Sneaking out [Zelda] [Flashback]

[Nightmare Darklight]

But time makes you bolder,
Children get older, I'm getting older too

Sneaking throughout the castle hadn't been a problem. He had been here for a year, and throughout that year, he had learned the layout the castle, both from sneaking attempts and from tours with Zelda. This wasn't his first time trying to break into the castle either. He had done it many times, and he had been caught and thrown out several times as well. Though the guards knew that recruits constantly tried to sneak in, and that they meant no harm, so there was no real punishment. Hell, at one point when he had been caught, a guard chuckled as he escorted Alexander out, stating that he himself had done stuff like this when he was in the academy. Apparently it was sort of tradition, so the guards saw the attempts more as a game than a crime.

However, tonight was going rather well. Alexander had no real trouble sneaking past all the patrolling guards and making his way to his goal; Zelda's room. It was funny, considering that he actually had something that could give him away; a bouquet of flowers. You see, young Alexander had actually been developing a crush on the princess for a while, and he had now decided to act on it. It was well past midnight, so maybe the two could sneak out and enjoy each other's company, maybe just go watch a play or something in the town. Not to mention with how late it was and how dark it was outside, he doubted that anyone would really recognize her as the princess if they were seen together.

Arriving at the door, Alexander looked around, making sure no one was around while he picked out a slim little metal tool. Kneeling down, he fiddled with the lock before he heard a soft click. Success! As quietly as he could, Alex opened her door and closed it behind him.

There was the Princess, sleeping in her bed. Hiding the flowers behind his back, Alexander snuck up to her bed side and reached out, gently tapping the princess on the shoulder

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[Zelda]

you make me feel like i'm living a teenage dream

let's run away and don't ever look back

Zelda had fallen into bed exhausted, just as she did every other night. Every day the young girl had things to do, people to meet, places to be; granted, most of these activities lay within in the castle walls, but she was busy nonetheless - especially after she had begun training with Alexander. Her little sessions with the boy had been going on for a year now, and it never got old; she loved the time she got to spend with him, and she loved that she could manage a few weapons relatively well thanks to him. There were times when she felt rather like a deadly ninja in disguise, but of course she was just a princess, and all that was simply silliness that ran through her head from time to time. Always, when she went back to her room at the end of a long day, she was Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda, heir to the throne of Hyrule.

But whenever Alexander came around, she was just... Zelda. A teenage girl; nothing more, nothing less. And if someone were to accuse her of liking the boy? She strived to be honest, and honestly, she couldn't deny it.

An unconscious smile rose on her lips as Alexander snuck into her room, her strange mental powers running even in her sleep. Because of them, though, she was an admittedly light sleeper - her mind was always going, after all - and she woke as soon as the boy's hand touched her shoulder.

Her eyes slid open, bleary from sleep, and she propped herself up on a hand, the other running through her tousled hair as well as she could manage in her half-conscious state. Once she realized that she hadn't just randomly woken in the middle of the night, as she sometimes did, her blue eyes cleared and she allowed herself a small yawn, looking at the boy as if his sneaking into her room was a usual occurrence. That was how Zelda handled things: take it all in stride. Still, she couldn't keep her smile down, even though it was odd that Alexander had chosen to visit her in the middle the night. In her room. With no one else around.

How delightfully inappropriate!

"Alex," she said lightly, as if this happened every night. "Is something wrong?" Surely there was a reason for his being there.

[Nightmare Darklight]

But time makes you bolder,
Children get older, I'm getting older too

It honestly surprised him just how casually she responded to his appearance in her room, in the middle of the night. Though, at least it meant that she wouldn't make a scene and he wouldn't end up getting thrown out of the castle once again. It just meant that it was the two of them now, and despite everything, Alexander was finding it somewhat hard to actually go through with this. He had the nerve to try when he was sneaking throughout the castle, but now that he was actually here, in front of her, that was a different story. His nerve was evaporating, an he knew that he had to make a move, otherwise he would get cold feet and nothing would come of this, and after all the sneaking too!

