"I've had a recent surge in support from the Ordona Province," Zelda said before I had even fully made it on the roof. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"
I heaved myself up, landing lightly on the stone roof. I took a moment to catch my breath before responding. "Oh just that some guy has been sharing some stories about you. Crazy how people respond when they have the full picture."
"I never asked-"
I stopped her. "I know. But people in my village ask me for stories all the time, and I thought I might share some of your parts. Like how you shot light arrows at Ganondorf from the back of my horse. Or how you sacrificed yourself for Midna. Zelda," a tiny thrill went through my body at saying her name again, "people think you just stood and watched, but you were a hero. I never could have won that final battle without you. Your people should know that."
Her gaze was cold. "Did you also tell them about how you had to fight me at the beginning of that battle?"
I flinched. Of everything I had done in those two years, fighting Zelda had been the hardest. That fight featured prominently in my nightmares. "That wasn't you," I said through clenched teeth. "Ganondorf used your body like a puppet to mess with me. Whenever I think of that, I wish I could kill him all over again." My balled fists turned my knuckles white.
"Do you ever get tired of people praising you for being a hero?" I looked up suddenly, surprised at her question. "I only ask because when you referred to me as one, my response was to attack you." Her face hosted the apology she didn't say aloud.
"At this point, I'm pretty much used to it," I said. "I nod it off now, try to move on to other topics, but at first I hated what I felt was excessive praise. See, they only heard the best sounding parts, my victories. What they didn't know, what they couldn't know, were all the parts where I didn't act so heroic. But I do. I know every doubt, every thought of discouragement, every moment of weakness I had during those two years. I remember every second of wasted time, every poor decision I made, every person I could have saved had I acted differently.
"Because we ultimately won, my failures are glossed over, just not in my own mind. It's hard to stand there straight-faced as someone praises you as a hero when you know just how imperfect, how unheroic your really are."
Zelda looked at me in awe. "It scares me a little. How well you understand."
I gave her a wry smile. "While we come from very different backgrounds, we do have one thing in common," I said as I tapped the back of my left hand. While the Triforce that marked my hand was covered by my fingerless gloves, its design had bled through as if it refused to be hidden. "When did the Triforce appear on your hand?" I asked.
"Similarly in time to you: when I needed to be protected from Twilight. When everyone around me turned into spirits."
"I'd imagine that was a small comfort at least, in the middle of all that tragedy."
"No," she said forcefully. Her eyebrows drew down, and she swallowed hard. I looked at her strangely. "You requested that I set aside politics, that I had your unwavering support?" I nodded. "Then I'll tell you something I could never share with anyone else."
I leaned forward, intrigued. Her tone made it sound almost like a warning, like she was daring me to take back my request. That wasn't going to happen.
"When my hand was marked, I didn't feel relief: I cursed the goddesses."
Zelda was staring straight into my eyes, so I tried my best to control my expression, to show no judgment. But I couldn't help my shock. This was the woman who, when facing being run down by Ganondorf and his brutes, showed no fear as she called upon the goddesses for help. That's how strong her belief and trust in them was. At least that's what I had thought.
She looked away as she started her explanation. "The Triforce appearing on my hand after I surrendered, after my people became spirits, after it felt like everything was lost... I felt like it was sent to mock me. Maybe I could have used its power before in preparation against the invasion, but what use was it to me afterward?
"I held onto my anger for two months. Then during my small allotted time in the library one week, I stumbled upon a story I had never heard before. Are you familiar with the story of the Hero of Time?"
"Uh, yeah," I said. "But it's not very exciting. The hero warned the princess about the evil plans of the Gerudo diplomat, and they stopped it from happening. Not exactly filled with the action of some of the other stories."
"Part of it was. He was called the Hero of Time for a reason. He lived a future where the evil wasn't stopped. That's how he knew what needed to be done. But his journeys in that alternate future aren't in the historical texts. I had to dig deep in the archives to find a book of myths and legends that had his account of what happened.
