Inspiration: Breath of the Wild.

Author Note: Amazing game, I will return to this later, I promise. I don't own Legend of Zelda, it is owned by Tokyo EAD.

Word Count: 2,772

Queen of the Wild

"This way Master Link!" the princess called to me from the distance. "We can cover more ground if we take this impasse!"

I was a horse's length behind her highness, letting her guide the way. We were heading north towards Mount Hebra for some investigating of the landscape. The princess stated there was a shrine up that way that she wanted to check out. She said it could be the one to teach her how to consistently tap into her powers. I was hopeful, but not too optimistic. I didn't want to appear as a cynic, but I've seen her get hopeful in the past, only to deal with the major disappointment afterwards. It would depress her for days before she snapped out of her reclusive state to try again. She was certainly a resilient girl. Though, I remembered the incident at the Spring of Power when she was praying for her abilities to be made manifest to her, only for her to fail and feel inept in the end because she couldn't yet channel her energy. Her frustrations were beyond paramount.

"Why can't I do it?" she demanded of herself back then. "What's wrong with me?!"

I felt for her in that instance.

For myself, I've been to almost all the shrines in Hyrule, and I'll be honest, I have yet to see one that had what she was seeking. It didn't mean it didn't exist. After all the things I've tallied and seen throughout my adventures there was no doubt in my mind it existed. It just meant it was elusive. This was evident from the power I received through my trials. If I was able to receive a blessing, no doubt Zelda was able to receive one as well. We just had to find the right shrine and right circumstance. Even so, I did what I thought was best in this current situation, I let her take the lead. Her intuition was guiding the way, and perhaps this shrine up in Hebra was the coveted spot. I simply would act as her guard and confidante.

Hopefully you won't be disappointed princess, I thought.

I paused for a moment.

That title.

It seems like only yesterday that I became reacquainted with Zelda. She was recently freed from the clutches of a horrible creature by the name of Ganon. It was the same creature that destroyed Hyrule over one hundred years ago. When she made her reappearance from inside that monster, she asked me if I truly remembered her. It took me some time to understand what she was trying to convey, but yes, yes indeed I remembered her. Though, I was surprised that she was the same young woman I protected before I was nearly slain. She hadn't aged a day. Hylia's protection was all over her no doubt. Though, I felt guilty for having unintentionally left her to encapsulate the beast Ganon alone. It was right after me and all of my comrades had fallen that Zelda was finally able to tap into her powers. Perhaps her worry for us resolved her to catalyze her true potential. I imagine it must have been a magnificent occurrence.

I'll bet she was a sight to behold, I thought.

Even so, presently Zelda seemed unsettled about matters. I couldn't say I blamed her, considering the kingdom was in disarray. Villages were more like outposts. There was no centralized epicenter for commerce any longer. There was no mailing system. There was no capital city. There was nothing of the semblance of what was once here. It was simply… wild. How would we even begin to rebuild Hyrule Castle? Was there some other technology out there that we could use from the Sheikah people? Were there other settlements out there that hadn't been discovered yet? What kind of governance was Zelda going to inspire from the people if the people were happier governing themselves? These were all very important questions that needed to be answered, and I knew none of it would be easy.

In fact, it seemed like too much of a burden for one person to handle, or quite frankly, even two. However, I was willing to shoulder this burden with Zelda. She did quite literally save my life one hundred years ago when I was supposed to be protecting her. I was forever in her debt. I would spend the rest of my life paying her back. Even so, I wish my comrades could have been here with us. I was speaking about the Champions. They were all so different, but all so necessary to the protection to Hyrule. They were also like emissaries to their respective tribes. Each tribe had a member that worked for the royal family. They were all very talented.

How different would life be with you all here? I wondered.