So Alexander brought the bouquet out from behind him and presented it to the princess. To him, that was a sign that there wasn't any going back for him, and that he had to go through with this come hell or high water. "It's uh... it's for you." He sheepishly told her. He was glad that it was so dark, otherwise she would be able to see his cheeks flush a scarlet shade. He wasn't really sure how to go about this. He had never had any romantic involvement with anyone, much less someone like the princess of Hyrule. Though, she wasn't the princess of Hyrule when they were alone, she was Zelda, and he needed to keep that in mind. In a way, it was what made this so much more bearable.

But he wondered whether she would actually enjoy the play he had in mind. It was a romance, a play about love. To be honest, he had specifically picked that one, hoping to at least spark something that could cause the two of them to go a bit deeper than friendship. "There's going to be a play in about half an hour in the town, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to sneak out with me to see it." There. That wasn't so hard, was it? "You know... on a date..." Now all he needed to do was just wait for her response, and all he could do was hope that she would make his night and tell him yes.

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[Zelda]

you make me feel like i'm living a teenage dream

let's run away and don't ever look back

Maybe her casual tone wasn't the best of ideas. What if he thought she had people sneaking into her room all the time? That would be terrible! Zelda was an obedient girl, for the most part. She had her little flippancies and self-made freedoms, but she usually paid attention to the rules her father laid down. It had never come up, but surely allowing people to sneak into her room was against those rules! But she was digressing. No one knew Alex was here, right? And no one had to know. Not that it mattered, because they weren't doing anything wrong. There was nothing to worry about.

That particular moment of panic had passed just when Alex presented the flowers, and all at once she felt her heart beat faster and her cheeks heat up. What was she supposed to do now!? A 'social life' was a foreign concept to the princess; she was practically a hermit and barely ever had any friends, let alone a... significant other. She didn't have any experience to go off of!

Okay then, logic. She liked the boy, right? So... take the flowers. Right.

After her slight hesitation, Zelda got up and took the flowers with a shy but earnest "thank you". That wasn't so hard, now was it? Still, the poor girl was incredibly unsure of herself; as Alex spoke, she busied herself by gathering a vase and water to put the flowers in, and once that was done, there was nothing for her to do but slide her hands over each other, over and over and over again, her eyes glued to the floor.

She knew what she wanted to say, of course. She just wasn't sure how exactly to say it.

Zelda dragged her gaze from the stones beneath her feet up to meet Alex's eyes, her cheeks flaming at this point. She took a breath -- deep, but subtle -- and exhaled slowly, working up her nerve. She pulled her hands away from each other, instead clutching the fabric of her thin nightgown.

"I..." she swallowed, took another breath, steeled herself.

"I'd love you go with you, Alex." Once the words were out, she relaxed considerably; her grip on her nightgown loosened, and she was practically beaming at the boy. Between him and the warmth that was glowing in her heart, she didn't think she'd ever be able to stop smiling, she was so happy.

All in all, not a terrible prospect.

[Nightmare Darklight]

But time makes you bolder,
Children get older, I'm getting older too

Was she going to say no? Oh God she was going to say no. Zelda was going to shoot him down and it would end up ruining their friendship. Why oh why did he have to actually work up the courage to ask her out? Oh, wait, she said yes? She said yes! Alexander could feel his heart soar as she accepted his offer. He officially had his very first date, and with his best friend too! Though he had to admit, it sounded a bit off that he was dating his best friend. Then again, it also meant that those feelings were actually based on something. But still, that couldn't matter right now, as Zelda had actually said yes!

His eyes flashed with glee and he gave her the brightest smile. He practically rushed over and gripped her hands, unsure of what to really say. "Well, let's go!" He ecstatically whispered, holding what seemed to be a childlike innocence that one could rarely pick up on when it came to Alexander. But that just left the question of how they were going to be sneaking out of the castle in the first place and not get caught. Well, he could figure out a way if he was given enough time. Not to mention that Zelda had slipped out of here plenty of times, so she would likely know a way.

Alexander scanned the room. They couldn't go out the door, they would be spotted for sure. Alex had enough trouble getting to her room from this route, and two bodies would be a hell of a lot easier to spot than one. He looked at her window, the window! But they couldn't jump out of it, or they could get hurt... or killed. Though... what about her bedsheets? Right, the cadets had used that trick before; tie together the bed sheets and use those as a rope to get out of the castle. He didn't even say anything, he just rushed over to her bed and started tying the sheets together in knots. He was just way too happy.

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