Disclaimer: I don’t want to get in whatever trouble people can get into when using other people’s characters so - .The Legend of Zelda, Link, Zelda, Ganon, Hyrule and other related characters and settings belong to to that wonderous console company, Nintendo. No infringement intended.

Juliet A. Singleton (Scullys@bigfoot.com) & Kirsty Singleton (Space@ignmail.com)

Chapter 7

Zelda descended into the dark dungeons that lay underneath North Castle, they were rarely used so she didn't visit much. Of course, one cell in particular was being occupied, giving her reason for the visit. "Oh a visitor, how swell," remarked Leigh from inside her cell. She was sitting on one of the bunks in the cell, staring ahead through the barred door. Zelda shivered, it was sure cold down here.

"Yes well, no one else has bothered visiting so far have they?" asked Zelda smugly. Leigh folded her arms and sighed.

"It's probably because they don't know that I'm locked up down here. Or you've ensured that no-one but you is allowed to see me," she said. Zelda shrugged.

"Or maybe because no-one cares," she suggested smiling sweetly at the Avatar.

"What is your problem? Why not throw me out? Why go to these lengths? I said I was sorry," questioned Leigh.

"Because you've committed crimes against the crown," said Zelda simply.

"Oh, I have, have I? You know I didn't kill those people, and so does everyone else. I'm sure there are much worse crimes being committed around the Kingdom than me kissing your husband. I didn't even know he was married," replied Leigh.

"So the ring on his finger didn't give you a little clue?" asked Zelda in disbelief.

"I didn't notice it, probably because he was wearing gauntlets," said Leigh, exasperated.

"You can give up the act because I know you did a little more than kiss my husband," said Zelda.

"You wish," retorted Leigh.

"Pardon? Why would I wish my husband to have an affair with the likes of you?" asked Zelda.

"Because you're looking for a reason to make me look bad. Well I can tell you, you won't find one," answered Leigh.

"I know what happened two nights ago, so you needn't lie. Link told me," said Zelda, hoping to push Leigh into admitting that he had been with her that night.

"He did? Well he must've been dreaming because I certainly wasn't with him," said Leigh coolly.

"I went to his room and he wasn't there. Explain that," said Zelda, her anger rising.

"I'm not omniscient, how the hell would I know?" asked Leigh, frustrated.

"Perhaps because he was with you," spat Zelda. Leigh got up and walked over to Zelda, the door separating them.

"If I knew, I would say, but I don't so I can't," said Leigh.

"You lie," Zelda replied coldly. The Princess gave the Avatar one last disdainful look, then turned on her heel and walked away. Leigh slumped down back onto the bench, wishing she was a million miles away from this seemingly unforgiving place.

 

"Really, I can't believe that you've got the Avatar locked up! And for no good reason, either!" Fenella fumed during dinner that night. "She has committed crimes against the crown," Zelda replied, almost too calmly.

"What crimes? Leigh is one of the most trustworthy people you could possibly meet!" Fenella replied.

"I understand she's your country's patron, and therefore special, but that doesn't mean that she can do what she wants, whilst she is here, in Hyrule," Zelda explained. Link stared at her from across the table thoughtfully. She certainly wasn't acting like herself. Usually, Zelda was keen to give anyone a chance, even second chances. This usually good nature meant that the town brigs were hardly ever full of wrong doers, or criminals. It was why the people had always loved Zelda so much. Her kindness. What kindness, he thought to himself. Where Leigh was concerned, it had simply evaporated away. She must really, really hate her, he thought sadly. And somehow, he'd become trapped in the middle.

"I really think you ought to think this through properly, dear," the King suggested.

"I have thought it through. I think she should go on trial," Zelda retorted.

"Trial?" Fayette spoke up, looking interested. Just like Fayette, Link though dismally, she's always so interested in other's troubles and misfortunes.

"Well, that's usually how you go about it, yes," Zelda remarked sarcastically. She pushed her plate away, and stood up. "Well, I want to go and get some rest," she announced.

"Fine, dear," the King said in his usual amicable tone. Link got up as well, finished also. He didn't feel like being trapped there with Fenella and Fayette.

"Good night," he said cordially.

"Speaking of early night, I think, I'll…" Fayette began, but Link rushed out of the room as quickly as he could. Zelda followed behind him, and unfortunately, Fayette.

