✧ The Light Between Us ✧ ☆•° Chapter 5 °•☆ The waves lapped rhythmically against the sparkling white shore as the seagulls glided by, crying out. The warm sun caressed my skin, gently lulling me to sleep. My new friend Mubs sat beside me, playing with some shells. "So, Zelda," she said, "what's it like being a princess?" I had explicitly told her to call me just Zelda- not Princess, Your Majesty, or whatever. Mubs had obliged- probably because it was a direct order from a princess. "It's- hard," I sighed. "Lotta pressure to be perfect." "But don't you get to wear nice clothes and go to parties all the time and stuff?" Mubs asked. "You wear nice clothes to meetings with dusty old representatives, you have tea parties with random distant government officials, and before you ask about a house, I get lost in it all the time. And I've lived there for 16 years." I felt a bit bad about crushing Mubs' image of royalty, but I was bitter about being forced to live in it. I shouldn't have let it out on her, though. Mubs grimaced. "Doesn't sound that pleasant after all." "No," I agreed. "Hand me a soda, please." Mubs opened a large cooler stuffed with ice and drinks. She gave me a can of cherry-flavored Noble Pursuit. I sat up to drink it, then noticed the label. "Really, Mubs?" I said. "Noble Pursuit? Doesn't that make you drunk or something?" She glanced at the ingredients. "Just sugar," she replied. "And 100% of your daily dose of caffeine." I popped it open and the can hissed, spraying effervescent bubbles into the salty air. "Well, then..." I held it up. "Cheers." I gulped it down and the sweetness hit me like a punch to the throat. I gagged. "Do you- have water... maybe?" I gasped. Mubs giggled. "You never had Noble Pursuit before?" I shook my head, panting. "Everyone has it all the time around here," she said. "It's imported straight from Gerudo, so it's considered top-notch. You'll get used to it." "Water. Please," I begged. Mubs rolled her eyes and handed me a bottle. I chugged it down. "That's- so much better." "Can I have it?" she asked, pointing at the unfinished can. "Sure." I shrugged. "I don't want it." "Woo-hoo!" She snatched it up and emptied half of the drink in one gulp. A few red drops stained her white shirt, but she didn't seem to care. "That's the stuff." All of a sudden my vision blurred and dark spots swirled at the corner of my sight. "Uh... Mubs?" I asked worriedly. "Are you sure it's non-alcoholic?" "Yea, 'course it is!" Mubs answered. "I'm a minor and I'm drinking it, right?" My insides turned over on themselves, sending a wave of nausea through my body. I noticed my hands were shaking. "Um- Zelda-" Mubs looked at me, concerned. "Are- are you okay?" "Is it just me or are there some really, really dark clouds in the sky," I mumbled. "I-" Mubs doubled over, clutching her stomach. "It's not just you." I saw her face pale, then turn a sickly shade of green. "Also- it's not supposed to do that." She held a hand to her mouth. "I think I'm gonna hurl-" she turned around and threw up. Epileptic colored blotches danced in front of my eyes. "Let's- get inside," I groaned. "If we can walk," Mubs said, wiping her mouth. "I have these cramps- OW!" She fell onto her side. "Call someone," she whispered pleadingly, her voice tight with pain. It took me several tries before I was able to wrap my fingers around my Slate. I scrolled drunkenly through the contacts until I saw Father's name. I tapped the screen. "Hello?" I heard Father say. "Zelda? Is that you?" "We- don't- feel- well," I murmured weakly. "Mubs- and me." "What's wrong?" Father asked, alarmed. "Can't- see very well- and Mubs-" I forced my eyes over to her. She was in the fetal position, her breathing shallow. A drop of sweat trickled down my face. "She- doesn't feel- good- either." "Where are you?!" I heard frantic shuffling. "Beach," I managed. My tongue stuck to the top of my mouth. "Hang on! I'll be there in a sec..." Everything blurred together and Father's voice sounded cold in tinny. "Be there in a sec..." I tried to reply, but my muscles wouldn't obey me. I gave one last attempt to say something. "Hmmmlp," I slurred. Then I blacked out. ☆•° Chapter 4 °•☆ ☆•° Chapter 6 °•☆ ✧ Note ✧ 1- If it seems like Zelda's moods change very quickly, it's because in this series, she has a mild form of bipolar. 2- For those of you not super familiar with BotW's NPCs, Mubs is a store owner from Lurelin Village. She does not canonically appear before the events of AoC, and from my estimates, she is 19-25 years old in BotW.
