Hey! I wrote this on Wednesday and decided to post as is. I have ideas for two other small pieces inspired by the trailer (which still has me reeling, mind you), but I make no promises if I am going to really write them. But well, a take on why Zelda got her hair cut.
Enjoy!
Weeks into their journey and she still isn't used to this. This being the open space, nature, other people, sunlight on her face and rain soaking her clothes. It had been much too long since Zelda had felt these sensations, the freedom that came with travelling around her kingdom.
Not that she hadn't gotten the chance to do so before; she had, travelled high and low seeking the answer to unlock her sacred power, but Zelda hadn't been able to stop and appreciate everything then, a deadline always straight ahead, the weight her father's expectations and a whole land to save resting uncomfortably on her shoulders.
This time she can fully explore. There's much to do, much to rebuild, but with the threat vanquished, she finds that she can breathe a little easier. Her love for research blooms anew once the Sheikah Slate is in her hands, and some part of her rejoices at the idea of finally being able to study this ancient technology to her heart's content.
With Vah Ruta and Vah Rudania not working anymore, it is safe to assume the other two have as well. That is confirmed once they reach the Hebra region and find a fully powered down Vah Medoh perched on the rocky structure in which Rito Village is built around, so they head South towards Gerudo Desert.
Link had been much too quiet a hundred years ago and that seems to have changed. Waking up with no memories and interacting with inhabitants of all regions of Hyrule have made him a different man, not that Zelda is opposed to it. He was subjected to the same kind of horrors and pressure as she was, and thus the final barrier between them has finally been broken as now they have something other than a sacred cycle to bind them together. It is much easier to connect with him this time around and to see him smiling and sharing anecdotes of his own journey, instead of living with his stoicism and silence, is refreshing. It lifts a weight off her heart, too.
He tells her of what he had to do to get inside Gerudo Town, the colorful outfit he still keeps. If he were to wear it now to accompany her inside the city limits, there's absolutely no doubt that the guards would finally see through the ruse. Zelda remembers quite well how he had been reluctant to let her through the gates with her maidens alone, intent as he was on being the best appointed knight and Champion of a princess, being forced to wait outside until it was finally time to leave again.
She remembers quite shamefully how she felt relief, then. No amount of apologies seem to be enough to alleviate the guilt she feels for the way she used to treat him.
No matter how much time seems to pass, how much she is exposed to the weather, Zelda can't seem to get used to it. In the past century, she had lost all sense of her physical self inside Hyrule Castle, too focused on holding Calamity Ganon back each day until all she could feel was a soul-deep exhaustion. She isn't running out of breath as easily now as she'd been in the first week of their journey and doesn't need to take as many breaks, but some things hit her harder than others.
Traveling through Hebra was struggle. Zelda had visited the Flight Range before, where the winds are harsher and much, much colder, and hadn't suffered as much as she did now. The kind man that runs Snowfield Stable had given her so many thick blankets and still they didn't seem to be enough.
Now, the heat of Gerudo Desert is nearly unbearable, and to make matters worse, no one seems to be as affected as she is. The temperature started climbing steadily long before they set foot in the desert and combined with the sun burning her scalp, the hot sand and the heat wave, Zelda feels like she might as well have jumped into the crater of Death Mountain.
Sitting under the shade of a palm tree by the pond in Kara Kara Bazaar, she splashes some water on her face and nape of the neck whilst Link holds her hair back. The water isn't completely cool, but it does wonders. Zelda takes deep breaths as droplets drip from the curve of her chin and nose, and Link fans her face with a hand to help. She hadn't been too embarrassed before, but the way a travelling merchant is staring at them makes her want to combust.
Link offers her a comforting smile as she wipes her face with her bare palms. "It will get better."
"Goddesses," she whispers, aware of the drop of sweat traveling down along the line of her spine. "I feel like I can't make it past here."
"We can take a break," he offers.
Zelda shakes her head. Stuffy as her tunic feels, a mere break won't do. She needs some instant relief, a dip in the water, maybe change out of her riding gear or dress into the vai outfit he owns. Link lets go of her hair and it falls around her face like a curtain, golden strands clinging to damp skin.
It's then that it hits her, an impulsive decision that she might regret later, though she doubts it. It will be more practical, after all. And it will be a fresh start. "Do you have a knife?"
Link hums curiously at the sudden change of topics, at the oddity of the question, and the predictable answer she will get. Of course he has a knife, he carries various weapons with his person at all times, an habit that he developed in his voyage to save Hyrule. "I do."