 

Fayette glared at her step sister and husband, as they walked off together. Surely she can't have forgiven him already? she fumed to herself. She followed them, and eventually, they stopped outside their tower's stairwell. "I know we're trying to fool my father and Fenella into thinking it's all okay, but you don't have to keep so close!" Zelda whispered furiously. She or Link hadn't appeared to have noticed Fayette.

"Actually, I'm not. But I wanted to talk to you about something," Link replied.

"Yes, well I'm… I'm not in the mood to talk!" Zelda stated sulkily.

"It's about Leigh," Link started. Zelda cut in angrily.

"It's always about Leigh! Maybe if you could just shut up about how wonderful she is, we'd get on better!"

"I said nothing of the sort, it's just I agree with your father about you…" he tried. Zelda brought up her hand to slap him, but being a well trained fighter, he reacted and grabbed hold of her wrist quickly. He forced it back down to her side, then let go. "Don't make me retaliate," he warned.

"You wouldn't," Zelda retorted smugly.

"You're right," he conceded. "Listen though," he added. "I just think what you're doing isn't based on the right motives. You just want to get back at Leigh, because… well, because… you know why."

"She's done a lot more than just try and steal you!" Zelda remarked.

"She didn't try and 'steal' me, Zel. Anyway, Leigh isn't my type, how many times do I have to tell you that it's you I love, and you alone? Well, I did.. until you started acting like this," Link said sorrowfully.

"Listen, you can go along with this, and support me, and maybe then, we can reconcile. But if you won't… well that just shows how much you love me, doesn't it?" Zelda said.

"Do I have a choice?" Link said, more to himself, than to Zelda. Zelda didn't answer. She looked to be staring, right over his shoulder. "Zel?" he questioned.

"I'm going to kill her!" Zelda muttered angrily.

"Uh, Zel…" Link began, "isn't that going a little..."

"Fayette, She's been spying on us!" Zelda whispered. Suddenly, she drew Link close, into a hug. "Oh Link, I'm so sorry! I've been acting so terrible, you must hate me!" she said loudly. She leaned forward, and kissed him, then pulled him through into the tower base, closing the door behind them. Link was stood there, somewhat dazed, but the princess ignored him. She peeped through the door, searching for any sign of her step sister, but the passage was empty. "Jeez, if I hadn't spotted her, she would have told Fenella about our argument. I sure hope us 'making up' worked," she remarked.

"Can it be for real?" Link asked hopefully. Zelda appeared to think about it for a moment.

"Well… I do miss you," she conceded. "However," she added quickly, "it doesn't mean that I've forgiven you yet."

"I might've guessed that you'd say that," Link replied, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I hope you don't expect that I'll forgive as easy as that," Zelda answered.

"Considering your past record, no," Link said, suddenly smiling a little. The princess managed a small smile back.

"Well, you know what you have to do, if you want to make up with me," she remarked lightly. "I think I'm going to go and use dad's plunge pool bath and relax a little. Maybe I'll feel better," she added.

"Yeah, maybe," Link answered, thinking to himself about the situation.

"Perhaps I'll see you later tonight," she remarked, somewhat suggestively, before starting up the steps. There were times, Link thought, when Zelda really was a heartbreaker. This looked like another of those times. He sighed, then wandered back out into the passage, wondering how the situation really could be resolved fairly.

 

"Ah, just the man we wanted to see!" Drake remarked, as Link wandered into the Great Hall. The knight was sat there with Charles and Nick. Damon and Dion had left earlier that day, back to their homes in East Hyrule. Aaron, Katrina, Sparks, and Selina were nowhere to be seen, neither was George, for that matter. Link made his way over to the wooden benches that were set near the fireplace.

"Where is everyone?" he questioned. The knight shrugged. "I don't know. I think Selina is with Katrina, and young Sparks is with Aaron. Dunno about the Molderan knight, though," he replied. Link sat down next to Nick. "Anyway, what's with Leigh being locked up, eh?" Drake pressed.

"What?" Link said in surprise. Then he got what his friend was talking about. "Oh yeah… uh, that was all Zel's idea," he said.

"Jeez, I know she hates the woman, but isn't this going a bit too far?" Drake asked. Link shrugged.

"Look, I'd rather not discuss it," he said shortly.

"What's up?" Nick enquired.

