Run. Run. Run.

How many times were people she loved going to tell her to do that? What had been the point of learning how to use this fucking sword if she wasn’t going to protect them with it? But while Liesl wanted to protect Rowan, there was someone else who needed her protection more. And if Liesl was going to protect the Princess, she couldn’t run out there and get herself killed, could she?

No.

And that pissed her off to no end. To be stuck between two choices, both impossible, both painful. It was that pain that welled up in her chest so powerfully that it escaped her mouth in a shout that filled the whole courtyard as she slammed the door, cutting off her view of the man she loved dearly.

Liesl could barely see the latch for the lock through the tears that fell unabated, and it took her a moment to finally set it. She didn’t know how long the door would hold, but instinctively knew that she needed to start moving. Needed to use the time Rowan just bought them, but her feet wouldn’t budge. Not until she felt a hand wrap around her arm and start to pull her from the door.

“Liesl,” Zelda said softly and very obviously with her own sadness lacing her words. “We have to go…”

Run. They had to run.

“Okay,” Liesl said before her throat closed and choked off the possibility of any other words. What else was there to say? Besides swearing vengeance for the death of her friend, her mentor, the man who’d been her father for these past years. And even if she didn’t speak it, she burned the promise, as well as the image of the stranger, in her mind.

So, Liesl let Zelda pull her a few steps toward the door before reaching down and grabbing her hand as she began to speed up. Rowan had led the way, had protected them, and now it was her turn. When she came up to the door, she let go of Zelda’s hand long enough for her to wipe away some of the tears that were blocking her vision. Just enough that she could see well enough when she leaned out.

Someone briefly ran past the intersection of a far hall, causing her to bring her head back in for a moment. She listened then, but only heard a bang on the door behind them. The locked one leading to the courtyard. The time was up; they needed to go. Now.

“Ready?” Liesl asked, looking over at her friend.

“Ready,” Zelda confirmed with a nod.

Once Zelda’s hand was in hers again, Liesl surged through the door and started working her way deeper into the castle. Of course, they found similar scenes wherever they went, but thankfully, it appeared the attackers had already moved through the residential area and to other places. Probably trying to catch people sleeping, if she had to guess. And now that their bloody work was done, it meant the two didn’t run into another soul as they reached a familiar staircase and started winding down.

They went deeper and deeper into a part of the castle that was little more than storerooms and unfamiliar to most who spent even a decade or more working here. Which meant it was the perfect place to not only hide Liesl’s training but apparently a tunnel as well.

It was so devoid of the normal hum of daily activity that the pair stopped running into bodies altogether. And while fortunate, the experience was eerie for other reasons.  Down here, it was like the violence of the night didn’t exist. This could be any other day that Liesl was coming down here to practice, that Rowan could be down here waiting for her to arrive instead of him being up in the courtyard. Most likely…most likely…

Ugh, she couldn’t even bear to think of how he might look, the same lifeless gaze in his eyes as all the others they had seen this night. So, she shoved it down and focused instead on finding the way out. Liesl even averted her eyes as they came upon the door that led to the practice room to minimal effect. She felt the tears gathering in her eyes once more, and this time let them flow as she turned down the hall and went one door over. Liesl opened it slowly and barely allowed herself to peer in, but only found a dark room. What little light filtered in from the lamps on the walls showed shadow outlines of boxes stacked high.

“Can you grab a torch?” She asked before bringing her second hand up to the Master Sword and kicking the door open the rest of the way. There was no way she was going to come all this way only to get ambushed because she was being careless.

However, instead of moving to do so, Zelda stepped closer and wrapped an arm around hers before her features hardened into determination.

“What is it?”

“Just, let me try something…”

Try something? Now?

“Zelda–”

“Hold on,” Zelda interrupted before bringing up her hand and opening her fingers, palm up.

So, Liesl did…even if she started looking up and down the hall to ensure no one was coming. It wasn’t until something bright suddenly shone back in Zelda’s direction that Liesl turned back with a gasp. She even brought her sword up defensively until she realized that the light was coming from Zelda’s hand.

