Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me.
Zelda finished sealing Ganon and let her arm fall to her side. The golden column of light she created to ensure Beast Ganon, or her knight, didn't run off, faded away. The sky's color, an awful mix of blood red and violet with its black and dark gray clouds, soon returned to its normal bright blue with white clouds. A smile came across her face, it was the first time she had been outside of Hyrule Castle in a century. She heard light footsteps from behind her and stopped smiling, on the verge of a frown. It was also the first time she had encountered her knight face-to-face in a century. She resisted the urge to focus on her mud-stained prayer dress, her hair, or any place on her body where mud remained. She didn't look appropriate for such an event, but she doubted her knight cared. She took a breath and decided to speak.
"I've been keeping watch over you all this time… I've witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle," the sound from behind her stopped. "I always thought—no, I always believed—that you would find a way to defeat Ganon," she turned around, "I never lost faith in you over these many years… Thank you, Lynk…" she clasped her hands one over the other and her smile returned. "…the hero of Hyrule. May I ask… Do you really remember me?"
Lynk ignored her own problems—her messed up hair, her torn Champion's tunic and Hylian trousers, and her aching-more-by-the-second body—and smiled. "More than anything or anyone else," she half-chuckled.
Lynk called over Epona and the girls sat down in the grass. They talked anything that came to mind, which wasn't much. After a moment, Lynk started checking Epona for any injuries. She was grateful when she found out they were only minor cuts and bruises. The nearest stable could take care of those. She noticed the sun was about to set and looked over at Zelda, who was fiddling with a blade of grass.
"Hey, um, Zelda—" Lynk scoffed at herself and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I mean, excuse me, Princess Zelda, but I think we should get going. Maybe to Kakariko Village? I'm sure Impa would love to see you."
Zelda stopped and nodded slightly. She stood up and dusted herself off. "I might be able to teleport us there. But my power isn't that—"
Lynk interrupted her, "No, it's fine. I can get you there quickly," she unhooked the Sheikah Slate from her belt and tapped the screen a few times before shoving it into Zelda's hands.
Zelda gave her a confused and worried look because of the action. "Lynk?" Then the slate started glowing a luminous blue, and she watched in horror as her body started glowing the same color. "Lynk?!" She asked with a more evident tone of panic in her voice.
"Sorry…" Lynk said quietly. She waved a good-bye to Zelda as she disappeared in thin strings of blue.
Zelda's feet slammed against the Travel Gate at the Ta'loh Naeh shrine. She dropped the Sheikah Slate as she stumbled and nearly fell from the amount of force. "Lynk?!" She screamed as she looked around frantically, in hopes of finding, and possibly killing, her knight. Instead, she saw the quiet, but busy, village of Kakariko below her. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She exhaled and bent down to pick up the Sheikah Slate before starting her walk to the chief's house in front of Lantern Falls. If worse came to worst, and Impa wasn't alive anymore, the new chief could at least help her out. The atmosphere grew still as the villagers noticed her. Some stared and others bowed. Regardless of what they did, they all made way for her.
The gatekeepers bowed and let her go to the chief's house. A young woman kneeling in front of five frog-like statues stopped praying when she heard muttering from the other villagers. She gasped lightly when she saw Zelda head up the stairs to followed her. Zelda was in front of the door and was about to open it, until she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw the young woman who was praying. She had her head tilted downward a little with her hands pressed to her chest and wringing each other. She took a shaky breath before speaking.
"It is an honor to meet you, Princess Zelda. My name is Pa… Paaa… Paaay… Paya! My name is Paya! I apologize for stuttering, especially when it's my own name. Um, you-you came to meet my grandmother, correct? She has been waiting for you for a long time, please, follow me," Paya opened the door for Zelda and followed after her. She walked up to her grandmother and whispered something in her ear.
The elderly woman looked up from underneath her hat and smiled. "Well, well…" Impa said in her warm but strained voice. "Look who decided to show up. It has been quite some time."
Zelda started tearing up and dropped the Sheikah Slate as she walked up to Impa to give her a hug. Impa returned the hug and rubbed Zelda's back as she started sobbing lightly. When they broke the hug, Zelda wiped away any remaining tears and sniffed.
"Oh, Impa…" Zelda lowered her head. "Look at you. You've changed so much."
