Liesl panted as she ran through the courtyard, trying her best to catch Rowan. Her cheeks were red with effort and her hair whipped around her in a frenzy because of the wind and her running. In the end, all that effort was for nothing because he was simply too fast. Which was expected of a grown man, wasn’t it? Did she really have any hope of catching him? However, instead of a look of frustration or dismay, there was a smile on her lips and laughter bubbled up from deep inside her before her latest attempt to reach out and tag him.

Sadly, her hand only passed through the air, but that didn’t matter. She’d get him one day! Of course, most of the soldiers they ran past stopped and stared. Who wouldn’t when they saw a child chasing the Knight Commander through the training grounds? But Liesl didn’t mind. She only had one desire right now, and that was to grab hold of the older man’s royal blue jacket. Sadly, she never did. Instead, she came to a stop once her breath finally gave out and hunched over to rest her hands on her knees.

“Giving up already?” Rowan asked after coming back to stand by her. 

Already!? By this point in the afternoon, it felt like the big man had run her ragged, even if it was all for fun. “You’re too fast,” Liesl admitted with a shrug. 

“True,” he admitted. “Well then, let’s reverse it. How about I try to catch you?” 

Liesl furrowed her brows at the suggestion and put her hands on her hips after standing tall. “You’ll just catch me soon after I start.” You know, aforementioned speed and all that.

“Maybe, but just because something seems impossible doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”

Okay, if Rowan wanted her to try, then that is what she would do. Especially since that sounded very much like something her father might say. “Alright,” she agreed with a nod and then took off running as fast as she could. 

“Hey!” Rowan called from behind her, but only after a few laughs.

If she was going to have any chance of keeping away from him, then she’d have to be sneaky! Liesl tried to be cautious as she ran so as not to be a nuisance. Just because she didn’t mind people watching her didn’t mean she wouldn’t care if she ran into them. So, Liesl mostly avoided groups and stuck to the open areas in between the practice circles. However, that meant she was out in the open, and in a sprint, she stood no chance. Not even 30 seconds after she started, she felt a large hand grasp her shoulder and Liesl slowed to a stop with Rowan towering over her. 

“Good start,” he said with a nod, but then turned and pointed back down their short path. “However, you just ran nearly straight down the grass section. Why?” 

“Well, I didn’t want to get in the way of others.” 

“That’s kind of you, but this time I want you to really try to win. Don’t worry about everyone else.”

“Win? But you’re faster. I’ll never stay away.”

“Not just running, no. But you’re also smaller and can go places I can’t as easily.”

Hmm, he had a point. But it wasn’t like he couldn’t get to her eventually and she wasn’t trying to hide. Perhaps she just needed some extra motivation? “What do I get if I win?” 

“What do you get if you win,” he repeated with snort. “If you can make it to the other side of the courtyard and touch the door we came out of, I’ll make sure you get dessert tonight.”

“Princess Zelda already gets us dessert.”

“Does she now?” Rowan asked, amusement lacing his words. “You know, that doesn’t surprise me, but something tells me her father wouldn’t approve. So, we’ll keep that a secret. Anyway, double dessert then.”

Double dessert? Two pieces of chocolate cake? Well, that was worth running for! “Okay, I’ll do it,” Liesl said, before raising her balled fists in determination.

“Atta girl. Now remember, small size.” 

Right, small size! Go where a big soldier can’t! Now that she had a plan (of sorts), Liesl once again took off running without waiting for any kind of formal start. Except this time, she didn’t head for the grass areas in between all the soldiers. No, this time she darted to the side, straight toward a group that had been standing close by and listening to the deal being struck. And apparently putting bets on who they thought would win, judging by the conversation and the fingers pointed at both. 

Laughter soon erupted from the group as Liesl weaved in between them and out the other side without so much as an “excuse me” or any other indication she wanted through. She was too focused on the fence ahead and the small space between the horizontal beams. And by the time she was diving between them, Rowan was still trying to get through the group of soldiers. Which was harder when one or two hands tugged at his jacket as he ran past. 

He took the fence in one bound, but Liesl was already through to the other side. Her little legs moved as fast as they would go and her arms pumped vigorously for the prospect of so much delicious treat in her future. The hem of her dress kicked up as she went and was now hopelessly dirty as she stomped through grass and dirt alike. Her mother was always incensed when she came home like this, but at least she and her father shared the scolding that always came. Well, when they weren’t sneaky enough to get Liesl changed before they might be discovered.

Another leap over the fence had Rowan gaining on her, but Liesl veered off toward a long table that contained any number of sparring weapons and armor. She didn’t even slow as she dove underneath, crawling on hands and knees and shooting out the other side between a soldier’s legs. The little move brought out a chorus of cheers from those around them, especially when Rowan had to stop and move toward the far end to get around. It felt like half the courtyard had stopped to watch the spectacle by now and it only made her blood pump faster and that smile spread wider.

However, a few meters out from the door, it suddenly opened and to Liesl’s surprise, Princess Zelda and Impa stepped through. Had they really been playing that long that her lesson was complete? When Zelda’s eyes found Liesl running toward her (not knowing the door had been her original target), she also looked surprised, but then a smile settled on her lips instead. Impa remained confused; however, and seeing them both threw Liesl off enough that she stopped paying attention to her surroundings.

