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It wasn’t often that Link and Zelda got to spend time together outside of Hyrule Castle. Rarer even that they were not accompanied by a royal guard or one of the Sheikah. Sure it was for some important ceremony Zelda insisted on doing, but for Link it was more of an excuse to hang out with her half-sister without the overbearing presence of nobles - or worse, their father - looming over them. The renewal of the seal was a time honored tradition among the royal family of Hyrule, and one was long overdue. According to its princess, anyways. Link wasn’t so sure it was that important, for surely if it had been, the...whatever it was this seal supposedly held would have broken out ages ago. Nevertheless she had pledged to accompany Zelda as her bodyguard, which, much to her surprise, had been approved by the King himself. Now as Link bounded alongside, Zelda regaled her with the latest tale of her last suitor who had embarrassed himself spectacularly in an an attempt to woo her. Something that Link may or may not have had personal hand in. Not that Zelda needed to know that particular detail. “He was so ashamed that he got his horse and left right away. He didn’t even bother to change his clothes!” Zelda finished recounting. Link laughed, pleased to hear he had gotten a what for . He’d been an upstart anyways. “You deserved better than him anyways, Zel. He was kind of a jerk.” “Oh absolutely! Did you see the way he treated our servants!? What nerve!” And so it went as they ventured into the forest. Fortunately they did not have very far to go, as the forest with the shrine they were tending to sat practically outside the walls of the city. Supposedly it had been the location of the old Hyrule Castle that had been destroyed many years ago. Seeing the occasional crumbling column or wall covered in moss, Link did not find that hard to believe. Zelda fell silent as the canopy of trees shaded them, a worn dirt path guiding their way. The change surprised Link, but when she cast a worried look towards her sister it was returned with a confident smile of reassurance. Alright then. This place was pretty tranquil. As they progressed deeper into the forest Link felt something unsettling press upon her. At least she’d convinced her sister to dress into something more comfortable for forest travel rather than the elegant dress she usually wore. If they needed to run, she would not be tripping over the bulky fabric. “It’s just as I remembered.” Zelda sighed in relief as they stepped into the clearing. Had the trail not led them straight to it, Link might have missed it. In the center a sword embedded in stone glinted in the sunlight with an ancient stone mural decorated with a large eye staring from behind it. “You know, for supposedly sealing away such a dark being, this place has always felt peaceful.” Zelda remarked. “I haven’t been back here since mother died though. I should not have neglected my duties...but at least everything looks alright.” “So you say…” Link muttered, looking around warily. The feeling in her gut had only gotten worse, but she couldn’t really place a finger on it. By all accounts this place looked as serene, and yet… “Just be careful when you check that thing, alright? You don’t know what might come popping out of it.” Link called out to her sister as the other made to approach the blade. “It will be fine! But yes, I will be.” Zelda waved off the concerns of her sibling, stepping forward to inspect the seal. The princess took a moment to breathe deeply, a golden glow gradually filling the palm of her hand which she then used to reach out to the sword. The moment her fingertips grazed against the hilt a large blast erupted from the bushes, and Link knew no more. - Unbeknownst to the approaching duo, something had awakened, long before they had even set out that day. The eve before had found a dark figure clad in deep violets and a strange cap lay huddled on a stone dais before the famed Picori blade, slowly comprehending the surroundings it had been so abruptly dumped into. A pale hand shakily stretched out, first grazing the stone before lifting up to brush back violet bangs. The being began to tremble in excitement when it realized what had happened. Finally, Vaati, famed sorcerer of the wind, existed on the physical plane once more. After being sealed for so many years the situation felt so surreal it felt more like a dream. But, here he was. Free. Slowly he pushed himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the sword as he did so. His body ached and protested at such a simple action, but really, it had never felt better. Even the quiet rustling of trees and the gentle song of night birds singing, though they felt like an assault on his ears after the silence of his magical prison, was not enough to throw him off his growing excitement. Free! He leaned against the sword as he took in his surroundings, not losing the irony of relying on the very thing that had felled him . He had been sealed away for so long that he had forgotten what it was like to simply be , to have the wind caress him once again. Ah, the wind. An old and