"And so have you, Princess. But we're still the same people. The only thing that changed is how we act," Impa looked Paya's way before extending her arm toward her. "I'm positive you did already, but have you met my granddaughter yet?"
Zelda nodded, "Yes. Paya, right?"
Paya pressed her ears flat against her head, "Y-yes, Your Highness."
Zelda opened her mouth to say something, but instead of words a yawn left her mouth. Zelda immediately apologized but just yawned again. Impa ordered Paya to help Zelda to her bed so she could rest. Paya did what she was told, and helped Zelda up the stairs and to her room. Zelda laid down on the bed and didn't bother taking off her sandals or bracelets. Zelda was fast asleep, and being that she didn't want to be a bother, Paya left the room. She saw her grandmother with the Sheikah Slate before going back outside to continue praying.
When Zelda woke up, she noticed there was a bed mat on the floor. She immediately sat up, Is Lynk here? she thought as she slid off the bed. But if she was, wouldn't some of her stuff be here? Maybe Lynk's neater than I previously thought… She shook her head to rid herself of the questions and went downstairs. She saw Paya enter the house and head upstairs. She ignored it for the time being and sat down next to Impa.
"Good morning, Princess," she greeted.
Zelda sighed before saying, "Good morning…"
Impa noticed the young woman's attitude and asked, "Is everything all right? You sound a bit down for one who's no longer trapped with the Calamity."
"I'm fine, Impa. Thank you for your concern."
"If that's the case, then what are you thinking about? Whatever it is, it's clearly bothering you."
"I'm thinking about Lynk. She gave me the Sheikah Slate, so I could get here quickly but what about her?" She sighed again, "And what she did, it was just so…brash."
"She did the right thing by making sure you got here as fast as possible. Even if what she did was rather questionable."
"I suppose….I'm going into town," she got up to leave, but Impa stopped her.
"Before you do, just know I have the Sheikah Slate, and if you want to get new clothes, go see Claree at Enchanted."
Zelda nodded and left the house. She went down the stairs and started talking to the gatekeepers, Cado and Dorian. They both mentioned how much of an honor it was to meet her. She asked about Enchanted, and they pointed her to a shop with a young woman standing in front. Zelda made her way to the store and the sales barker introduced herself as Lasli. Lasli complimented Zelda and promised her she would get clothes she liked. Claree was beyond excited when Lasli said Zelda was the princess from 100 years ago. Claree offered to make a replica of any of Zelda's old clothes.
Zelda was tempted to take up the offer, but knew that Lynk would have to go back to Hyrule Castle to collect the designs, and possibly the cloth. Of course, that would only be if Claree couldn't recreate the blue hue she used to wear, based solely on Lynk's tunic. She didn't want Lynk to do all that traveling just for clothes. But knowing Lynk, she probably would. She declined the offer, but promised Claree that if she was ever near the castle, she would have Lynk retrieve the items. To Claree's surprise, Zelda seemed fine with really basic clothing.
"I can worry about looking like royalty when I get my kingdom back," Zelda said boldly, and Claree agreed. Although she seemed a bit sad she wouldn't have a chance to make royal clothes for a while. "I'll take the Hylian set of clothes, please," Zelda said as she pointed to the clothes on the mannequin.
Claree nodded before suggesting, "Well, Lynk already bought a standard colored Hylian tunic, and if you'll be traveling with her, perhaps you would like a different color?" She got a pair of Hylian trousers and boots Zelda's size ready.
"You have a different color for the tunic?" she asked as she waited at the counter.
"Yes. A Hylian girl came in the other day and sold me a light blue version. I still have it. Would you like it?"
"Yes, please."
Claree walked into the storage room and came back out with a neatly folded tunic in hand. "I'll have to get your measurements so it can fit you exactly, but I should have it done by the end of the day. You can pick it up tomorrow."
Zelda thanked Claree for troubling herself with fixing the tunic and had her measurements taken. Before she left, Claree had suggested she take a bath. Zelda felt her face grow a bit hot, but thanked her for the advice anyway.
What would I even change into? Zelda thought as she dodged a young girl running around and made her way to Impa's house. I don't have any other clothes. And I can't stay in a towel for half a day. Zelda entered the home and sat down by Impa. Paya was awake now and was sitting in front of a pillow with a large, circular depression.
