We all are animals anyway

LINK POV

I have always mocked people who claim to fear darkness, there is absolutely nothing wrong with darkness, the only challenge it brings is that it cloaks your sight, not very different from being asked to close your eyes if you ask me. What people actually fear is the UNKNOWN.

Link was thinking as he was running evasively from the pellets the skull kids where shooting at them. So far, he has been able to avoid the projectiles, sparing himself and the Princess from harm. But he was currently finding it hard to continue dodging for one simple reason, he could barely breathe. Zelda was holding tight to his neck in fear, she was partially chocking him.

I could ask her to loosen her grip on me... but I won't do that to her. She is completely terrified, and has EVERY right to be. She was put on a vulnerable position where I blinded her and forced her to trust I would be able to carry her to safety. In other words, SHE CAN'T SEE OR TRY TO RUN AWAY. All she can do is listen, and what she hears is malevolent children's laughter and the sound of pellets being shot. It must be UNNERVING for her... Yet my Princess has not screamed. She is biting my shoulder instead. I am allowing it because it prevents her from disclosing our location with her screams.

*Quick reminder, the Princess appears to be afraid of heights, be nice and prepare her for the fall*

"We have to fall through a ground hole, it's not a long fall, try not to scream" Link informs her.

Zelda just nods and whimpers softly. Link jumps down the hole, Zelda felt she was about to throw up, but they soon landed. The Princess could not help but smile at her success, she had managed to avoid screaming, even though she was terrified. Zelda was about to boast on it when she notices a metallic taste in her mouth, in fear the Princess immediately removes the blindfold noticing Link's right shoulder. It had 4 bite marks and 2 of them where actively oozing drops of blood.

"SHIT, I DID NOT MEANT TO I SWEAR" Zelda tells him in shame.

"I know, don't worry about it, you got your rabies shot this year, right?" Link jokes half smiling.

"FUCK YOU, I am not an animal" Zelda screams frustrated.

"We all are animals... I would actually like you if you were one... it's a work in progress" Link says winking at her.

In progress? What does he mean by that?

Link grabs Zelda's hand and directs her towards the exit. Once outside, she looks back at where they came from and concludes they came out of a cave. The first thing the Princess noticed once outside, is that air somehow smelled peculiar. She could not really place it but there was something different about it, also the sky was not as blue as Hyrule's. Someone came rushing to covered Zelda with a towel. Then they were both ushered to board a van.

Zelda could barely maintain her footing; everything was new and different. There where sounds she could not recognize, lots of shiny surfaces blinding her, every person smelling a lot of cologne and yelling something, it was too much stimuli all of a sudden. The world around her starts spiraling out of control.

*She is on panic; you need to ground her*

Link grabs her by the shoulders forcing her to stare at him, and stare at him she did. She takes note of his eyes, a gray color that wanted to become blue but never quite got there. She feels his thumbs rubbing her shoulders. Link inhales deeply and exhales, he repeats the action pointing at the Princess, implying she should do the same. Zelda closes her eyes and takes a deep breath; she begins to smile once she notices Link's particular scent… an odor she knows displacing all the other unknown smells. After exhaling she opens her eyes and finds Link staring back at her, he begins to smile.

"I am right here" Link says.

ZELDA POV

I have lost my mind, how can a dangerous and insane person with no moral compass be my safe place? yet... he IS. And in a deranged way, it makes total sense to me. I need professional orientation for this. Actually, that is a no-no. The last thing I want is for a medical professional to box me on a mental condition, I am the Princess, I can't afford to be labeled crazy. I need to read more about this first, there must be some info on this at the castle's library.

"I know… and I am glad you are here with me" Zelda answers.

Link lets go of her shoulders, sighs and gives her the most important instruction.

"Rule of thumb, no matter where you are, you do what you see. In other words, you imitate the locals. That way you don't let people know you are an outsider. If you are not an outsider, they won't prey on you. Right now you have me, that means all you have to do is mimic me. If you don't see me worried or scared you shouldn't be either... Let me know if you have any question, I will explain to the best of my ability" he ends his discourse. 

Zelda starts to smile and points at the Van, then adds "also… do I have to use this towel? I am sweating, I wish to take it off"

Link extends a hand to take the towel from her, Carla gets out of the Van in shock and angry at Link.

"Zelda is hot ma'am, she may not be wearing appropriate clothes but she is not naked" Link says with a tint of anger, willing to defend his Princess choice to rid of the towel.

Carla Sighs "Well then let's head to the facility, I brought some clothes she can use for when you take her shopping today... OH! And I bought a bra and panties too. She needs to try those, check if it's her size for when you buy her more... and YES, you have to take her to buy MORE underwear, one is not enough for her stay" Carla stares at Link with mischief " YES, I am making you enter a lingerie shop... and I am not sorry at all" the overworked secretary mocks Link.