true friend, if ever there was one to him. But he could not stay there forever. Gradually he felt the need to start moving about and stretching, testing the limits of his body. He was not such a fool as to think that he had escaped the seal completely unscathed, but much to his delight every magic he called to him responded as readily before. Carefully he took a step forward, wobbling dangerously as he did so. As if to aid him the wind pushed him back whenever he threatened to lean too far over and topple, keeping him righted. By the time he had made several laps on the edge of the dais he’d regained his balance, walking confidently even if it still felt alien to him. Which left one other test… Hesitantly he raised his hands, drawing on the pool of magic within and guiding the wind more forcefully. Almost immediately it leapt to his touch, as if it had been waiting this whole time to be used again. He supposed it had been. Confidence growing he drew on larger amounts of magic until he’d created a fierce windstorm in the area, pleased with how little effort it took. It felt more like he’d been in a stasis rather than a magical prison, technically they could be considered the same thing.Ah, well, it didn’t matter now. He was free. He casually looked about him, studying the area properly now that he didn’t feel so overwhelmed. The place was overgrown and barely recognizable from when he’d last seen it, hardly worthy of being witness to his return. “Then again,” He mused out loud to himself, “I supposed it wouldn’t have done if there’d been witnesses, hm?”Despite his newfound freedom though, he did not make to leave right away. Instead he whiled away the passing hours, pushing the limits of his body and focusing on regaining his strength. That is until detected a new disturbance.Casual chatter through bird song reached his ears, alerting him to the approach of others. Could he really be so fortunate? Thinking quickly Vaati jumped into the bushes, using his dark magic to enhance the shadows he was concealed in to avoid detection as he watched on.“...haven’t been back here since mother died. I should not have neglected my duties.”Unfortunately, he had not picked the most advantageous view. He could only see as two pairs of identical soft leather clad boots walked into sight, stepping onto the dais of the Picori Blade. And one of them, he knew without a doubt now, belonged to the Princess of Hyrule. There was no mistaking that holy aura. Weird that she wasn’t wearing one of her typical dresses, but whatever. The details were inconsequential to him. He waited with bated breath as they neared the sword, unaware of its failings.Well, almost entirely unaware.“Just be careful when you check that thing, alright? You don’t know what might come popping out of it.” One called out, a warning he snickered at for it would be in vain. Even though they had detected something was amiss, they were not prepared to handle him in the slightest.One of them strode forward to touch the sword, and that was when he made his debut. Shadows shifted around him, warping him to his monstrous cycloptic form as he appeared before them both and unleashing a tempest.There were shocked screams as he sent both visitors hurtling, skidding several feet away and off the dias. Oops. Perhaps he’d been a little too forceful - it was no fun if he’d knocked both witnesses to his grand entrance out, but oh well. There was not much time to dwell over it. He had to grab the princess, and get out before the other - the hero, probably - recovered.His big eye swiveled around, searching the grass until it landed on the unconscious form of a young blonde woman. Aha! Good thing the princess had such easily identifiable traits, dress or not. He slipped a shadowy tendril around her waist and lifted close to him, holding fast so that she wouldn’t be able to slip loose. Wasting no more time he flared his wings out, beating them furiously and boosting himself away into the sky with his prize. He could not have planned a better outcome. - Below on the ground that Vaati had just left behind, another blonde haired girl began to stir and look around her. “Link…?” - After so long of being imprisoned, Vaati had some internal worries this his beloved Sky Palace might not even be, well, in the sky anymore. He was vastly relieved when, after several minutes of flying around he was able to detect its faint magical signature, obscured in a dense gathering of clouds.It had been worn down by the elements, but seemed otherwise undamaged and unoccupied. Excellent . The last thing he needed was a turf war with someone who thought they could lay claim to his castle.He landed delicately on the balcony to the bride’s chambers, shadows folding in on themselves until he had resumed his normal, fabulous form. Shifting the girl about in his arms he stepped into the foyer of the room, magic whisking ahead of him to dress the room to proper standards of deep indigos and golds and sweeping away the dust. Carefully he settled his prize in the center of the four poster bed, taking a step back to admire the setting. She definitely wasn’t as beautiful as past incarnations had been, but there was a certain charm about her. And something else familiar that he just couldn’t place...