“What…how?” Even in the horror of the evening, Liesl couldn’t help but be in awe of her friend’s power. The radiance of the little orb that hovered over Zelda’s skin not only lit up the hallway around them, but also the room they needed to enter.

“I don’t know,” Zelda admitted with a shake of her head. “I feel…different. Like something has changed.”

Well, what happened earlier with the woman in the courtyard was certainly different, but Liesl wasn’t about to bring that up right now.

“Changed how?” Liesl asked before stepping into the room, sword still raised high, eyes scanning for danger. 

“I feel more connected to my power, and not just when I’m thinking about healing you. Like someone has opened a floodgate. Well, not a floodgate. It’s more of a trickle, but it’s enough to do this at least.” Zelda followed her words by indicating her hand with a nod of her head.

Well, that was certainly something. “And you haven’t been able to do that before?”

“No. In fact, it was to be my first lesson,” Zelda admitted. “Or rather, my first skill. One my mother was supposed to show me.” Zelda’s voice noticeably filled with sadness during the admission, and Liesl decided it was better not to press the issue, especially now of all times.

“Hey, every little bit helps, right? Not needing a torch will be useful.” And that was no lie, seeing as they now confirmed the room was clear and filled only with dusty old crates and sacks. But Zelda only nodded her head as she broke away, turned, and shut the door. 

As she did so, Liesl continued deeper into the room, toward the door made of iron bars on the far side. She could see the lock that would no doubt take the key in her hand, but she was far more interested in the supplies that Rowan mentioned.

Unfortunately, a glance around the interior revealed no such item. Not one that she thought would’ve been put there by him. The other bags appeared to be sacks stacked high in corners or along the walls, not something meant to house something so important. What did catch her attention, though, was a crate not far from the other exit. One that almost looked out of place without a companion to rest on or against.

When Liesl got closer, she could see that the lid was also slightly ajar, meaning it had been opened at some point. When she pushed it open further, enough of the light from Zelda’s orb illuminated something within. Something that had the vague shape of a leather traveling bag.

“Look at this,” she whispered, gesturing for Zelda to come over. Only after she locked the door behind her.

As the Princess got closer and the light brighter, the outline of the bag eventually gave way to illuminated crinkles, straps, and a buckle that wasn’t being used to hold it closed.

“The supplies,” Zelda said before reaching in with her free hand and lifting up the top flap.

When Liesl peeked in, she saw exactly what Rowan had said would be there. Clothes. And when Zelda lifted the bag, two pairs of boots came into view. “How long had he been planning this?” Zelda asked before setting the bag down and grabbing a pair of shoes.

“I don’t know,” Liesl admitted. However, when she lifted the second pair from the crate, she could see the dust coating the toes. “But a long time, if I had to guess.” Had he always known something like this would happen? Or had he simply been trying to be prepared?

“Come on,” Zelda said before starting to pull out the clothing and depositing it on the top of the wooden lid. They appeared to be simple things made from linen, without any decoration or ornamentation. Nothing to indicate they were from the palace, especially the heavy cloaks that were pulled out last. Brown, nondescript, and made to shed water by the feel of them. “Okay, let’s get changed.”

“Oh, right…”

“I’m going to need to let the light go out to do so,” Zelda said before pushing a few items Liesl’s way.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Once she gathered everything she needed, Liesl nodded, and Zelda closed her hands, sending them into darkness. The only illumination to be found was the dim cracks along the edge of the door leading back out into the hall. It wasn’t nearly enough to light anything up in the room, though, and she only knew Zelda had started getting dressed by the subtle rustling of fabric. Well, she’d better get to it.

The clothes ultimately fit well, if a little loose. Like Rowan wasn’t quite sure of her size. However, that was much better than the alternative. The shoes fit better, but the light appeared before she had the cloak on, revealing a fully dressed Zelda.

“I have to admit,” she said, taking the sight of Liesl. “He did a pretty good job.”

