captive
adj. having no freedom to choose alternatives
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She was hyperventilating.
Splinters nipped at her cheeks as her face was squished into the bottom of the wagon by a stranger's broad hand.
Thoomp! Shhhh-fwump!
She heard one of the men—probably Hazel-Eyes—get struck by an arrow and slough off the wagon.
Link was going to save her—
Ka-thunk!
That sounded like an arrow hitting wood...
...And it was the last arrow she heard. She waited for something else with a tight lungful of hope, but there was nothing.
Long-Hair—the man pinning her down—let out a whoop. "He stopped firing! He's giving up!"
What—?
Her breath came in short bursts through her nose. Surely the knights were lying. She'd hear another arrow any second now. Zelda waited with as much faith as she put into waiting for Hylia to awaken her power.
So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that her hope was fruitless.
Why was she so sure this time would be different? It was nothing new.
Her father, the clerics, even Hylia Herself—everyone always gave up on her. It was only ever a matter of time.
And Link had been right about these men. He tried to warn her but she was stupid and stubborn and now she was alone with strangers who were taking her Hylia-knows-where and wanted Hylia-knows-what and oh Gods even if Link hadn't given up on her how would he ever even find her she was as good as dead—
"Alright, princess," Long-Hair said after some time, "your beau's long gone. You can sit up now." He yanked Zelda up by the knots in her hair, and she clenched her teeth to keep herself from sobbing.
Once she was seated on the bench again, he let go and she scooted away.
The aching pain in her scalp served to ground her. Glassy green eyes shot daggers at the men. "Who are you people?" she seethed.
The tall one had hauled himself into the wagon and sat down too. He looked at Long-Hair. "No point in pretending anymore, she already knows we're not her knights."
"Yeah, you're right," agreed Long-Hair.
After a sudden flash of smoke, the knights reemerged in red bodysuits. Thick, dark ponytails sprouted at the top of their heads. They wore white masks with the Sheikah eye depicted upside-down in red paint, and recognition hit Zelda immediately.
The Yiga Clan.
Zelda had heard of them before. A rogue band of outcasts from the Sheikah tribe turned assassins and thieves.
For thousands of years, the Sheikah people were revered for their contributions to Hyrule, technological and otherwise. Until one day their advancements frightened the old king, and he had them exiled. As tensions grew, the Sheikah who resented the world that painted them as villains decided to embrace that delineation and formed the Yiga Clan.
Now they were notorious for robbing the people of Gerudo Desert, although sightings and attacks were reported all across Hyrule.
Aside from this, Zelda hadn't the slightest inkling what their mission was—generally speaking, or with her specifically.
"What do you plan to do with me?" she articulated as low and evenly as she could, with whatever scraps of dignity she had left.
"That's for Master Kohga to decide," Tall-Guy answered coolly. "So just sit back and enjoy the ride, Princess. It'll be awhile."
YOU ARE READING
Fortune Favors the Courageous
Fanfiction"Princess!" he yelled after her. "Where are you going?" "Back to the castle," she replied without stopping. "Not by yourself you're not!" "I'm sorry,"-she whipped around-"I didn't realize you were my father?" "Your father, the king, would execute me...
