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It was late afternoon, the warm rays of sunlight caressed my cheeks pleasantly, and a gentle breeze played with my braid, which swayed halfway down my back. I tiredly pulled my gloves off my sweaty palms and took a deep breath of fresh air. Beads of sweat glistened in my armpits; we had spent the whole day moving the entire farm from the Skyhelm border to the Colosseum.
It was exhausting, but since everyone pitched in, the work took one day instead of the expected two. I leaned tiredly against the counter of the new barn and smiled at Bean and Kaff, who were standing inside, concentrating on sorting items into individual chests. "Everything okay, are we missing anything?" I asked, then cleared my throat slightly, not even realizing that I hadn't drunk much that day. "I think we have everything... except for the bucket we had for water from Cass. I hope no one stole it," smiled Bean, who looked just as tired as I did. "I have it, don't worry, I'll return it to Cass tomorrow," I quickly pulled the bucket out of my inventory, its iron handle pleasantly cool against my hot forearm.
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I spent some time talking to a couple of farmers who had also come to the small barn to rest. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder, and my instincts automatically told me to jump up in fright and pull out my axe. With the blade of the stone tool raised, I looked Pyxia in the eyes, her face frozen with fear and terror blazing in her eyes. She fidgeted nervously and waited for my reaction. I blushed with embarrassment and quickly hid the axe, replacing it with a handful of carrots. I threw a few of them into Pyxia's arms and apologized sheepishly, "I am so so so so sorry, I didn't realize it was you, I should've known, I'm so sorry." Pyxie nodded slightly and looked away from me.
I stared at her for a moment before she spoke, "I'm very sorry, but do you still have that bucket with you?" "Yeah, sure, wait, I'll get it out of my inventory," I said, relieved that I hadn't scared her too much. I took the bucket out again and asked, "Can I just ask what you need it for? We have to return it tomorrow, Cass..." Pyxie's eyebrows shot up and she choked, "Well... You know, Shine said he needed help with something at the old farm, he asked me to bring him the bucket but didn't specify what exactly..."
I nodded, at the time it wouldn't have occurred to me that Pyxii would lie about this - I was too tired to look for logic in it, and I threw the bucket into her arms. "Okay then, enjoy and let Shine know to return it to me tomorrow or Evie!" I called after her, but Pyxii was already halfway out of the new farm.
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"What's going on, someone explain to me what's happening right now!" I yelled angrily. There was chaos throughout Skyhelm, warriors were running around the island gathering volunteers for the border, customs officers had practically barricaded all possible entrances, and Cass and Philip were arguing so loudly that snippets of their conversation could be heard throughout the land. Shine and Evie looked at me sadly before Evie spoke. "Someone stole all the lava from Skyhelm, including the secret reserves and dripstone. We don't know who did it, but Cass and Philip are trying to figure it out. Hopefully, we'll find out who it was soon."
Her words made my head spin. I knew immediately who she was talking about: Pyxia. It made sense why she had been acting so distant lately, why she had barely uttered a word at the daily coalition meetings, and why she had wanted that bucket from me today. Nothing was left of the old farm, otherwise we wouldn't be resting. I should have realized it sooner. I cursed myself, I wanted to scream even more than before, I wanted to cry, I wanted to sink into the ground and never show my face again, I wanted to turn back time and keep the bucket, but I couldn't.
I exhaled slowly, my teeth chattering nervously, I couldn't say I knew who it was, I couldn't admit that it was me who practically served Pyxie help with the betrayal on a silver platter.
I had to keep it all to myself. What if they decided to execute me? They wouldn't believe me. They would consider me an agent and collaborator with the Outlanders. They would condemn me on the spot and wouldn't even grant me a dignified death in the Colosseum. I would die in secret, by the sword of 3Below, in pain, writhing in agony. Then they would come for the rest of my farmers, Evie would have to watch it all before she herself died last, and the Farmers' Coalition would cease to exist. I could already see it.
"I hope we find out soon who did this. They will pay for it," I hissed through clenched teeth, burying my reddened eyes in the ground. They mustn't see me cry, or they'll know that something has happened, that I know something, that something is wrong.
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After long hours of everyone being kept in the dark, it was finally revealed that Pyxii was a traitor. Evie and I were immediately summoned to a meeting with Cass and her council. We were interrogated for an hour before they finally listened to us and understood that we also despised Pyxii.
"Understand that neither Zelda nor I support Pyxii, and we disagree with her decision. We had no idea what she was planning. We want her dead just as much as you do!" Evie slammed her fist on the table, causing the water glasses to rattle dangerously and some members of the Skyhelm Council to flinch involuntarily. I had no choice but to nod in agreement. I couldn't get a proper sentence out of myself. I responded mostly with one-word answers and tried not to look at anyone for too long.
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Pyxii is dead, and so is her killer. Not long after Lilicow got rid of Pyxii for fear that she would eventually betray her too, death took her as well. To this day, I still don't know how it happened; there are too many rumors and assumptions surrounding her death that may not even be true. I'm glad Pyxii is dead; she deserved it.
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Cass is dead. I spent the whole day working, helping out, and distributing food.
I hadn't slept for two days straight to get everything done, so I needed to rest for a while. I curled up in the corner of the barn by the campfire where we roasted potatoes and let sleep carry me away to the realm of dreams. I slept for a while, it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes before one of the farmers ran up to me and started shaking me frantically. My eyes were sticky with sleep and my ears were uncomfortably blocked, so I rubbed my eyes clumsily and began to focus on the words that the person was spouting at me at the speed of light. "Zelda, wake up, Cass is dead, Zelda, come on, wake up, I need you, Cass is dead, we have to go, hurry up!" It was Evie who came to wake me up, pulling me by my purple bodice and trying to lift me off the ground.
Before I was even fully awake, we were sitting in the Colosseum, and Philip, along with Quack and 3Below, were describing the situation and what would follow. Cass had allegedly committed suicide, unable to cope with the pressure that had been placed on her due to the inevitable conflict with the Outlanders. Philip took over her position as emperor and appointed 3Below to his previous position. My words barely took shape before I released them into the atmosphere, heavily influenced by my accent, and I had to be careful not to intersperse my sentences with words from my native country.
I can't even remember where I come from anymore.
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My long skirt was stained with gravel and fine stones that had gotten caught in it from constantly running around the island in an effort to send all my subjects to the safety of the farm. I was afraid, silent tears ran down my cheeks and clouds of steam rose from my mouth, it was cold and raining.
When I finally found everyone, I was soaked to the bone, and I collapsed to the ground, exhausted, breathing heavily. Evie stayed outside and defended us in any conflict.
I was so proud of her. I still admire her, and I hope she knows it.
We couldn't have asked for a better leader. Spooks, leader of the Outlanders, was murdered during a tour of Skyhelm. This sparked a war, and our communicators were flooded with endless death notices. Evie immediately ordered me to get everyone to safety. I could feel my heart beating in my temples, my thoughts were spinning uncontrollably, and when I stood up, I was overcome by dizziness. Shade and Bean helped me stabilize myself as I began to speak to everyone and explain the situation. I leaned on their forearms, shaking all over, but I managed to reassure everyone that we were safe, and that was enough to comfort me. Deep down, I hoped that the war would end soon, but I was very naive. If only I had known what was to come.