How A Princess Fights.

Heartbreak.

The whip cracked again.

Link cried out in agony as another great swing cut through his broken skin, sending a gush of blood down his back. The pounding in his head got louder and louder, nearly sending him unconscious but he refused to do so.

"Where is she?" Ganondorf spoke calmly, almost as if nothing had happened.

"I don't know." Link spat out blood as he twisted his head to look at Ganondorf.

The beast growled before swinging the whip again. Crack. Crack. Crack. Link bit down in his already bloody lip only for a new split to open and more blood run out. Link looked down and saw the small pool of blood that formed at his feet.

"WHERE IS SHE?! I WANT THAT TRI-FORCE OF WISDOM!"Ganondorf bellowed with his voice dripping with venom.

"I don't know!" Link growled through gritted teeth.

He glared back I to the red eyes of the beast, his own blue ones full of hatred for the animal that mutilated Zelda. Every night she would cry, scream and drink over the terrible things he did to her and each morning she would wake from horrific nightmares. Now that she was safely away from the beast, Link intended to keep her safe, no matter what Ganondorf did to him.

***

"Open up!" Siren pounded on the door frantically.

She desperately wanted to explain what she had done, she wanted them to understand why she told the King what she had done. She wanted Pike to know, she needed him to know.

The door opened slightly and both Hable and Arthur slipped out. They wore glum faces as they stood between Siren and the door with their arms crossed.

"He doesn't want to talk to you..." Hable sighed as he looked down at the floor, still ashamed of the woman in front of him.

"But I have to explain-" Siren pleaded before she was cut off.

"No, you don't need to explain yourself to him. He's just sorry that he fell for it..." Arthur scoffed before the two knights opened the door and went back inside before slamming the door shut.

Before it shut however, Siren could hear the unmistakable sound of sobs coming from the room...

***

Zelda shook violently as she stumbled out of Epona's saddle. She took a few shaky steps forward before her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were sore from crying.

The Sheikah survivors rushed out of the catacomb entrance towards her. One tried to grab her shoulder to help her up but she pushed them away with a fury.

For months now, Link had been her only companion, her closest friend and faithful protector. He had cared for her all this time, he had respected her wishes and kept his distance at all times. But now he was gone, she needed him more than ever.

The Sheikah, realising that Link was gone and that Zelda was in no mood for a crowd of attention, left her be. They took the cart full of supplies into the cave and begun to share them out.

Zelda flinched and recoiled away when she felt Epona nuzzle into her. When she realised that Epona had also lost Link, she flung her arms round the distressed horse and she cried.

Epona let out a deep whine as she nuzzled Zelda. She had known Link her whole life and they were inseparable. Now he was gone, what could Epona do?

"I doubt King Ganondorf has killed young Master Link..." One of the Sheikah leaders spoke softly as he approached.

He didn't come any closer, instead, he kept his distance as he sat down on the ground. He saw the tears that streamed down the Princess's face and his expression drew grim.

"I expect that Link has been taken back to Hyrule Castle... I suspect that he intends to lure you to him in exchange for Link..." He sighed as Zelda looked up at him with her face full of horror.

"Then I must go!" Zelda exclaimed, jumping up and begun to climb back into Epona's saddle.

"No!" He also jumped up and came to the Princess's side, "Do you think you can just march up to the gate of the castle and demand Link's return?"

Zelda hesitated. He was right. Ganondorf was not the kind of person to give up his toys.

"Then what do I do?!" Zelda yelled back at the Sheikah with her voice full of desperation and rage.

"Don't these catacombs lead directly underneath the castle?" The Sheikah man inquired.

"Yeah..." Zelda jumped down from Epona's saddle as she thought for a moment.

"You can navigate us through the catacombs and into the castle. When we get there, I can create a distraction which should give you enough time to find Link." He explained calmly to the Princess.

"But you would be caught? Why would you do that just to save a man you don't know?" Zelda cocked an eyebrow at the man in front of her.

"Both you and Link have saved my people," he chuckled as he pointed to the cart of supplies that Zelda had brought them that was now being distributed to the Sheikah survivors, "It's only fair that we return the favour..."

***

Hable yawned tiredly as he trudged up the corridor towards the throne room. He ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to stay awake. He hated the night time patrol shift.

As he entered the throne room he sighed deeply at what he saw.

Behind the throne, Ganondorf's broken slave girls cowered, at least, the ones he hadn't dragged to his room were there. They drew away from the sound of the door opening, their chains rattled with every movement.

At closer inspection, the girls were sleeping. Hable was though it was utterly sick, that these girls had become so afraid of Ganondorf that even in their sleep they reacted to his presence.

He sighed again as he begrudgingly took his place besides the throne and begun his watch.

"It wasn't her fault..."

Hable snapped his head around and saw one of the girls was awake. She recoiled away slightly when he turned to look at her but she carried on anyways.

"It wasn't her fault, the Commander I mean..." She spoke hoarsely.

Hable looked around the throne room to determine that all the other slaves were asleep before he crouched down besides the girl who was talking to him. She drew away again so Hable stopped.

"What about the Commander?" He whispered.

"It wasn't her fault. Ganondorf," she gulped fearfully as she spoke his name, "He made her confess. She did it to keep some knight safe..."

Hable gasped as he realised what she was saying. So Siren hadn't betrayed them after all. She was just trying to protect Pike.

"What's your name?" Hable cocked an eyebrow at the girl.

"Karen...Why?" She asked sheepishly.

"Well, Karen... I'm gonna get you out of here..." Hable smiled at her before he quietly moved over to where her chain was linked to the others.