Revali was a Rito who lived in the Rito Village south of where Zelda and I were currently traveling. He was a spirited champion with a competitive side to him. He was always challenging me to fly as he was a master of flight. He would no doubt win in that regard, but I appreciated his valor, though he may not have appreciated mine. He would say things to provoke me, but as a child my father, who was a knight also, told me never to give in to provocation. As such, Revali had many words, but he still had my respect considering his sacrifice. Next there was Daruk. Daruk was a burly Goron who was mighty in his strength. He often compared me to his brethren and told me I needed to gain a few pounds to withstand the plagues of battle. I was aware he thought he was looking out for me, but I had to remind him on a regular basis that I was a Hylian. Even so, his bravery lives on in the people of Goron City. They were great, as he was great.

The Gerudo champion Urbosa was like the matriarch of the group, though she was hardly old enough to be my or anyone else's mother. She had a very nurturing, but loving hand. She also had an electric personality that radiated into her steady touch. I knew Zelda looked to her as a confidante, and it was because of that loss that I was saddened for Zelda. Urbosa told me personally to look after the princess, and I would keep in step with my promise. Finally, there was Mipha. This last young champion had a particular personal significance to me. Mipha was a beautiful Zora girl with bright eyes and a gentle voice. I always considered her to be my friend, but she was always a lot kinder to me than anyone else. Well, it turned out she was in love with me, and it took one hundred years and her brother telling me for me to understand that. Her parting gift to me was her grace, and it soothed my soul and healed my wounds when I was low. I'll never forget her kindness or her… her love.

Mipha… I thought.

There were so many memories, so many thoughts and desires I couldn't yet put together, but I sincerely wanted to for Zelda's sake and for my sake. The destruction of Ganon was the beginning of such closure, but the rest of the tale was now beginning. We traveled for the next several hours in silence and in that time I got to appreciate Zelda's regal beauty. It was about midday, so the sun was caught in Zelda's golden hair. Her bright blue eyes would look back at me from time to time to check on me. There was no need for her to worry, I was fine. Her creamy complexion was slightly darker than the snows we were about to cross, and her lovely physique was covered in a lyenel coat. She was very beautiful, but I learned years ago she was a very serious young woman. There was even a time she didn't like me.

I recall when I was first commissioned to be Zelda's guard. She held a quiet resentment towards me. I ignored it for the most part, realizing I needed to do my duty no matter what, but she had no qualms telling me how she felt about me. I found out later it was because she saw me as a threat to her success as the chosen one. I didn't understand her thought process at first, but her reasoning dealt more with her own insecurities than actually with me. It was only being able to travel with her that I understood her better. Zelda was trying to find herself, as most young women her age were. However, she had the added responsibility of being the savior of Hyrule also. That was a great deal of responsibility for a seventeen year old girl. I shouldn't speak like I'm so much older when I'm not. I'm only eighteen myself, but Zelda's burden was quite great, and I appreciated it.

In any such case, I have learned that she is a sensitive young vulnerable woman, but she is also strong willed, brilliant, and inquisitive. I remember when she would have her nose buried in a book because she was researching something related to the Sheikah technologies being unearthed. She was actually hoping to use that as a means to protect Hyrule, but her father helped her see the error of her ways. King Rhoham Bosphoramus Hyrule was a very interesting man. He understood his daughter's plight better than even she did. He knew that technology was not going to be the thing to defeat Ganon, but the power within Zelda. Zelda's mother died before she could properly show her daughter this, so it was up to King Rhoham to instill the importance of the goddess trial on Zelda. His majesty is now dead, but his legacy lives on, and it's up to Zelda to ensure that. She was the royal family now. There was no one left.

The hours continued to pass when we started heading into the depths of Hebra. The temperature dropped and the added garments we were wearing helped, but not much. Zelda quickly drank a hot elixir as did I to protect us from the cold. It did the trick, but we were going to have to find this shrine as it wouldn't last forever, and to make matters worse there was a lyenel in the distance. I immediately halted my horse and called to Zelda.