“Ugh…” He stared on in anticipation as his charge began to wake up on cue. There was a brief moment as her waking mind struggled to recall what had happened last, and then she shot straight up looking around wildly. Her hand reached for a weapon that was not there, instead curling in the sheets.In moments she had caught sight of him, leaning casually against one of the bed posts. “Where am I?” She demanded immediately, scowling at him. “And who are you!?”“Why, you wound me with your ignorance!” Vaati placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “To not even recall who I am....but alas, it has been some time, hasn’t it princess? I am Vaati, sorcerer of the winds. And as for where you’re at… Well, it’s none other than my Sky Palace!” Vaati gestured grandly to the room, now completely refurbished and gleaming.His bride-to-be’s eyebrows shot up high at the mention of his name. “You...okay. I uh, thought you were a giant eyeball?”Callous, but she was undoubtedly still in shock. And awe. He was an impressive sorcerer. “I can be, if I desire it.”She bit her lower lip - adorable! -, looking pensive. “And...we’re in a sky palace? Like, actually in the sky?”“Of course. I would not settle for anything less. It’ll be a fine place for you stay while I arrange our wedding plans.”“Wedding plans!?” To say that she looked alarmed was an understatement - she’d jumped off the bed and looked ready to fight. “I don’t remember agreeing to any of this!”“You don’t exactly get a say in it, Princess .” Vaati crooned. “After I marry you I’ll claim the power of the goddess from you myself and rule as King!” The reaction to his grand plan was…not what he’d hoped for, for instead of looking shocked or becoming more upset the girl wore an expression of befuddlement.She lifted her hands up, brows furrowed. “Wait, wait, let’s take a step back. You think I’m the crown princess of Hyrule? And that by marrying me you’re just gonna be King?” The girl gave him an incredulous look. “You...you have no idea, do you?”
What?
“Are you saying you're not the crown princess?” A very unfortunate detail was starting to become apparent to him at that very moment. Though there was certainly an aura of power around the girl he had taken, he detected nothing that was particularly holy. The smug grin began to slide off his face. How had he missed this!? “Nnnnooooo.” The response was dragged out slowly, as if speaking to child. Although ‘idiot’ might have been a more apt description right now.“You’re not Princess Zelda?”“Nope.”“And you don’t have the divine power of the goddesses running through your veins?”“Not as far as as I know of.”Vaati exhaled. Slowly. Oblivious to his growing agitation the girl blithely carried on. “Hey, I mean...you didn’t fail completely? I am still technically a princess. Just, you know, an unofficial one of sorts.”“What in the hells is that supposed to mean!?” His patience was slipping away fast, wind swirling dangerously about the room. It wasn’t enough that he had kidnapped the completely wrong person but now his accidental victim, having realized his mistake, was taking the time to savor it.“Well,” She said, a maddening glint of amusement in her eyes, “Zelda is my half sister. We share the same dad. I don’t know how I can make this any more obvious.” The winds stopped for a moment as he considered this.“Then, that means…” The shit-eating grin on her face only seemed to get wider the deeper the realization sunk in.“That’s right. You’ve kidnapped Hyrule’s royal bastard. ”
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How could he have been so stupid!? Vaati stormed outside the room with the girl’s cackles following him through the door, a tempest billowing around while a literal lightning storm spontaneously formed outside. Thrice damn the goddesses, he’d taken the wrong girl . And he was doubtful he could just go back and swap them out - no, the real princess was undoubtedly on her guard now and a direct attack was out of question. He hadn’t been ignorant to her use of the divine powers. As for who he really had...If she was telling the truth then she was just important enough that he couldn’t simply toss her over the edge and be done with this whole fiasco, but not prominent enough that he could gain significant ground in his bid to take over Hyrule. Fantastic . In his arrogance he’d trapped himself in a completely new kind of situation. And just when he’d gotten out of that blasted seal too…Not content to simply stomp about the palace halls he burst out onto a balcony into the brunt of the storm itself, wings forming on his back. He dove into the heart of the swirling clouds, circling the castle and firing the occasional energy beam, trying to vent his frustrations.He angrily cursed at his situation, the princess, and the girl he’d swept up. Then, when those had run out, he started to curse Ezlo. Not that his former mentor actually had anything to do with his current predicament, but insulting the old fool always made him feel better. Marginally.But it didn’t help fix it. He was stuck with this fiend of a girl, who, he