"Let's just end this now, shall we? Bring the acid barrel, I will happily jump into it" Link states solemnly.

Carla laughs at his statement, Link chuckles and points at the VAN looking at Zelda "That is a motorized carriage, motorized means it's a machine that moves burning fuel inside instead of needing horses"

It burns inside? We are inside a moving boiler then? And what type of fuel does it use? It can't be wood logs, can it?

"I... am not sure I understand how it works"

"You don't need to, not many people do and they still buy and use them" Link opens the back door and signals for her to get in.

They both get inside and the driver takes them to SWORD'S facility. Zelda was amazed at the VAN, it was comfortable to ride on, and the temperature inside was fresh, Link told her it was the air conditioner of the vehicle they were using; it cooled or warmed the air on demand.

The humans here appeared to have discovered how to use electricity for commodities such as this, and it's not difficult for the rest of the people to get these commodities, I have seen a lot of similar vehicles with families passing us by.

They arrived to a tall structure, Zelda thought she will see SWORD'S name somewhere, but there was nothing, it in fact looked abandoned. That only made her feel suspicious and insecure. She turns to Link who covers his mouth to yawn.

"It can't be here, there is no SWORD logo anywhere" Zelda points out.

Link chuckles "If everyone knew where to find us, they can execute a plan to get rid of us, we must remain in the shadows for safety" he says.

Link opens his door and exits the Van; Zelda follows behind him. they start walking towards the building, once they entered, she found the place filthy, and it appeared to be an apartment building, Link drew a key he used to open a mailbox, he removed his glove to insert his right hand and get it scanned, after that the elevator opened and he walked inside pulling Zelda with him. Link was putting the glove back when they started to descend getting a squeak out of Zelda. Link just chuckled.

"This concept of going down without the use of stairs is new to me, don't explain how it works, I won't understand and it will stress me" Zelda looks fixated at Link's hands "You know, I always thought your hands were deformed, burned or full of tattoos, and that is why you insisted on using those gloves at all times, but your hands appear to be normal, why the gloves?" Zelda asks with intrigue.

"Habit, I am a SWORD agent, can't leave finger prints behind that could connect to me, Hyrule doesn't have the technology to find finger prints, but this world does, anything you touch you leave a finger print on it."

"Wait... that means it's easy to catch thieves and other type of evil doers, how come the population still needs SWORD?" Link just stares at her with a neutral expression waiting, then Zelda opens her eyes wide in realization "you are not the only ones with access to information and resources, criminals are completely able to find ways to bypass surveillance, am I right?" Zelda asks but doesn't need an answer, she is right and she can bet on it.

Link just continues to stare at her, but this time he produces half a smile and gives her a small nod. The elevator door opens again and they walk out into a hall that connects to many rooms.

"Is that you Kid? Get in here you need to see this" yells Wolf from one of the rooms.

An elevator that was next to the one Link and Zelda used opens, out comes a man dressed in a blue robe, with a goatee beard and strands of grey on his hair. He smiles at them and approaches Link shaking a bottle with pills.

Link looks at the bottle and shakes his head "You were right Stephen; I don't need them anymore" he tells the man refusing the pills.

"Its Dr. Strange to you, and I am always right Kid, have you considered..."

"No, SHIELD is full of extremely powerful people, you don't need me, the only benefit I bring is access to Hyrule and I am NEVER GOING TO ALLOW SHIELD TO HAVE THAT. I believe you know why."

"I know, and I also know the future is not set in stone, it always changes, reason why I find it my obligation to always ask if you changed your mind" Stephen Strange says as the elevator opens again and Carla comes out, she notices the Doctor and quickly exchanges pleasantries with him as he boards the elevator back.

Did... did this doctor just invited my guardian to join SHIELD, and he refused? I need to remember this to ask about it later, and what's with those pills? Does he have a condition or something? FUCK, maybe he is sick... then he definitely needs a donor for health safety. WAIT, he said he doesn't need the pills anymore, didn't he? I am so confused.

Carla approached them running "girl you should come with me to try some clothes" she tells the Princess and drags her away; Zelda turns to Link who just waves her off as he enters one of the rooms. The Princess is pushed inside a bathroom; Carla closes it from inside and turns to the Princess.

"All right, let me show you what a bra is and how to use it"

Zelda doesn't know if she should be excited or scared, so she just breaths in slowly. Then a hard thud is heard, both girls frown a little but dismiss it completely. Outside of the bathroom and two doors down the hall Wolf is trying to calm Link down as the latter massages his now injured hand, Kid had punched the wall in anger. Wolf's laptop still displayed the image of Bardick Tudor next to very scandalous headlines. Link started reading all of the headlines on the laptop. He growled and closed it in anger.

"Are you going to tell her" Wolf asks Link handing him the printed info on Bardick current location.