“Yeah,” Liesl agreed before slinging the cloak around her shoulders and clasping it just under her neck. “But I notice there was nothing for him.”

“No, there wasn’t.” Zelda agreed before bringing up a hand and wiping at the edge of her eyes.

In the pause, Liesl brought the Master Sword up to her waist and buckled it in place. The only piece of her outfit that would give away her identity. Thankfully, she could hide it under the cloak. Well, the scabbard, at least. The sword? That would be drawn again in a few moments. For now, Liesl gathered up the nightgowns and started stuffing them in the bag after pausing a heartbeat to take note of a few other things at the bottom of the bag. Those she could get a proper inventory of when the time came.

She settled her bag on her back, then turned to Zelda before tilting her head sideways. “Okay, let’s see if this key works.”

A nod followed, and then Liesl turned to head to the gate. The key slipped in easily enough, but it took a few tries to jiggle it unlocked. It subsequently groaned and made the most dreadful noise as Liesl struggled to pull it open, making them both wince and look back to the other door. It didn’t take long to figure out why, though. As soon as she stepped into the tunnel beyond, Liesl could feel not only the cool air softly blowing her way but also its dampness.

“Here, go ahead.”

Zelda stepped through, and then the door made the same horrible noise as Liesl forced it shut. Followed by turning the lock once more, just to make it hard to follow. She pulled the Master Sword from its scabbard a moment later and then started down the tunnel. It must’ve been long because the only thing she could see in the distance was more inky-black darkness. A choking darkness that was only held at bay by the light from Zelda’s hand.

“I had no idea this was here,” Zelda said eventually, her voice bouncing off the walls in both directions.

“Really? You didn’t know about a secret way out?”

“No, my father never mentioned any.”

Odd. But maybe he thought if she didn’t have a way out, she’d be more willing to stay and fight? Not that Zelda needed that motivation. Honestly, Liesl was done trying to figure out what was going through that man’s head.

Eventually, as they went deeper, the walls started to glimmer and reflect the light as if they were wet. Even little pools formed at the edges where the walls met the cobbled stone floors below. That’s right, hadn’t Rowan said they would come out on the other side of the river? That means they had to go under it, right?

“I wonder why Rowan didn’t mention it either…” Liesl asked, more to herself than to Zelda. “Up until the last moment.” And all she wanted was to ask him. To scream at him, too, if only to ensure that he came with her. The name must’ve sent Zelda back into her mind too, because the two fell silent thereafter, only the scraping of their boots or the occasional drip of water to break the quiet that blanketed them.

At one point, they even had to climb a series of stairs. The last of which finally revealed an end to the tunnel in the form of a door. Another iron gate with another lock, and Liesl was just glad she didn’t throw the key away in anger. This time, though, it was covered in vines so thick that she couldn’t even see the other side.

Thankfully, the key did work, but the door wouldn’t budge when Liesl tried to pull. Not until she started hacking away at the growth with the Master Sword. Which felt somehow beneath it? But they needed to get out, so this is how it was going to be. Finally, enough of the overgrowth was hacked away, leaving the door able to open on squeaky hinges. It appeared to be set back in some kind of rocky outcropping that looked like it didn’t quite form into a cave, judging by the stars in the sky above. That and an intense orange glow.

“I suppose this is how the entrance stayed hidden?” Zelda mused before putting out the light and continuing forward, right behind Liesl as they stepped free. Though the sight on the other side made her wish they had stayed in that tunnel a little longer.

Once the two emerged, the light from behind them caused them both to turn, where the intensity of the flames they’d seen from high in the castle was much more apparent. The city that had been their home burned before their eyes, and there wasn’t a thing either of them could do.

“Oh, Goddesses,” Zelda whimpered before falling to her knees on the damp grass. Her hands came up to her face a heartbeat later, anticipating the tears that were just beginning to flow.

In the end, Liesl could only join her down there on the ground, and once she set the Master Sword aside, she wrapped her friend in a tight embrace as the two took in the scene before them with heavy hearts, moist cheeks, and quiet sniffles.