Thunder sounded overhead as the first drops of rain fell upon an open palm. Violet-blue eyes stared up at the sky for a few moments, before looking ahead.
"I have to get moving."
She had been on the run for so long, she hardly remembered what peace and quiet was like. But a part of her could never forget the flowers in the courtyard, her nursemaid humming her favorite lullaby, the proud smiles of her parents – the dearly departed king and queen of Hyrule.
Had things gone as the goddesses intended, she would be the new queen of Hyrule.
But they had not. She had failed and her land was overrun with evil. The throne was ruled by a tyrant. And she was on the run to keep herself safe. She had to stay alive somehow. Just in case she could ever restore Hyrule to its former glory.
But, first, she had to stay dry. Maybe get some rest.
Staying in a village was too risky. Not since she'd lost Impa. She couldn't risk losing any more citizens loyal to the crown. The guilt would be the death of her.
"Gerudo Desert should be close," she mused, walking down the dirt paths. The grass was beginning to look browner already – a good sign she was close. "I can stay on the outskirts."
Zelda hadn't visited that part of Hyrule in a long time. She never had liked any of it. The heat, the sand, the people – one could say she hated it all.
But she couldn't be picky. Not anymore. Her legs shook with each step. Her Sheikah garbs were stained with blood. Even her face and hands were cut and bandaged from her terrible fate.
The wind began to sting her eyes and hands – the two parts of her she dared show – but shelter was in the distance. A cliff overlooked a small cave. It would be dark, probably. Cold, most definitely. But no one would think to find the "dead" princess here. She would be safe.
Her legs gave out on her almost the moment she stepped in the cave. She fell to her knees, wincing from the impact.
"Just… a few hours of rest… and I can get on the roads again."
She had to keep moving. Always. She could never stop. Stopping meant death. But, for now, it was all she could do to crawl deeper within the cave and curl up by the wall. She pulled a worn quilt from her pack – one of her few belongings from happier times – and draped it over her.
"Just a few hours…" she said again, a quiet reassurance.
No more words followed. She couldn't keep her mouth – let alone, her eyes – open. In moments, the runaway princess was asleep.