"Oh, nothing," Link replied.

"How about we get some drinks or something?" Charles suggested. Drake nodded.

"Good idea. You and Nick go down to the cellar and fetch up some ale," he said. While the two kings went off to get the refreshments, Drake turned to the Hyrulian hero. "Alright, I just know that something's up, somewhere? Is Zelda still giving you a hard time about Leigh?"

"Talk about an understatement, Drake. But it's not that, that I'm worried about," Link replied.

"So what are you worried about?" Drake pressed. Link shook his head.

"I can't really say. Not right now," he replied.

"Fair enough," the knight answered, leaning back against the wall, and folding his arms.

"Thanks anyway," Link said gratefully. The knight grinned.

"S'okay. Just cheer up, alright?" Link nodded.

"I'll do my best," he said, managing a small smile.

"Maybe I ought to speak to Zelda for ya," Drake suggested.

"Uh… nah. She'll… she'll probably give into me sooner or later. Well, I hope," Link answered.

"And what about Leigh? It's really not fair," Drake said. Nick and Charles appeared at that point.

"Well, what can I do about it? If I even mention it to Zel, she gets all stroppy about it," Link said.

"Yes, but what's the reason?" Drake asked.

"Well… let's see," Link said, counting off his fingers.

"There's several reasons?" Charles questioned, in surprise. Link nodded.

"Unfortunately," he remarked darkly.

 

Zelda finished towelling herself off, and put on a silk robe. For some reason, she had a bit of an uneasy feeling, in fact, she'd had it all day. She wasn't sure whether it was because she and Link weren't speaking to each other, or for some other reason. Actually, it was a lot like the feeling she used to get whenever Ganon was nearby. Thinking about this, she began to feel even worse. What if he'd managed to escape the sword, was still roaming around somewhere? No, that couldn't be possible. That demon that was in it already was supposedly very powerful, and he never escaped, she thought to herself logically. She wondered where about the sword actually was. It wouldn't be a good thing to leave it lying around anywhere. She walked out, back into her father's room. He did have the only plunge pool bath in the whole of the castle, after all, something Zelda would have liked herself, except her tower room was far too small for that sort of luxury. She then realised that Fenella was in the room, looking through one of the closets. Her step mother turned away, and smiled at Zelda. "Oh, hello dear," she said pleasantly. Zelda smiled back, then continued walking towards the door. "Oh, Zelda," Fenella quickly called, walking towards her. Zelda stopped, and looked at her step mother impatiently.

"Yes?" she asked shortly. Fenella lowered her voice, and gave the princess a sympathetic look.

"I hear you and Link have… well, been having a few… problems, so to speak," she said. Zelda frowned.

"What are you talking about?" she questioned quickly. How did Fenella know, she wondered.

"Zelda, you know you should be able to talk to me by now," Fenella said in a comforting tone, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Who told you? My father? Or was it Fayette?" Zelda snapped. Fenella looked hurt at her response.

"I really do wish you'd at least talk to me," she said. Zelda politely pushed Fenella's arm away, and stepped back.

"You're not my mother, please don't try to be," she replied.

"Oh, fine. Really, goodness knows where you got your manners from, but it certainly wasn't your parents," Fenella said, looking angry.

"And goodness knows what my father sees in you, I can't believe he married you!" Zelda replied rudely.

"Zelda! How dare you say such things!" Fenella cried.

"What you going to do about it? Tell my father? Well go ahead," Zelda answered flippantly, before turning and walking out of the room, leaving a fuming Fenella behind. Zelda really was impossible, she thought to herself. If only Fayette had been the named heir instead. She sighed, and turned back to the closet, checking through her clothes.

 

Despondently, Link climbed into bed, late that night. He'd sat up, thinking about everything, but it hadn't done much good. Zelda was already fast asleep, dozing peacefully. Link couldn't believe how she was acting through the whole situation, though. He half at least expected her to be somewhat upset, or even guilty, but she evidently wasn't. He leaned across to his nightstand, and blew out the candle, then settled down to try and get some sleep. For once, it seemed to come easily. Within a few minutes he had drifted off into a deep, somehow comforting slumber.