realized, he did not even know the name of. Should he even bother learning it? No, he didn’t really care. The only thing keeping her relevant was her relationship to Princess Zelda. Clearly they were close if Zelda had chosen the girl as her companion to check on the seal, and in that was his silver lining. Maybe, just maybe he could still get things to work in his favor.He sighed wearily, the storm beginning to die down around him. He needed to focus on moving ahead. Hyrule certainly wouldn't conquer itself for him, after all. He circled around the Palace a few more times before going to land once more on the balcony of the bridal chambers, already formulating a plan on how to best utilize the girl to his advantage. But as he stepped inside he noticed something immediately amiss - there was no sign of her in the room. Where… ? His gaze swept back and forth over the room looking for any hint of the her, but she was gone. He hadn’t left that many places to hide so where-- the door. Vaati swore angrily, a new series of winds picking up in the wake of fresh agitation. He’d forgotten to lock the door. - Impa knew nothing good was up when a sudden front had come in, buffeting the castle so hard that several windows shattered. Worse still was the sight of a dark blot taking off into the sky, its form a stain against the clear sky. Without waiting to see how things sorted themselves out in the castle, Impa made for the forest at full speed.She’d hardly made it to the edge of the treeline when she spotted Zelda running towards her, eyes wide and full of fear. “Impa!” She gasped, stumbling forward into her former nursemaid’s arms.“Princess!” She gently grasped the girl’s shoulders, steadying her. Though she clearly shaken, Impa was relieved to find that she was relatively unharmed. “What happened? There was a sudden gust of wind and we saw something fly off from the forest.” Then, “Where’s Link?”“It took her!” Zelda burst out, tears threatening at the corner of her eyes. “That thing that you saw flying off took Link!”“Take it easy.” Impa commanded. “Tell me what happened, from the beginning. Then we can formulate a plan.”Zelda took a deep breath, still shaking despite Impa’s steady reassurance. “We went to check the seal, just as planned...I didn’t see anything wrong in the area so I went up to the Picori Blade to re-apply the magic but it turned out something was waiting to ambush us! The next thing I knew I was on the grass and Link was gone. The sword...whatever it was containing, it had already gotten out. I couldn’t draw it to bring it with me, either.”Impa cursed internally. She should have never shrugged off the ominous suspicious she had felt when the King had agreed to let Link and Zelda go alone. “We need to get back to the castle.There’s nothing out here that can help us.” Zelda nodded wordlessly, but color was slowly starting to return to her face. With a firm hold of her ward, Impa strode towards back towards the castle, casting only a single glance backwards to the sky. On the distant horizon, dark clouds had started to appear. - If Vaati’s proclamation had left Link doubting who he was, the storm he kicked up in his wake certainly didn’t. It was a temper tantrum only the likes of an angry wind-controlling villain could put out. He also hadn’t been lying about the Sky Palace being in, well, the sky either. A quick peek over a railing showed nothing but dark clouds and open air, lit up by flashes of lightning and what she was fairly certain to be energy beams.Link found herself chuckling again as she recalled the expression on his face. He had really thought she was Zelda! She could just imagine the look on his face when he came back and realized she’d literally walked out the “front door” of the bedroom so to speak.Less funny was the situation she was currently in - cold and soaking, with the wind blowing right through her. She’d cautiously made her way through the Palace, taking care to avoid the more open areas where powerful gusts threatened to sweep her over the edge. Unfortunately, many of the areas had wide vistas or collapsed walkways that had yet to be repaired which made it impossible to cross. Though the Palace was clearly vast, what she could actually access for the time being was very small.Even more frustrating was the lack of, well, anything in the place. There were crumbled statues of giant eyeballs that dotted the place, withered vines that clung to the walls, and faded designs that had been etched into the stone flooring. But she had yet to discover a single item of use, not even a rupee. Weren’t these places supposed to come with some convenient tool to help her get out!? Unless throwing rocks at his face was the trick to defeating him, the chances were beginning to look very slim for the lady knight.Link glanced outside, noticing the storm had began to ebb away. He must be cooling down by now . Which meant that she probably didn’t have much time left before he discovered her missing. Quickly she scurried across an open space, safe now that the intensity of the winds had died down. Unfortunately, the other side was as barren as the rest of the areas she’d explored.