You shouldn't be out here. Think of your husband, and of your reputations. You know what this will do, don't you? You're going to destroy everything!
"I don't care, I have to get out of here. I'm like an animal in a cage."
You'd better hope that you know what you're doing.
"Of course I do."
Second thoughts are a good thing.
"Shut up."
The moonless night was not enough to keep her out of sight; she wore a solid black cloak to help, because if anyone were to see what she was wearing, or worse, who she was, there would be too much trouble.
She started thinking of the Shadow People, and how much she wished to be like them right now. The ability to come and go at the snap of a Deku nut.... Why couldn't he do that for her? What did he have to lose? And here she was, running out in the open, able to trip over her long robes at any moment, risking her neck.... But she had to. Her deteriorating mental sanity forced her, as did her emotional well-being.
"By the Goddesses, I can't see a thing out here. I don't know when I can--oof!"
Looking over her shoulder once again out of her own paranoia, she'd run into a sign; a sign marking her destination.
"Oh. Well, that solves that problem," she breathed.
The sign was made of wood, and already looked very weather-beaten and old, though it had only been in place a few years. The two words the sign bore, carved into the wood, were starting to disappear. Without even stopping to look at the sign -- her surroundings gave away her location -- she ascended the white stone steps at the entrance of the town next to it. The sign read, "Kakariko Village."
Inside Kakariko was even darker than Hyrule Field, thanks to the ominous Death Mountain looming high on the north end of the town. Surprisingly, her feet managed to carry her, albeit slowly, to her final destination, without crashing into anything else. Her breathing and pulse quickened; she could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and the voice was back, screaming at her to go back home.
"I am home," she reasoned aloud, as she extended a shaky arm to knock on the door of one of the cottages.
"Come in," a man's voice said on the other side.
She reached with the same shaky arm, this time to the doorknob, turned and pushed, poking her head inside.
There was one room in the house; a fire on one side kept it lit. A Sheikah man sat at a wooden table in the middle of the room, and a boy slept in a bed in one of the corners. The rest of the house was quaintly decorated, in traditional Sheikah style.
"Razi?" she asked.
"Penelope?" came the answer.
She exhaled softly and entered the house, carefully shutting the door behind her.
"I thought I'd never make it," she admitted, pushing back the hood of her cloak. She was a Hylian woman, with dark brown eyes and bouncy, curly brown hair to her shoulders, resting on top of the cloak. She was fair skinned, with small ears and a tiny frame; the epitome of Hylian beauty. She took small, cautious steps through the room, but crossed it in only a few seconds.
"Traveling at night is far more difficult for one such as you once she becomes accustomed to the finer things in life, isn't it?" Razi asked, his tone venomous.
"If you can call that fine," Penelope replied bitterly, then paused as she removed her cloak entirely, placing it on the back of a chair. The style of her gown showed that this woman was of a higher class than a Sheikah could ever hope to be a part of. "Is Kerry asleep?"
"Of course he is, it's after midnight. You know how he tires himself out," Razi said, motioning to his son in his bed.
Penelope made her way over to the bed where the young Sheikah boy lay sleeping. She knelt beside him, watching him sleep, and a dreamy expression closely resembling motherly pride washed over her face.
"Dear child," she said softly. She brushed Kerrith's bangs out of his eyes, and stroked his cheek lightly, her gaze fixed.
"Taurean wants nothing more than for me to have a son. Would that I could have Kerrith."
Razi put a hand on Penelope's shoulder when she rose.
"We can talk about that in the morning," he said.
"You know perfectly well that I have to be back long before then," Penelope argued, a hint of irritation present in her voice.
"Then we have limited time, Nell," Razi pushed. "Come," he said, offering his hand. Penelope's eyes fell to the ground.
"What is it?"
"It's just that... I've never--I mean, he's still my husband and I still lo--"
"You're worthless in his eyes, Nell, quit lying to yourself."
"Razi...."
"It'll be okay, Nell," he soothed, stroking her hair, capturing her eyes with his deep red. "I promise. We both need this, you know...." His voice trailed off.
Penelope felt her heart flutter in her chest as Razi drew her closer and closed his eyes. She knew what was coming; she'd participated before. But this time, the forbidden kiss had a harder, lustier edge to it. She felt it more forcefully than she had in the past, too, and returned it just as eagerly. Her firelit shadow joined with his on the wall, a tangle of two heads and four arms, moving faster as the kiss went on. When they broke, panting heavily, a great heat was felt between the pair, and another flame burned in their eyes, much stronger than the one in the hearth.
"I'm ready, Razi," Penelope breathed. "Let's go."
A creaking floorboard startled them.
"Daddy?" It was Kerrith.
Razi and Penelope hadn't been in bed very long, but their passion had gotten the best of them, and they were relaxing at the moment when the boy approached. Razi sucked his teeth and sighed, then gave Penelope a soft kiss, which she eagerly returned, far more at ease with him now.
Razi got up, threw on a nightshirt and made his way to the curtain that separated his sleeping area from the rest of the house. He took one last look over her shoulder and Penelope made herself look as though she was part of the pile of blankets on the bed. Once he was satisfied, Razi drew back the curtain.
"What?"
"I heard yelling." He rubbed his eyes. He must have been sleeping, poor tyke.
"You were probably dreaming," Razi comforted. "Come on, back to bed."
"Okay," Kerrith said, yawning. He got into bed under his father's hawkeye and fell asleep quickly. Razi went back to his "blanket."
"I think you should go," he said.
Penelope's now-messy brown curls and eyes peeked out of the covers. She blinked once, then spoke.
"I guess you're right. Are you sure he's asleep?" she asked, covering herself with the sheets.
Razi drew the curtain closed and nodded. Penelope looked through the window and tried to judge the time by the moon, forgetting it wasn't out tonight. It looked darker than she remembered though, which meant she didn't have much time. She got dressed in her cloak and tiptoed to the door of the cottage.
"Goodbye, fair Lady," Razi said, kissing her one last time.
"Don't worry, Razi," Penelope said. "I'll be back soon. I love you." She left his company just before sunrise.