Link found himself in a forest. It was unknown to him, and yet it felt strangely familiar, for some reason. A voice called out to him, a familiar one. "Link! Over here!" it called. He turned to the source, and saw a young woman walking towards him. Kylara. She was wearing a soft white gown, and her long brown hair was pinned up, with wild, woodland flowers. When he looked down at himself, he realised that he, too, was wearing white. As he slowly looked up again, Kylara there. "Don't be afraid, you've just entered the land of dreams, that's all," she laughed. She took his hand, and led him down a well-worn pathway. "I wasn't sure if I could reach you this way, but luckily, I could," she continued. "Don't worry, I won't be making a habit of it," she added, smiling warmly. They came to a wooden bridge, and stopped. Kylara faced him seriously. "I brought you here to tell you something," she said.

"What?" Link asked, speaking for the first time. Kylara began to cross the bridge.

"Something I should have told you a long time ago… except well, it was prohibited to do so. But if I had…" she trailed off there, looking upset for a moment. "Anyway, come. We shall sit a while and talk," Kylara said quickly, leading him into a quiet wooded glen. There was a fallen log near a small pool, and she sat down upon it. Link sat there too, still in a bit of a daze, not really sure what exactly was going on. Kylara gazed into his eyes, as if searching for anything. He watched her back, wondering why on earth he was having a dream about her. "Link, there's a few things I think you should know, but I'm not really sure where to start," Kylara spoke up.

"Am I dreaming, or is this real?" Link suddenly questioned.

"It's a dream, but I'm really here," Kylara answered promptly. "I have the power to inhabit the realm of dreams. And it's better than appearing before you as a ghost," she giggled. Link nodded in understanding.

"So what is it you want to tell me?" he asked, curious. Kylara looked down sadly, a strand of hair falling into her face. Link brushed it away, and made her look up. "Go on," he urged.

"Okay, let's begin," Kylara replied.

"Link, destiny is a very complicated thing. Almost everything that happens, is controlled by destiny, although that is perhaps a little difficult to believe. However, it's true. I mean, your moves are your own, but of course, they are predetermined by fate," Kylara said.

"Everything?" Link said, sounding incredulous.

"Listen. Almost everything," Kylara replied. She leaned a little closer. "Sometimes, people have the power to change destiny," she said. "You changed your destiny, and when that happens, there can be dire consequences."

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"Link, you were supposed to marry me. However, it was unfortunate that you somehow reconciled with that wretched princess of yours," Kylara said, looking a little distasteful.

"Don't start that again. I don't believe that you were the one. I know it's Zelda. I mean, I love her. I never loved you," Link replied promptly.

"No, correction. You were infatuated with her. I mean, who wouldn't be? She's a beautiful woman, with a lot of power. However, you just had to take it one step too far. You wouldn't settle for someone simple, someone like me. You just had to win her over, make her your wife," Kylara said, her voice taking a bitter turn.

"I wasn't infatuated. Well, maybe at first, but I know that I love her," Link replied firmly.

"Are you happy?" Kylara immediately questioned. Link was a little taken back by this latest question.

"Well…" he began. Kylara took his hand, and they stood up together.

"Come on. It's about time you knew about those consequences," she murmured.

 

They walked along in silence for a while, then Kylara finally spoke. "First of all, you must know the one prophecy that I managed to look up in your life book."

"Life book?" Link questioned. Kylara nodded.

"Everyone has one. I managed to take a look at yours," she said. "Now, the prophecy was this. Sometime in your life, a woman with long blonde hair is going to hurt you very badly. Not physically, but emotionally. That's the first prophecy. It's nothing important, it's the second one that should be noted as important," Kylara explained. Link stared at her.

"Long blonde hair?" he questioned.

"That's what I saw," Kylara said.

"Saw?" Link asked.

"I can foresee things. I saw this before I killed myself. I was firmly told to keep my visions to myself, but I think you ought to know them. I checked my visions in your life book to verify them," she said simply.

"It could be anyone. It's not necessarily Zel," Link said. Kylara raised her eyebrows.

"Of course not. No names are ever entered into the book," she remarked.

"Yes well, just because you had that vision, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't be married to Zelda," Link replied, kicking a stone across the ground in annoyance.

"Stop," Kylara commanded. They'd reached the summit of a hill. "Look down," she ordered. Link cast his eyes into the valley below. It was a large clearing, surrounded by trees. A small brook ran through it, and there were several tree houses. The sound of children laughing reached the hero's ears. "The home of our namesake," Kylara breathed, turning to smile at him. "Huh?" Link said. "That's the home of the original Kokiri. Our tribe was named after them," Kylara explained.