“Din dammit all!” She cursed, rooting through a pile of rubble only to find shattered pieces of what once was a pot. “I thought places like these were supposed to be chock full of cool magical stuff!” A daring leap across the open air also yielded nothing. Great.As Link shifted through another pile she heard the wind howl again, this time coming directly through the hallways. Not good . There was no place for her to run, and nowhere that would give her a decent cover. She hadn’t even managed to find a rock suitable enough to hurl at his face. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. The situation was rather desolate. Her only hope, really, was her relationship to Zelda.So, she waited instead. No need to make things worse for herself. It didn’t take long - a little black keese flew by before abruptly veering back to her, its singular eyeball locked onto her. Soon it was joined by many others, their forms blending together until Vaati stood before her. How dramatic. He scowled at her, arms folded over his chest. “Thought you’d go for a little stroll through my palace, did you?”“Oh, hey, it’s you!” Link feigned surprise, trying to look as casual as possible. “Well, uh, yea. You did leave the door unlocked. And you didn’t say anything about me having to actually stay in that room. Just thought I’d give myself a tour of the place, you know, get familiar with the place.”“I suppose you must be very pleased with yourself.” Vaati rubbed at his temples, as if dealing with a massive headache. She did tend to have that effect on people, particularly jerks who kidnapped her. “Just come with me. I need to put you up somewhere where you won’t get in my way again.”Not like she was able to do much in the Palace in general. “What? I don’t get to keep the fancy bedroom?”“That room was intended for my bride, not some imposter. ”"Whoa, hey.” Link held her hands up. “It’s not like I was intending to deceive you. You knocked both of us out and picked me. All on your own. You probably could have taken a moment to double check, or even take us both to make sure? Seems like this whole thing is your fault, I’m just a poor hapless girl caught up in this...”The fact that she was right only seemed to make him angrier. Or maybe it was the sarcasm. “Watch how you address me, or you will come to regret it.” He snapped.“Kind of hard to take threats seriously from a guy that’s as tall as me.” Too far. Link yelped as the ground vanished from underneath her without warning, flailing wildly in the air as a whirlwind lifted her up and spun her about rapidly. Through her spinning vision she thought she was hovering over the open air.“What an insolent brat you are. I will remind you,” Vaati’s cold voice drawled through the whistling of the wind in her ears, “That I am still the master of this Palace, and you will treat me with respect I deserve. Or would you prefer to personally measure how far it is to the ground from here?”Link didn’t think he deserved much of any respect, given that he had kidnapped her and all, but refrained from saying as much. Being dangled thousands of feet in the air was a huge deterrent to being cheeky. “Uh, no, that’s okay! You really don’t really need to go that far to prove your point! Um, can I come back in now?”He did not, however, tapping his foot expectantly. “Well? ” “What?” The spinning slowed to more manageable levels. Thank the goddesses. “Aren’t you going to apologize to me?”Ugh, what an ego. “Sorry.” There wasn’t a single ounce of sincerity in her voice. She didn’t think she could fake it even if she tried, especially right now when her stomach was threatening a rebellion.He looked thoroughly unimpressed with her ‘apology’ and for a moment it seemed like he was going to drag out the affair even more, but then he flicked his fingers and she drifted back. The whirlwind dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, depositing her haphazardly on the ground. “Oof!”“Let’s go. The less I have to deal with you, the better.” Without waiting he pivoted on his heel, resuming the march down the hall. Link staggered to her feet, stumbling after him and trying her best not to lurch into the walls.“So, uh, do you want to at least know my name or something?” She called after him once she finished regaining her sense of balance. “Since I know yours and all.”“No.”“Oh. Okay.” Wow. The eloquent persona he had put on to try and impress her had all but vanished once he’d realized she wasn’t Zelda. Great. And he wanted to marry her sister? He had another thing coming.They came to a much simpler and smaller door in the hall than Link had previously seen in this place. Her captor waved his hand, the heavy stone creaking to reveal a room that was much more bare bones than the one previously, with only a few small windows and plain sheets over what she was supposed was to be a bed. A cell, essentially. “The other room was too fancy for me anyways…” She muttered.