The Mad King of Hyrule

Carol, who had been quietly admiring Gwene's new look, caught the stone and nodded. "in the meantime, do any of you need a place to stay?" she offered. "my house has some spare rooms since originally my whole family planned on living here, I'd love to have guests" for the first time since she approached these people, she smiled a genuine smile, eyes crinkled at the corners and her head tilted slightly to one side.

Gwene looked at Konbei and smirked "I think I'll manage."

Carol noted the look. so that's how it is... she thought. The archer was no idiot. "well, would you at least let me provide food for the journey? I would like to contribute at least something." she said, with another of her little bows. She was trying her best to be curtious.

"That would be a lovely idea." Gwene smiled "Thank you Carol."

she beamed. "it would be my honor!"

"Brilliant." Gwene beamed "Good hunting, and please be carefull out there."

with a nod and a mock-sulute(sp?), the hunter left for the woods.

Gwene gave a mock salute also and watched Carol out of sight.

Miles grumbled to himself. What sort of staff didn't even know where their employers were at all times? Whatever happened to the traditional servant's method of making a guess and making a sarcastic remark about the master not spending all day in one room if it turned out wrong? That was the problem with social mobility, these upstarts had no respect for timeless butlering traditions.

Still, he had searched the length and breadth of the castle for Zelda without success and had only one place left to check: her room. He noted the lack of guards and thought that perhaps they had been tasked to quell the rioters. For a moment, he even believed himself.

He took a deep breath and knocked on her door.

"Come." came a soft female voice from inside the room.

Miles swallowed. This was it.

He opened the door and bowed. "Your highness, I trust I am not intruding?"

Zelda looked at him and smiled "Oh, good afternoon Miles. No, I am just reading." she marked the page she was on and set the book down on the table "How have you been?"

He rose. "Well enough your highness. I've been stranded due to today's riot and thought I would come to pay my respects before finding lodgings within the town."

"Oh?" Zelda asked "Did my Uncle not offer accommodation?"

"Truth be told, no." he said "Of course, I didn't ask. It didn't even occur to me until you mentioned it."

Zelda nodded. "Now that I think about it, it might be best if you did seek accommodation elsewhere." she paused "He has been a little over the edge lately, almost anything that is said to him ends with him yelling at someone."

"Yes, perhaps that would be best." Oh well, there would be other opportunities. "I did hear that he has gotten rather...eccentric as of late. I trust it's not too overbearing?"

Zelda didn't know what to say, so she just stayed quiet.

When she did decide to speak, she slipped over to the door and shut it. She kept her voice low "Listen. I have a big favour to ask." she went over to her desk and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Miles "I need you to take this to Konbei in the forest. Please, keep it a secret, it has a lot of information about my Uncles upcoming plans, and how he can stop them. Can I trust you with this?"

Miles was momentarily taken back by this, well he didn't know what to call this turn of events. Surely not treason?

He hesitantly accepted the envelope and said, "Your highness, my loyalty is to you is total. But who is this Konbei, and what are the plans he's supposed to thwart?"

Zelda shook her head "I will say no more. If somehow you are caught, the less you know the better." she sat back in her chair "I apologise if I am making you feel left out of the loop. One more thing, if you are caught, please destroy the letter."

"I do not know his exact location, but he lives in the lost woods somewhere." Zelda said.

Miles tucked the letter into his inner jacket pocket. This cloak and dagger stuff didn't sit well with him, but he did swear total loyalty and he wasn't going to back out now. "Can I you at least tell me how I shall know him? What does he look like?"

"Green hair, white tips." Zelda said.

That seemed to be all the information that was forthcoming so he bowed again. "I will leave this evening and return as soon as Konbei receives your message. You can count on me."

"Thank you Miles." Zelda said with a smile "Best of luck."

After leaving the castle Miles made a beeline for one of the shadier districts in castle town. He attracted some attention for his expensive clothing, but received no trouble because of his expensive sword. He found the hotel he was looking for and located the room of his vagrant cousin. He pounded on the door until Ritter answered it.

"Miles? What's a guy of your prestige doing in this nick of the woods?" he asked.

"I need a way out of the city. I'm on a secret mission from the princess and need to get to the lost woods as soon as possible."

"Secret mission eh? You're moving up in the world." Ritter began gathering equipment for the journey, including some stuff that was probably illegal. "So what sort of mission are we on? Assassination? Intercepting intelligence?"

"I have been tasked with delivering this letter to someone named Konbei in the lost woods." He pulled out the letter as proof.

Ritter dropped the grapnel he had been fastening to his belt and snatched the letter from Miles's hands. "Hmm, closed with a wax seal. I know a trick that will let us open this up without a trace of tampering if you'd--"

Miles snatched it back. "I just need a way out of the city. Can you do that for me?"

"Oh is that all? We can just bribe the guy at the gate. It's not the first time I've had to break curfew."

-----

Not ten minutes later they were galloping out over the drawbridge and well on their way to the Lost Woods. Miles shouted over the sound of galloping hooves to Ritter, "Why are you following me? I said this was my mission!"

Ritter smiled and replied, "This is your first cloak and dagger job! I've got to make sure you do it right!"

Miles rolled his eyes and focused on his chosen path. They should arrive at the Lost Woods before nightfall if they were lucky.