Not far out from her goal, her boot caught the edge of a practice sword sticking out from a nearby pile of equipment and the loss of footing had Liesl pitching forward. Her hands came up on instinct, but she still fell going at almost full speed. Thankfully, her outstretched arms took most of the brunt of the fall. Unfortunately, those palms landed at the edge of the courtyard where the grass transitioned to gravel. At least it wasn’t the stone pathway that led into the door.

Still, after Liesl came to a halt with an oomph and hiss of pain, she turned her hands over to see that they had been scratched by the rocks. A quick shake dislodged any pebbles still clinging to the cuts, but the pain made her wince. It wasn’t long before faint streaks of red began to show and tears filled the corner of her eyes.

“Liesl!”

Of course, after seeing the little girl fall, half a dozen people started coming toward her. Rowan, Impa, and a few of the closer soldiers. Even Calla separated herself from the crowd and began moving her way. However, one person beat them all.

“Are you okay?” Princess Zelda knelt in the gravel a moment later, apparently unconcerned with how that might dirty her dress. Once she was down, she reached out and gently cupped the bottom of Liesl’s injured hands while her eyes searched her friends. Liesl’s sadness (and embarrassment) grew under the scrutiny, but the soft look from Zelda stopped the newly formed tears from falling down her cheeks. Well, besides one.

“I’m fine,” Liesl eventually said in a wholly unconvincing manner. To which the Princess tutted and shook her head.

“Tsk, tsk. It’s bad to lie to royalty, you know.” However, it wasn’t a true admonishment, evidenced by the gentle smile that spread on her lips.

“…it hurts.”

Following the admission, Zelda looked down to inspect the wound as the others all crowded around at nearly the same time. It looked like Rowan was about to speak, but Impa raised a hand and put it on his shoulder before shaking her head in an unspoken request. So, he remained silent and only watched the two girls kneeling on the path.

Zelda didn’t seem to pay them any mind and only focused on the pair of hands. Liesl spared a glance though, and the looks ranged from concern on Rowan’s to curiosity on Impa’s. Amusement laced Calla’s features, but she and the other soldiers were quickly shooed away by the two senior members.

“Alright, let’s see what we can do about that.” Zelda’s words drew Liesl’s attention back and despite the pain, curiosity won out on her expression.

“What…we can do about that?” The confusion (and possibly hesitation) was evident in Liesl’s tone, but the Princess seemed unphased.

“That’s right,” Zelda agreed but didn’t elaborate and fell silent as her face twisted into intense concentration. Whereupon…nothing happened. The pain remained, but again, Liesl’s curiosity suppressed it.

“Did the…lesson go well today?” Rowan’s question was directed at Impa and his voice was full of something Liesl couldn’t quite name. She could see the woman shake her head in her periphery, though the older woman’s gaze never left Zelda.

“Princess,” she said softly as she reached down and put a hand on Zelda’s shoulder.

“I can do it,” she protested almost immediately and closed her eyes as if that would help her concentrate and block everything else out.

“We should clean Liesl’s wounds just to make sure they don’t get infected. I’m sure it’s painful, too.”

Zelda swallowed at this and opened her eyes to find Liesl’s. “How bad does it hurt?”

Liesl hesitated for a moment because even if she didn’t completely understand what was going on, there was clearly a tension here. But she shouldn’t lie to her new friend, right? Never mind that she was the Princess. “A lot,” Liesl admitted with a nod of her head.

This seemed to unnerve Zelda even more and Liesl could feel her grip tighten. But then there was something else. Something…distant. However, it quickly grew in intensity and spread through Liesl’s arm. It was warm but also comforting, in a way. Which was a good thing, or Liesl might’ve pulled her hands back. Not only did she feel something, but she also saw it too. A bright light flashed in her eyes and then settled into a softer glow that covered both their hands. Everyone looked surprised (including the Princess) and when the light faded, the scrapes were mostly gone.

You could’ve heard a pin drop in that courtyard for a few moments, but then a furious din of conversation broke out around them. Even Impa lost her composure for a moment before kneeling at Liesl’s side and lifting both their hands higher. Her eyes narrowed in inspection and then widened when she realized the result.

No pain. No more blood.

Instead, there were only faint traces of some of the worst scrapes. Almost like an injury that was nearly done healing. “Zelda,” the woman said before bringing up her hand and running it over Liesl’s palm. “It’s healed…” Rowan’s eyes looked to be about the size of their dessert plates and Impa quickly stood back up, took him by the arm, and started furiously whispering something after dragging him a few feet away.

Of course, Liesl was just as bewildered, and her gaze darted back and forth from Zelda to her palms repeatedly.

“What about now?” Zelda asked in a hushed voice that seemed nearly out of breath.

“It feels better,” Liesl answered. “Much better. I can’t even feel any pain…”

“It worked,” Zelda mused and then brought one hand up to repeat the same motion as Impa, running her fingers over Liesl’s palm. “Almost, anyway.”

True, her palm wasn’t completely healed, but even this much was astounding. Liesl had heard the stories about the royal family, the women specifically, but it had been hard to imagine them actually using magic. Until now.

“That was incredible,” Liesl whispered before flexing her free hand as if to really make sure. Not only did it work just fine, but the movements didn’t cause any surges of discomfort. “Thank you, Zelda!” Without thinking, she sat up on her knees slightly and wrapped the Princess up in a tight hug. Perhaps that wasn’t the most proper thing to do, but could anyone blame her!?

A moment later, she felt Zelda’s arms wrap around her and return the embrace before her body shook lightly with laughter. “You’re welcome, Liesl.”