“Good, you’ll be staying here until I figure out the best way to make use of you.” A hand roughly grabbed her shoulder and shoved her in, slamming the door shut behind her.And this time, he locked it. - The courtyard of Hyrule Castle was bustling with guards running back and forth when Zelda and Impa returned, dealing with the sudden commotion the news of the “monster sighting” had brought about. Various townspeople had congregated at the gate and clamored for attention, many concerned at the sighting of the “black monster” while others had complaints of an overpowering wind breaking windows and valuables.Impa expertly guided her along the edges of the courtyard, slipping in and out of the shadows to avoid drawing any attention. Though she loved the people dearly, the last thing Zelda needed was for any of the civilians to notice her, which would in turn create a flash mob begging for answers and reassurances. Things that Zelda didn’t even have herself.Once they reached the entrance to the throne room, all it took was the flash of her hand and the guards stepped aside to let her in. Impa slid to stand just inside the doorway of the chambers. “I’ll wait for you here. Hold yourself together.” Zelda nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded forward. She had managed to calm down enough to reign in her emotions, approaching her father with her head held high.King Rodones sat on his throne towards the back of the room, listening to the incoming reports of scouts. When he saw Zelda, however, he stood, waving the others away. “Princess Zelda.” He greeted. “I trust you have news of what that thing was that took off into the sky?” Though he said nothing about it, his roving eyes indicated he had not missed the lack of Link’s presence.“I do.” She took a deep breath before launching into her account of events; how she and Link had approached the seemingly inconspicuous sword and the blast that had knocked her unconscious. That when she had awoken Link had been missing, and the last of the seal undone. “I believe that what ambushed me, and who took Link are one and the same - Vaati.” She concluded.The King hmm’d , tapping a finger against his chin with his brow furrowed. “If it is indeed Vaati, the same one from legend that the seal was supposed to be containing, then we must prepare immediately. I shall have the captain of the guard organize patrols and send out warnings to the town. Until we know more about our foe, there is little that we can do.”“And...what about Link?” Zelda asked cautiously.“What about her?” Rodones tilted his head.“I believe we should try and retrieve her. Her skills would be a valuable asset in defeating him.”“You presume she is even alive still. Do you suppose that it’s true target was Link?” Zelda sucked in a sharp breath as the King carried on. “More than likely it was attempting to kidnap you , my daughter. But in it’s haste it seems it did not differentiate between the two of you. Do you suppose it kept her alive once it’s realized its mistake?”“Maybe it has.” The words sounded feeble even to herself. Her carefully held composure threatened to fall apart.“Zelda.” Her father’s gaze softened, but the tone he held was firm. “While I agree that being able to rescue Link would be ideal, it might already be too late. I do not wish to dampen your enthusiasm, but it is unwise to carry false hope.”Zelda wrapped her arms around herself, trying to control the sudden surge of emotions raging in her. For a brief moment she turned her face away, struggling to just breathe . When she faced her father again she had painted her expression back into neutrality.“Perhaps,” he added hesitantly at seeing her clear distress, “you can assist in locating the hideout of this Vaati. The best thing we can do is confront this threat, and we cannot do that if we don’t know where it is at. And, if Link is still alive, she will be there. I will have our generals prepare our soldiers in case of an attack.”"I understand." Zelda curtsied and turned to leave. “I shall do my best to see that we are not taken by surprise once again.”“Do not take any unnecessary risks.” There was a stern warning in his voice as he called after her. “Take care, Zelda. May the goddesses bless your search.”She could feel Impa watching her from the corner of her eyes as they proceeded down the hall, but she remained silent. She refused to believe that Link had already been killed, something in her would have known if that had happened. She knew her father was right, of course. The key to helping Link was through defeating the monster that took her. But the response was perfectly passive - had it been her kidnapped, half the Kingdom would have already been mobilized to rescue her. And Link would have led the charge. But the King had never cared much for Link anyways - a dark stain on his otherwise reputable legacy.But the task of even attempting to rescue Link seemed so daunting. If the old legends were true, Vaati lived in a roaming palace in the sky. There were only a few who could reach the sky, and they--Zelda stopped suddenly, forcing Impa to sidestep to avoid bumping into her. If their father wasn’t going to do anything about it, then maybe it was time for her to take matters into her own hands.“Impa.” This time her attendant looked straight towards her, eyes keen as if she had already guessed what she was about to ask. “Would you go and see if there’s a Rito messenger available?”