"Oh," Link replied. He peered down, trying to get a better look, but could see nothing. The vision suddenly faded away; all he could see were trees.

"This is all but an illusion, part of the dream," Kylara quickly said. Link nodded, and they continued walking. "Now listen. This is the second part of the prophecy," she murmured. She took his hand, and drew him close. "All of Hyrule's heroes were special… In fact, they were related to you, in a sense. This world will always have its menaces, even if Ganondorf is gone. And it needs heroes. Heroes like you."

"Well, obviously," Link said, his tone verging on sarcasm.

"They are a certain type of person, with a certain kind of blood. You had Kokirish blood, just like me. To keep the line, to ensure another hero you were supposed to marry one of your own. But you didn't. You overlooked me, and made your life with that Hylian princess instead, had a child with her," Kylara said, looking angry.

"I'm as Hylian as she is. What's the problem?" Link questioned.

"You may be Hylian, but your blood is Kokirish. Hers is different, some other line, I wouldn't know which one. But the rule's always been, that the hero would never become the lover of anyone in the Hyrulian Royal Family. You broke that rule, and now, everything's going to go wrong. There won't be another hero, because you ruined the only chance of that. Goodness knows what will happen in years to come, when a new enemy arrives to terrorise Hyrule," Kylara replied.

"I don't believe you," Link said, turning, and beginning to walk away.

"Don't leave the dream! I'm not finished yet," Kylara said, walking after him quickly.

"I don't care, I don't want to hear anymore of your lies. I'm going to wake up, and don't you even think of doing this ever again!" Link said angrily. Kylara grabbed hold of his arm.

"I haven't finished. There's something you need to know about your son," she said.

"What?" Link asked.

"Wait a moment. If you'd have married me, we would have had a child together. A son. He would have saved Hyrule from a great evil," Kylara said.

"Don't talk rubbish," Link said. Kylara gazed up at him.

"Link, you must believe me… although, perhaps it doesn't matter. It's all too late now, anyway," she said, looking down again.

"Kylara, I couldn't have married you. I didn't love you. Not the way I loved…" Link started.

"You would have grown to love me, eventually," Kylara replied.

"So you keep saying. Maybe you're right, I don't know. But you won't try to turn me against my wife," Link answered.

"I'm not doing that, not intentionally. I'm just warning you," Kylara stated.

"Now, listen carefully. You may not know it, but there's something very special about young Ewan," she said.

"Of course he's special! Every child is considered special by their parents," Link interjected.

"No, not like that," Kylara said, shaking her head. "You may not have noticed, but Ewan can carry the power of all three Triforces. Not one, not two, but all of them," she said. Link stared in surprise. "What?!" he said, shocked. "He has all three virtues, the strength for all three. It comes because both you and Zelda have virtues yourself. Only very few people ever get all three virtues. Ewan is one of those few," Kylara said.

"Well, isn't that a good thing, then? We've been needing such a person for years! He can bind the Triforce into its true form," Link said excitedly. Kylara shook her head sadly.

"No Link, it's not good news. Ewan will… how can I put it… he'll grow… greedy," she said slowly.

"No he won't!" Link said.

"Link, listen to me! Imagine the power that boy will hold! It will be too much… and the whole world will suffer. This is the ultimate consequence of your changed destiny. The world will lose a hero, and gain a corrupt king. I'm, sorry, Link," Kylara cried.

"How can you say that? I can't believe you, my son would never be like that!" Link shouted back, looking upset. Kylara reached forward, and embraced him warmly. He hugged her back, he really wasn't sure why.

"Goodbye, Link. I must go back to the void once more," she whispered sadly. She kissed him softly, and then she and the surroundings began to fade away…

 

Zelda made her way out of the banquet hall the next morning, after sitting through a rather uncomfortable breakfast. Link wouldn't speak to her, and Fenella had been casting hateful looks in her direction. Fayette had just sat looking smug, for no apparent reason. The King had kept up most of the conversation, but it had been pretty one-sided. She was glad to be out of the room, before anyone had said something horrible to her. She knew that none of them were very pleased about the trial, perhaps save Fayette. However, she was always interested in anything that happened to get someone in trouble. The princess turned down a corridor, thinking she might go up and see Impa and talk to her. Impa always seemed to make things seem better, somehow. She then saw Selina, stood with her arms folded, speaking with someone. Zelda paused, and saw it was Leigh's friend, Katrina. She figured that Katrina might not be pleased to see her, so she turned to go to the stairs another way, but then she heard something that made her stop. "Oh, sometimes I simply hate Leigh!" Katrina remarked. Zelda narrowed her eyes, and then turned to a mirror upon the wall, pretending to fix her hair, just in case either of them noticed her.

