Inner Courtyard

A slight girl with short lavender hair was walking gracefully through the garden, holding just one school book as she made her way past stone benches and prettily decorated plant displays. She found that the courtyard here was the most peaceful place in the school, and even when lots of students flocked around the roses and the bushes and the seats, the courtyard never felt too crowded. Even now, she passed nearly two dozen students of varying ages, and still the place felt empty enough that one could still find a quiet corner.
It was a wonder she found who she was looking for at all, but considering it was the only person being escorted about the premises, Chel Ashberg knew to assume it was her older sister come to pay a visit. She took a short breath, trying to calm her nerves. She couldn't make out who was accompanying the Queen today, but Chel knew that several of the Queen's guards were very handsome young men, and Chel was known to blush a whole lot around them, not that they seemed to notice. But she tried to calm her wandering, romantic brain and just focus on the nice visit from her sister today. After all, with the Queen being so busy, it was a wonder she got to pull away at all.
Chel quickened her pace and soon came up to her sister. By then the guards noticed her advance, but paid her no heed as they all recognized her easily enough. Chel came to a stop and bowed her head slightly to be polite but not give Zelda away. "Good afternoon," she greeted.

Chel made a small squeak when she was suddenly hugged by her sister. It was rather surprising, but she knew her sister was starved of affection in those enormous, castle walls. Chel had missed her dearly as well. "Here," she said, motioning to a nice stone bench. "Let's have a seat and catch up a bit. The students are just passing on to the next class, but I don't have one at this time, so we can talk for a while. How is everything going at home?"

"Oh, well, my studies are going very well. My homeroom teacher suggested I be put in an advanced swordsmanship class." She loved sword fighting. It was one of her proficient skills. She had skipped grades many times before in that area because of her skill. She would practice every day as though it was a dedicated religion. She just loved the feel of a blade in her hand. Even now, she was thinking of the new sword designs she had seen advertised around the fight shops in school. The love of her life was her katana, but she always kept an eye out for new blades.

She nodded. "I will! I intent to make you very proud of me!" She was grinning ear to ear, a smile she only ever showed when she was truly happy about something, which usually involved her sister somehow. "Oh," she said suddenly, "I almost forgot to ask: did you ever get your exoskeleton upgraded with the new blast shields? I've been wondering about that ever since your last fight."

Chel gave her a look. "Considering the new weapons being developed, it's more crucial than ever that you keep your shields upgraded. One in a hundred exoskeleton users die in preventable deaths due to outdated shielding." She spoke very seriously. It was something she had recently learned, and she felt she needed to tell everybody.

Chel sighed. "Well, I just hope your guard at least will take care of you." She knew Zelda disliked hearing it, but it was true. They needed to keep an eye on her before she became too carefree about these things. She was rather prone to some recklessness. "Maybe I could come visit you at the palace sometime," she said to change the subject. "I think perhaps at the end of the month. I will have my important work finished by then. I could come see you for a week maybe."