The Jewels of Heart
By: Ashlee

 

Chapter 1: The Escape

Zelda stared out the window from her bedroom in a daze. It was a glorious day; the sun was shining, the birds singing, and it was warm with a cool breeze. It was the perfect day… almost.

A tear rolled down her soft cheek and she quickly wiped it away. The kingdom was falling apart, again. Hyrule had to be the most disoriented kingdom ever. Sure, it was beautiful, now that “Ganondork” had been destroyed, but inside it was a crumbling land whose king was as wise as a rock.

Their neighboring kingdom, Syptia, had offered many times to join Hyrule and become one kingdom. Syptia had great military powers, resources, and even rulers. The king and queen looked at Hyrule with a gentle heart, knowing its struggles in the past, and wanting to help the dieing land. But the king of Hyrule, Zelda’s own father, declined this offer, pride for his position leading his decision.

Now, another evil was beginning to break loose. No one was too sure of what it was, but there were rumors of a mysterious being who had been searching for years for a jewel that he described as a precious gem the size of a baby’s palm with an amazing power. Of course these rumors were silly, since no one in their right mind would go around asking if anyone had seen something like that. But Zelda had a feeling deep inside of her that there was some truth to this madness.

Aside from this, people of Hyrule, so she heard, were planning to revolt against the king. They had told him of troubles in parts of the land where thieves were running amuck. However, no matter how many times they complained and reported, the king did nothing. Zelda had tried to talk some sense into her dense father, but he just wouldn’t listen.

Zelda sighed and turned away from her window. All of these thoughts were depressing. She hardly slept now-a-days, and now she was feeling rather ill. She laughed lightly, thinking of how Mayna, her nanny and maid, who had stayed with her father and her since her mother had died, would scold her for being out of bed at such a state.

She just needed to get out, though. Being cooped up in this place was not making her feel any better. In fact, it only made her think more of the troubles and keep her up all night, making it worse in the morning.

All of the sudden, she got a burst of inspiration. Why did she have to stay there? She could sneak off to the stables, grab her horse, and be out of there in no time flat. Even if it was for a little while, it would get some things off her mind and she’d be able to think clearer.

She rushed out her door and headed down the stairs. She traveled through the corridors to the very end, where she opened the door. A bright light made her squint. Wasting no time, she quickly slipped through the door and closed it behind her. She was relieved that no one had seen her, because she’d have to stop and talk to them in order to not look suspicious, and she just couldn’t stand staying at the castle a minute longer.

Remembering how she was dressed, she took off her tiara and necklace, setting both on the doorknob of the entrance. If she lost them, it didn’t matter; she had plenty of others. Plus she was kind of sick of them. She took away the barrettes from her hair and put them in her dress pocket. She ran to the stables and saw her horse, fast asleep. Lucky, she thought crudely. She didn’t want to awaken it quite yet, so she looked around the stables, and saw a cloak on a peg. It was for one of the stablemen, but she thought that he’d let her borrow it just this once.

She put on the cloak, which was way too big, but this way no one would really recognize her if she kept her head down and no one took a good look at her. She awakened her horse, Talat, and saddled him. As an apology for disturbing Talat so rudely, she gave him two carrots and a small bag of oats before they left. Talat immediately forgave Zelda and sniffed at her hair lovingly.

Soon, Zelda and Talat were out of the stables and trotting towards a secret exit Zelda had discovered as a child. She quickly pulled the hood over her head as they slipped out the narrow passageway that emptied into an alley. She led Talat out of the town square that was not as crowded as it usually was. Finally, they made it out of the town gates, which was all made possible by the fact that the guard wasn’t paying any attention at all.

It was like heaven to Zelda –being outside on a nice, clear day with no worries at all. She wasn’t going anywhere in particular, nor did she have any obligations to fulfill. It was like she was set free from a cage.

“That’s right,” she said to herself. “For the time being, I’m a regular person.” Talat’s ears perked up at hearing his mistress’s voice. “I’m just enjoying the view, Talat,” Zelda said to her confused steed. Reassured, Talat resumed his original state and they kept heading North.

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