Lone Arrow in the Quiver

Chapter 17: A Wondrous Waltz

Author's Notes: (Picture from Zeldapedia) Hello all, I am back at it again! That last chapter was really difficult to write but I love the challenge. I think I managed to meet my goals for how I wanted to take the story and now I can put in a lot of the new scenes I wanted to do. Expect some craziness and funny moments in the next few chapters. Not to give anything away... but I would call this the calm before the storm. 

Happy Easter by the way for those who celebrate!

Song Notes: It will be very obvious why I chose this for this chapter in particular. It's not only good for atmosphere but carries some meaning as well. I'm sure y'all can figure it out
: )

"Oh, come on, where are you?" Christoph pulled book after book down from the shelf. The cup of orange juice on his desk was getting warmer as the minutes dragged on. There were books scattered all over the room when he first moved into it. Surprisingly, most of them had avoided being damaged or completely destroyed. Instead of being burned or waterlogged, the study had been left mostly intact. After being appointed archivist, for the time being, the job was nothing but organizing and wiping dust off of things. "Ah! There you are, I knew you were around here somewhere," he rejoiced, grabbing a small book from the shelf. 

He wiped the thin layer of dust off of the cover and blew on it. A small cloud of dark powder rose into the air and he waved his hand to get rid of it. Satisfied with finding the book, he walked around his desk and sat in his chair. After opening the book, he propped both of his legs up on the desk and started reading a few passages near the middle of the page.  

In speed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. 
Drive your cart and your plough over the bones of the dead. 
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
Prudence is a rich, ugl-

THUMP THUMP THUMP! A rapid knocking was heard at his door. Putting his bookmark in the tome, he stood up. Christoph walked by the small stacks of books on the floor until he reached the door. Opening it up, he saw a familiar castle guard standing in the doorway. She was around five foot nine and dark brown hair could be seen under her helm. The armor was leftover from the old kingdom so some of the pieces were slipping on her. Her eyes were the color of ash, a rim of gray encircled her pupils. 

"Sorry to interrupt your reading Chri-, I mean, Head Archivist," she raised her eyebrows and exaggerated a bow in his direction. He frowned, mostly at her antics but partly because he was expecting someone else. 

"Good to see you too Em, it's not often that we get to chat anymore," he crossed his arms and leaned back against the desk. He'd known Emerilla practically his entire life. She used to be an annoying nuisance to him but over time they bonded over the dream of living in a castle. After what seemed like an eternity, their dream now finally had a chance to become a reality. 

"I can't help that I had to help these boys out. You wouldn't believe how many of them have never even held a sword in their life. It's sad really," she groaned in frustration when she thought about training with the rookies. It wasn't until recently that she actually got to spend some one on one time with someone who could actually wield a sword. "I'm just happy that I got out of that gig. Now I get to be cozy cozy with the princess, like you always wanted," she pointed a accusing finger at him. 

He felt heat hit his cheeks and scowled at her, "Do you have to bring that up every time we're in the same room. At least I'm smart enough to know that she's already got her eyes on a certain, other princess."