"But why? She seems really nice, well, so far," Selina replied.

"Well, she is nice, but to be honest, she takes up all the limelight every time, and she also doesn't really like working with other women. She has to be the only one, with all the men to herself. I mean, she once shouted at me for flirting with Sir Dupre! And it was all very innocent, friendly sort of flirting," Katrina exclaimed.

"Oh… well, she is the leader, though. And maybe she thinks you shouldn't waste time flirting, when you should be working. Some people are like that, you know," Selina said, fingering a strand of her curly hair thoughtfully. Katrina shook her head.

"Leigh's alright most of time, but even so, I don't like her. This trial might bring her down a peg or two. She's so used to having a circle of adoring guys around her, and well, as for me, well even if I do something worthwhile, I wouldn't be recognised for it."

"I can understand you being jealous, but…" Selina began.

"I'm not jealous, just resentful. It's a shame Jaana isn't here. She'd verify what Leigh's like, sometimes," Katrina interrupted. She lowered her voice, and leaned closer to Selina, and Zelda strained to hear what she was saying. "You know, it really wouldn't surprise me, if she had tried to seduce your King-to-be. I bet she's done it with all the guys back home, too." Selina looked surprised at that.

"Oh," she replied, not really knowing what to say. Katrina sighed.

"What can I say? She prefers male company, and hates any sort of female competition," she answered. However, the conversation then took a turn towards something else, so Zelda quickly walked away, thinking carefully about what she'd just heard. Katrina doesn't like Leigh, yet she's her friend? Hmmm… perhaps she'd make an ideal jury member, then… the princess figured to herself.

 

Leigh stretched her arms up to the ceiling, then let them drop limply against her sides again. She felt exhausted even though she had done nothing but sleep and pace for the last two days. She figured it was because her so called bunk was nothing but a slab of stone with a thin, hard mattress on top of it. It wouldn't surprise her if Zelda had purposely chosen this cell because of its extremely uncomfortable bunks. Then again, she supposed herself lucky to even have a mattress. One thing going for the cell was that it was a whole lot better than the cell she had been forced to stay in, in that shadow temple. But, it was still a cell. She shouldn't even be here! She stood up and walked over to the prison door and peered out. She couldn't see much, only the faint glow of a torch down the passage. She walked back over to her bunk and sat down. She let out a small sigh, wondering how long it would be before the trial. She hoped it wouldn't be too long, she didn't want to tolerate another night in this draughty, uncomfortable cell. At that moment, she heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. Probably the guard with another five star quality breakfast. Sure enough, it was. But instead of opening the small compartment in the door and sliding her meal through, the guard unlocked the door and opened it. Then, behind the guard she noticed another figure. The guard turned to the other figure and spoke to him in a low voice. Leigh strained her ears to try and pick up on the conversation. "You're lucky I'm letting you down here. I'm on strict orders not to let anyone but the princess see this lass," said the guard gruffly.

"Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. But thanks again, I really appreciate this favour," replied the figure. Leigh recognised the voice to be that of the smug Molderan Knight, George Stobbart. She sighed, he was one of the last people she wanted to see.

"Not a word to no-one, mind you. I'll come and let you out in ten minutes," added the guard.

"Make it twenty, we have some personal matters to discuss," said George. The guard nodded and stepped back, allowing George to enter the cell. The door clanged shut behind him, and a key turned in the lock. Then the guard walked away, leaving Leigh and George alone.

"Hi. I just thought you'd like to know when the trial is due," said George brightly. Leigh felt like kicking him in the teeth for his chirpiness.

"Go on," she said dryly.

"Well, it's tomorrow," said George.

"Why thank you for informing me, although I think I could've waited another day to find out," retorted Leigh. "You really didn't need to visit. Plus you probably wasted a lot of money trying to bribe that guard as well. It really wasn't necessary," added Leigh. George approached her and sat down on the bunk next to her.