"Well, then." Zelda gathers her hair together and straightens up. "Can you cut it for me?"
Link stammers, hesitating as she had expected. "Are you sure? Maybe someone has a hairband they could lend you?"
"Yes. Come on, it's just hair." She giggles, flicking her wrist and swaying the locks. "It will grow back if I don't like it."
"I don't know." He leans forward just enough to look her in the eyes. "I'm not the best at that."
"You do well enough with your own hair."
Link shrugs at her rebuttal. "My hair is always tied up and no one cares if it's shaggy. Yours, on the other hand…"
Zelda sighs heavily and droops her shoulders. "Fine. I will do it myself."
"No!" He moves his pouch away from her reach before she can get a knife or any other blade. Her lips quirk up in a smile at his hastiness, and Link tries to cover it up with some excuse before relenting. "Okay, okay. I'll do it."
Victorious, Zelda settles down as comfortably as she can on the hard ground and lets him do his magic. She watched him cutting his hair before, an unthinking swipe of a sharp blade through locks of dirty blond hair, the way he never hesitates before slicing it off. With her, he does it differently, placing a towel on her shoulders and separating her hair in layers before getting to work.
He's careful, tender even, and she can feel it in the way his knuckles brush along the back of her neck every few moments. Link is meticulous in a way that he only is when it comes to her, and the gentleness of the situation has her heat picking up speed. If her cheeks are flushed pink, she can excuse it on the temperature, but there's nothing she can say about the sudden shallowness of her breath.
For her, things have begun to change somewhere along the way to Rito Village, or perhaps it had been lying dormant within her all along. There had been no time to pursue any romance when the fate of Hyrule was at stake, but there's some novelty in thinking that the feelings have been here from the start due to their timeless connection, waiting to be awakened. Princess and hero are always meant to come together and meet, and sometimes they stay together even after the land has been saved.
If he's affected by it, she can't tell. Link has always been a difficult person to read, even now that he's more open, a little more carefree. Old habits die hard, she figures, and perhaps that's why she feels so frustrated when she can't guess what's in his mind.
Once he's done, her fingers ache from being so tightly clenched and her heart is beating as fast as a hummingbird's. The tips of her hair brush along her jawline and tickle the sensitive skin of her neck, and she ruffles the strands, fingers the ends in wonder. Link collected the fallen hairs on top of a worn out towel, which she catches a glimpse of before he folds the fabric to keep the locks together so they can be disposed of properly later.
Zelda reaches inside her bag for a handheld mirror, one that had belonged to Mipha and the one thing King Dorephan managed to convince Zelda to take in memory of her lost friend. Despite Link's diligent handiwork, the tips of the bob are uneven in some places, not that it matters much. The slight breeze on the flushed skin of her neck feels like heaven.
"It's perfect. Thank you." She says at last, but Link is frowning in displeasure at what he's done.
"Maybe we can have one of the Gerudo ladies fix it?" He offers, waving at the dagger he used. "With an actual pair of scissors."
"It's fine," Zelda reassures. Link, however, will have none of it and might end up looking for someone that's more qualified to trim the ends evenly. "Besides, we might not always have someone around to fix it."
Link quirks a brow. "So you don't deny it needs fixing?"
"I'm implying you're now my hairdresser, and that's the thing you choose to focus on?" He quietly chuckles in response, like he's still getting used to this new side of himself and how it affects their relationship, as if he's the only one that's changed this past century.
"I shall look for some scissors then. Perhaps ask someone to teach me." Link reaches for a lock that frames her face, takes it in hand and evens it out with an expert sweep of the blade. "There. A little better now."
As he tucks the lock behind her ear and smiles at her, Zelda swears her brain shuts down. It seems he doesn't realize what he's doing either, for when it sets in, Link is quick to pull his hand back and stammer an apology, cheeks flushed just as much as her own are. Face blazing, Zelda immediately misses her hair and the curtain it provided.
Link clears his throat and pushes himself off the ground, offering her a hand as she makes to stand too. "Anyway, let's see if there are any beds in the inn. We can continue towards Gerudo Town tomorrow."
She hums and pats away the sand clinging to her clothes. "Yes, let's."
He gathers their things and lets her guide the way to the lone building in Kara Kara Bazaar. Zelda can't help but notice that the respectful distance he keeps between them is slightly shorter this time, whether intentional or not. She smiles to herself as their hands bump together and he doesn't pull away.
And the traveling merchant is still staring.