"Good-good afternoon, Princess," she said.
"Good afternoon, Paya," she pressed her lips into a tight line then sighed. "I hate asking, but do you have any spare clothes I could wear? It would be nice to take a bath, but I don't have any spare clothes."
"Of-of course. Hang on, I'll-I'll get them for you," she went upstairs and silenced filled the room. A brief moment later, she came back downstairs with Sheikah clothes and a towel slung over her arm and a pair of Sheikah boots in hand. "Here you go, Your Highness."
Zelda took the items from Paya and thanked her before leaving to bathe. When she finished, she dried herself off and put the clothes on. She gave herself credit. She washed her hair far better than she thought. Before going back inside the house, she decided to talk to Cado and Dorian again. They weren't talking long before Paya came outside. She came down the stairs and went back to the five statues and kneeled down to pray. Zelda finished her conversation with the gatekeepers and almost went up to Paya to ask her a question but decided not to interrupt her. She went inside and sat down by Impa again.
She must've zoned out longer than she thought, because the next thing she noticed was a bowl of cream of mushroom soup being placed in front of her. She blinked a few times before finally comprehending what was going on. It was nighttime, meaning it was time for dinner. She gave a small huff of laughter before picking up the spoon. Time passed by so quickly it felt like nothing. Well, that's 100 years of being trapped for you, Zelda thought before starting to eat.
She heard Paya and Impa talk about some things but never participated in the conversation herself. She finished eating before the others and completely forgot her manners and went upstairs. She saw an open book on a desk and leaned over to read it. After a short moment, she realized it was a diary. She stopped immediately, and walked to the bed and let herself collapse on it. Her breathing slowed, but she didn't fall asleep.
Paya went upstairs and noticed Zelda was asleep. She sat down in front of her desk and started writing a new entry in her diary. She wrote for a few minutes before stopping. "Oh, Mistress Lynk…" she muttered slightly. Her concern for her friend was growing more and more by the second.
Zelda sat up a bit, "Paya?"
Paya yelped before looking at Zelda, "Pri-princess! I-I apologize. I didn't realize I was talking so loudly. I'll—"
Zelda put a hand up to stop her rambling, "Paya, relax. You're fine. I wasn't sleeping anyway."
Paya nodded, "We-well, it's nice to know I didn't disturb you. Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes, actually. You mentioned Lynk just a second ago. Is she here?"
"N-no. I'm sorry, I should've known better than to mention her. I know you've been waiting to see her."
"Oh, okay then. Well, goodnight, Paya."
"Goodnight, Princess Zelda."
Paya laid down on her bed mat and Zelda took off her boots and curled up underneath the blankets. In just a few minutes, they were both asleep. When Zelda woke up the next morning, she got ready and went to Enchanted to pick up her new clothes. When she was dressed in her fixed light blue Hylian tunic and Hylian trousers, she realized she had no way to pay Claree. She started to panic, but Claree pushed it off.
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Claree said in her usual bubbly tone, "For a guest as special as you, this one's on the house!"
"Are you sure?" Zelda asked as her embarrassment slowly disappeared.
Claree nodded and took the Sheikah clothes off Zelda's hands, saying she made them for Paya a few years ago and doubted they fit her anymore. As Zelda left, Claree invited her to come back anytime. Zelda was about to start exploring the village and meet the other residents, but stopped when she saw two horses left by the stairs of Impa's house. She saw someone talk to the gatekeepers before entering the house and saw Dorian move to attend to the horses. The person had a Hylian hood on, so she couldn't see their face. One horse was white with a blonde-ish mane and looked like her old horse Amulet from 100 years ago, and the other looked like Epona. Zelda made her way over and saw the horse was Epona.
Epona? she thought as she looked at the horse, then turned her head to the house. Then that must mean Lynk's here.
She quickly went up the stairs and swung the doors wide open. The sudden action caused Impa, Paya, and the mystery guest to turn her way. Impa had a face that held surprise and mostly disappointment. Paya, on the other hand, look terrified. The third person's hood fell off when they turned their head, it was Lynk. Zelda couldn't believe it. Lynk finally made it to Kakariko Village. Zelda was going to kill her…