"I thought you'd like the company," he said, smiling at her. Leigh swallowed uneasily, wondering where this conversation was leading to. She stood up and walked away from the bunk to pour herself a glass of water.

"But you were right. I did spend a lot of cash trying to persuade that guard to let me down here," said George, still sitting on the bunk. Leigh turned back round, glass in hand, only to come face to face with the handsome knight. He took the glass from her hand and placed it on the table. "I'm sure we can think up of a way for you to… repay me," he said, somewhat suggestively.

"Yeah well I don't have any money, so its tough," she replied, trying to back away. Instead, she bumped into the table, sending the glass to the ground with a shattering smash. George, who had been advancing upon her stopped and paused, turning to watch the door. He obviously was wondering if the guard had heard. He waited for a minute at least, but no-one came. He turned his attentions back to Leigh. "I wasn't suggesting you pay me with money," he said, walking over to her, backing her up against a wall. "Well that's the only way I would pay you," insisted Leigh nervously. Normally she would've taken some kind of action by now, but that incident with those Tanolian savages had come flooding back. She had only just managed to push it to the back of her mind, but like then, she felt vulnerable and defenceless against this knight. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't have time to react when the knight pushed her against the wall and forced himself upon her, kissing her crudely yet passionately. She resisted for a moment, then gave in. But not after long, as he became more insistent, she realised she wasn't defenceless. She wasn't chained up, like she had been before, she could stop what was happening. She placed one hand on his chest and tried to push him away, but he held on. She gave him a more violent push, which sent him back a step or two.

"You're so used to women falling at your feet. Well let me tell you, I'm not one of them, this time you're going to be the one falling at my feet!" she declared. Before he knew what was happening, she raised her foot and kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling to the floor. She walked over to him and placed one foot on his back, not allowing him to get up. "No guy, no matter who they are, tries that on with me, you understand?" she said angrily. The knight let out a small wheeze. Leigh let out a snort of disgust. "And you call yourself a knight? You're no knight, knights are meant to be chivalrous and just. You know what you are? You're a slime bag, no, that's being polite, you are less than a slime bag, so get out of my sight," said Leigh, kicking him in the back. She walked over to the door, and knocked on the bars loudly, hoping to catch the guards attention. She didn't want to spend another minute with Stobbart if she didn't have to. By the time the guard arrived, Stobbart had managed to stand up and dust himself off. Leigh was sitting on the bunk, watching the man carefully.

"You called?" asked the guard. George nodded, still unable to find his tongue. The guard unlocked the door and let him out, at the same time he placed a new beaker of water and a plate of dry bread and fruit at the foot of the door. Only when the guard and Stobbart had gone, did Leigh realise the situation. George would probably go and tell Zelda of how Leigh had assaulted him for no reason at all, and that charge would be brought against her as well. She was sure Zelda would overlook the fact that Stobbart shouldn't have been there anyway for the sake of yet another reason to make her look bad. She sighed, perhaps Stobbart would fail to tell anyone, fearing he would lose all pride as he had been beaten up by a woman. She only hoped that would be the case.

 

The next morning, Leigh woke up to the sound of her cell being unlocked. She got up and stifled a yawn as two guards filed into her cell. "Hold out your hands," demanded one guard. She recognised him as one of the guards that she had 'assaulted'. She did as he said and allowed herself to be handcuffed. She was then led out of the cell and up to the throne room, which had been made into a makeshift court room. She was then led up to a stand, which was enclosed on all sides and had a gate, the gate was opened and she was led inside and handcuffed to a pole in the stand. Moments later, the throne room doors opened and people filed in. A stand, which was where the jury would be seated was filled with six people. There were three people that she did not recognise, as well as three familiar faces. She grimaced. Stobbart and Fayette were two of them. The other, though, was Katrina. Surely Katrina wouldn't allow her own friend to be jailed, she would know that Leigh was incapable of committing any of the crimes brought against her. Well, the serious ones anyway. Lines of seats filled the room, surrounding her stand. They were also quickly filled. From the back row, she caught sight of Sparks, who gave her a sympathetic smile. As soon as the room was quiet, a guard stood up and took a scroll from his belt. The trial was about to begin.

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