should learn a thing or two about what your servants have to do, Princess Zelda."
Zelda could feel her eyes burning with anger. She almost lost control. She wanted nothing more than to break free of the guards. If she really wanted to, she could've. She could've run all the way up the stairs and socked her right in the face before the guards caught up with her. But she restrained herself and presented the poise and calm as a princess should.
James walked beside Zelda as they were led out of the large room. He leaned in close and tried to remain as quiet as possible. "Don't worry," he reassured. "I'm almost positive everything will be okay. At least we know Link is here and safe…but Ryan…"
Zelda put her hand on his shoulder. Her wrists were still chained. "I know she's fine," said Zelda. "She has her sight again. Hopefully she'll find someplace safe before she loses it again."
James gave her weak smile. This was the first time he really felt bad he wouldn't be able to protect her. Of course, she was strong-willed enough to take care of herself. But knowing that he was always there to catch her when she fell was calming.
They were led to a hallway behind the throne room. It was much smaller than the splendid corridors she saw when she came in. Zelda saw that this was probably where the servants went to get supplies and such. One of the guards grabbed a servant walking by. She was dressed in a crude brown dress that went just above her knees.
The guard whispered something in her ear. She nodded and the guards relinquished James and Zelda. "Follow me," said the woman. Her voice was harsh. Her hair was brown and tangled and dirty. Zelda saw that her face had angelic features and that could be very beautiful. But she knew that never would be in that crude dress and tangled hair.
The young servant couldn't have been much older than Ryan. Maybe she was even younger; not past her 13th summer. She led them down the small corridor and brought them up to a closet to the side. She pulled out a similar brown dress for Zelda. "This is what you're going to wear," she said.
"What do I wear?" asked James, noticing she didn't pull out anything for him.
"Only women wear these. No woman is to dress above the Princess. There is a place behind that curtain where you can change." The girl pointed to a thin, painted screen in the corner. Zelda went behind it. She took off her dress but left on her white blouse under it and her shorts. She usually slept in those.
The dress, however, was itchy and dirty. It felt like a potato sack. If she didn't know any better, it probably was. She took a pink ribbon from her dress and tied it around her waist. It made the dress fit better.
She folded up her dress and took off her high heels. She emerged from behind the curtain and saw the girl hand James a bucket and two pieces of cloth. Zelda approached them. "Where should I put my things?"
The girl snatched the up from her. "You won't be needing those for a while. I'll put them in your chamber which I will lead you to after you're done working for today." She took Zelda's belongings away. Zelda looked back at James.
"We're to clean the main corridor," said James, grimly.
Thankfully, the castle wasn't visited by many people so no one could see the degradation of Zelda and James cleaning the place. Zelda was on her hands and knees while James was cleaning up high. The corridor was massive and it was impossible to clean the ceiling or any higher on the walls without a ladder. After a while, Zelda's back began to ache.
The guards were sent to watch them and make sure they were cleaning. One of them walking by picked up the bucket full of dirty water and, for no particular reason at all, doused Zelda with it. He merely laughed heartily and walked on, dropping the bucket behind him. As angry as James was, he knew they'd easily subdue his retaliation. So he merely helped Zelda up.
They all walked away. Fortunately, the guards stopped watching them and James and Zelda were alone in the hallway, giving them a chance to speak freely. Zelda got to her feet and stretched her back backwards. When she leaned forward, she angrily threw the cloth on the floor.
"I've endured being imprisoned and starved, but it wasn't near as humiliating this!" she shouted. She took a few deep breaths and wondered how Link and Ryan were doing. She looked over at James that seemed lost in thought. Zelda knew what was on his mind.
"I'm sure she's okay," she said, reassuringly. James just nodded. "I know she can feel the love you have for her."
At this, James turned his head. His face was shocked. "What do you…?"
Zelda giggled. "James, it's obvious. You love Ryan. I can tell you've been thinking of nothing else."
James' face turned back into his upset expression. "I think you're right…" He turned away but Zelda placed her hand on his shoulder to turn him around.
"She loves you too, you know?" She smiled. "I can see it. You two may bicker, but I can tell you were made for eachother."
James smiled at this. "I just hope she's okay."
"I know she is. I just hope she's not on her way here in an attempt to rescue us."
Ryan and the boy scaled the outer wall with ease. Despite what most think, Ryan could easily move around in her long garbs. The place was dark and seemingly empty, but the young man knew better. He made sure that he and Ryan made very quiet steps.
They heard a sound behind them. Quickly, the boy covered Ryan's mouth and pulled her into the shadows, concealing them. They saw two gracefully moving silhouettes flipping over the wall's ledge. They didn't make a sound. If He didn't see it for himself, the boy would not have thought anyone was there.
He removed his hand from Ryan's mouth and took one step out of the shadows. He used his hand to signal the two figures over. When they got closer, He could make out that it was the two sisters, Rain and Raye. They followed him into the shadows.