"Your highness!" I called. "You must stop, don't advance any farther."

Zelda halted her horse, but then turned to look at me.

"I know Master Link," she said, "I saw him."

It was one of those opportunities showcase my fighting skills. So I dismounted my mare and checked my gear, but before I could head off to fight it, Zelda stopped me.

"Master Link wait," she cautioned, "I don't think it's necessary for us to go this way. Besides, there isn't just one lyenel waiting in the distance there's two."

I looked at her taken aback for a moment, but then saw that she was right. There was indeed another lyenel several dozen yards away in the same vicinity as the first. They just happened to blend in well with the snow. At seeing that, I put my weapon away, not wanting to engage both when I had the princess with me. One alone was dangerous enough, but two with the princess in tow was asking too much. I went and mounted my horse once again. Considering the shrine in question was by the northern most lyenel I deferred to what the princess wanted to do.

"What now my lady?" I asked.

Zelda sighed and looked a little frustrated from our lack of progress.

"We better head back to the nearest outpost and see if we can regroup," she suggested, "there has to be a way around those bloody lyenels."

I raised a brow at her colorful speech and grinned. It wasn't like Zelda to use course language.

"As you wish my lady," I said, then turned my horse around after Zelda had done so initially.

About four hours later we were back at the outpost. We dismounted and turned our horses in for the night, and also rented two beds for the evening. It would be interesting to note how Zelda would deal with roughing it out here without her castle and her former luxuries. However, she did stay in a dilapidated spire for over one hundred years to protect her people. I think she was privy to a little discomfort. Even so, it had only been a week since Ganon's defeat and there was so much for her to get used to and adjusted to again. At the inn I expected her to go to sleep right away, but she didn't. She still had a great deal on her mind. I knew she was disappointed about not getting to the shrine, but I certainly hope she didn't stay discouraged. I went to reassure her of that.

"We'll figure out a way," I said, "try not to let this set back discourage you."

Zelda pursed her lips together and sighed.

"I wish I had your optimism Link," she whispered.

It was ironic because she would have been surprised to know I was thinking similarly to her earlier.

"You do," I said, "you just haven't realized it yet."

She looked over at me. I grinned at her and she grinned back.

"You're so much like your father in that regard," she said to me suddenly, "he told me to never give up too when I was a child."

I was surprised to hear her bring up my father. He died in service to the king many many years ago. I was physiologically fifteen when it happened and that was when I knew I wanted to be knight just like him. He was a kind man, but very serious about family and duty. He taught me from when I was a boy the value of protection and discipline. My mother had a slightly more gentle hand, as mothers often did, but she died when I was ten, so my father did both roles. I gathered that was why my father was so strict with me. He probably assumed I needed his guidance twofold, which I did, before his untimely death. I missed my parents, but I knew they would never approve of me giving up, so I decided to never give up. No matter how bad things seemed I was never going to give up. I believe that was why I wore the banner of courage so well. It seemed imbued in my spirit. Even so, I could definitely believe that Zelda was told that from my father.

I grinned.

"That was who he was," I replied.

Zelda stared at me for just a moment.

"Thank you for being you Link," she whispered, "thank you for never giving up."

With that, Zelda got underneath the covers and turned the other way to face the tarp and go to sleep. I stared at her for just a moment, pondering the gravity of what was truly before us. Hyrule needed to be united once more, under one banner, under one crown… but would the people want that? The citizens have been living monarch free for over one hundred years. How was Zelda going to unite them? How were we truly going to pick up the pieces from Ganon? I didn't want to burden her, but this was a monumental task before us. However, I had faith in Zelda. I had faith she would figure out a way. It stemmed back from understanding the shrines, once we commandeered the power of the shrines we could possibly get an answer. I stared at the princess, quietly rooting for her.

I know you can do it my lady, I thought.

Zelda wasn't merely a princess anymore. She was a queen, a queen of the wild.

This story will be updated on a later date.