"Those guards don't know what hit them!" Raye whispered. I was able to jump over all three of them and dash off into the shadows. They had no idea where I went off to!" The boy could tell Raye was still excited.
"I managed to knock my pursuer out," said Rain. "The strong man from the circus taught me how to hit hard. He won't be getting up for a while." Even though he couldn't see it, the young man knew she was smiling.
"Where is the other?" he asked.
Rain and Raye looked at eachother confused. "You mean he's not here?" asked Rain.
"I thought he got here before us," said Raye. "Ryo has always been faster than us."
The two looked worried. "I'm sure he'll catch up," said the boy. "But now we have to go into the castle."
"I was able to take a map from one of the guards," said Rain, pulling out some parchment. The boy took it and took one step out of the shadows to read it in the moonlight. It didn't look like the interior of the castle; it looked more like a labyrinth.
He studied it closely. Then he took a step back into the darkness. "It was a good idea to take this, but it's not a map of anything here. This looks like a map of something else."
Rain shrugged. "Well he didn't have anything else on him."
"That's okay. The sun is going to come up in a few hours. We need to hurry and get inside."
"Rain and I can go one way-" Raye began to say before she was cut off.
"No, we need to stick together. If we get spotted, then we will split up. But for now, we're entering together."
Ryan listened to his plan closely. He certainly was smarter than his age led him to be. She was very happy she found someone that could help her. Why he did was another story. She still didn't even know his name.
Just then, a falcon flew overhead. The young man pulled Ryan and Rain up against the wall along with him. Raye followed the example so that they blended in the shadows better. Against the wall, the boy looked up to where it was flying to. It went to an open window in a high tower.
"I think I found our way in…" said the young man smiling and still looking up.
Ryan looked up to where he was looking. "Are you crazy?" she asked. "How do you expect us to get up there?"
"We're acrobats," said Rain. "We can get up there with ease."
"Once we're there, we can find a rope or something to help you up," said Raye.
"Can you do it without being spotted?" asked the young man.
"We can try. Even if we are, I'm sure we can take on whoever is in there." Raye smiled.
"Alright, then you two head up there and we'll be at the bottom."
The two girls nodded and jumped on the ledge of the wall. From there, they jumped from the balconies all the way up to the window. It was fun for Ryan to see how graceful they moved. On the ground, the boy led Ryan through the darkness. The guards were easy to pass by in the dark.
When they got to the wall where the open window was at, they stayed close in the shadows. They saw Raye and Rain use their skills and how they easily scaled the wall to the high window.
A yellow light bled out of the open window. They heard glass breaking. Clearly someone had spotted them. After a few seconds of the sound of struggling, Raye poked her head out of the window and waved down to Ryan and the boy. Clearly they had won the battle.
In a matter of moments they lowered a rope down to them. It was just long enough for them to reach up and grab it. The boy climbed the wall with it first and Ryan followed. They made their way all the way up and didn't seem to be spotted.
The room they wound up in was small. There were a lot of elegant things about, but it was too small to be a bedroom; not in a castle of this grandeur. Ryan saw the knocked out servant in the corner. She was in an ugly brown dress that looked very uncomfortable. Her hair was tangled and she looked so dirty. She looked around Zelda's age but she was far too filthy to be her. She didn't even have the same golden hair.
"We didn't injure her," said Rain. "We just used a technique that knocks her out for a few hours."
"I looked outside of the door," said Raye. "There are a lot of guards in there. I think they're resting because it's night. We should wait until they leave."
"Can't we make it past them?" asked Ryan.
"We can all take on a good number of guards, but sometimes there's just too many. We should wait here until they leave. From there, we can find a better place to hide and find whoever you're looking for."
"What do they even look like?" asked the boy.
"They're all older than me. Two of them have golden hair one of them has brown hair," said Ryan. She thought it best not to tell them much more; especially that Zelda was a princess.
Rain yawned, "I suppose that's easy enough."
"I'm tired too," said Raye.
"You guys should get some rest. We'll be in here a while," said the boy. He took the rope they had used and bound up the passed out servant girl. "In case she wakes up," he said for the benefit of anyone that was wondering.
Rain and Raye lay back on the cushions lying about the room. Clearly this was where the servants got the sheets when they changed the bedding. They instantly fell asleep. But Ryan didn't and noticed the boy didn't either. They were both sitting on the stone floor.
She was so happy that she found someone to help rescue her friends. "Why are you helping me?" she blurted out.
The boy's expression remained indifferent. "I don't know…" he said as he looked longingly out of the window. "I just had a feeling when I met you that me helping you could help me in some way." He turned back to face her.
Ryan was hugging her knees as she was looking at him. "Help you too…? I can try and help you any way I can."
"I don't know if that's it. I just think being with you is going to lead me to what I'm looking for."
Ryan slowly nodded. She understood what he meant. Finally, she remembered what she wanted to ask him. "I never got your name."
He looked back at her and smiled. "It's Raven…"