"Apparently he too drew the sword of evil's bane, but he was only a child, so he was trapped in a state of stasis for seven years until his body had grown to the point where he was ready. Seven years in which evil had free reign to thread destruction throughout Hyrule."
She paused to let me fully realize the scope of her words. "How did the kingdom survive?" I asked.
"The princess. She fled from her castle just in time. She disguised herself and managed to single-handedly keep Hyrule limping on. Can you imagine? Seven years spent in disguise, doing all you could to ensure the Hero actually had a kingdom to save when he awoke.
"She spent seven years preparing for the hero in a desolate world, yet there I was unable to handle a couple months safe in my castle without acting like a petulant child. I fell to my knees and poured my heart out to the goddesses, begged for their forgiveness, pleaded that they might give me the wisdom to know what I should do. I thought maybe I should fight like my ancestor before me, but I was overcome with the feeling that I needed to wait. A short while later you came, and I understood.
"That experience taught me two things: one, that there are many forms of resistance, many ways to make a difference and two, that the Triforce on my hand was not a guarantee of absolute wisdom. I could be as foolish as anyone."
"Well that's a relief," I said with a smile. "More than half my stories have me acting the fool; I was afraid you'd have no way to relate."
Zelda looked at me curiously, the corners of her mouth turning up ever so slightly. "You truly do not think lesser of me after hearing that story?"
"No," I said shaking my head. "To be honest, it makes you seem more human and less... I dunno, Ice Queen?" She scoffed, but her slight smile remained, a good sign she hadn't taken offense. "Though I have to admit, I'm having a hard time picturing you in a sort of rage-fueled fit."
Her smile widened, making my chest suddenly feel tighter. "I assure you it happened. I threw a few tantrums unbecoming of my position and age. Once I even slammed my fist into a wall. I still have the scar. Fashion isn't my only purpose in wearing these gloves." She must have seen the disbelief in my eyes because she started to remove the long white glove from her right hand.
She held her bare hand to me so I could examine the slightly jagged white line that ran from the furthest knuckle of her pinky finger to a spot about half the distance from her wrist. Unconsciously, I raised a finger to trace it, as if to confirm the scar was real. When my skin touched her own, the Triforces on each of our hands shone bright, the same way they did when we drew upon their power.
Our eyes met and we froze. For a moment, it felt as if time itself had stopped. Zelda's eyes were such a pure shade of blue. Some might say they were icy, but that was only on the surface, if at all. If you had the courage to look any deeper, you could see her wisdom, her strength, her compassion. And no matter what anyone else believed, she was compassionate. She cared so deeply for the people of her kingdom that she would sacrifice nearly anything for them.
Zelda was the one who broke our contact, clearing her throat as she moved a couple steps back. The warm glow that had been emanating from our hands slowly faded as we parted.
"But let's not dwell on my clumsiness," Zelda said. "How is the rest of Ordona Province? I suppose I should know more about the people who have given me their support."
Zelda was so easily able to change from one subject to the next. After an experience that still had me jolted, she could just put up her walls and move on to more comfortable territory. I reluctantly followed her lead, though I'm sure I was less successful than she had been.
"Uli's pregnant again," I started, hating the distance I felt now separated us. I said a thing or two about most of the villagers and she acted interested, but it felt so inconsequential compared to what we had spoken of previously. "Our mayor, of course, has been as gracious towards me as ever," I said, finishing my list.
"But...?" Zelda enquired. She must have caught the hesitance in my last statement.
"No, he's been great. He always treated me fairly, which was a huge help given my humble circumstances. It's just... I think he expects that I'll marry Ilia. He keeps talking about how I could follow in his legacy, about how now the war's over, I can think about settling down."
Though she tried to hide it, I saw a spark of renewed interest in Zelda's eye. "Is this not your desire?" she asked.
"There's a time we might have worked. It certainly seemed as if our eventual pairing was a foregone conclusion in the minds of most of the village. We had been such good friends for so long. But I don't think we're enough for each other now. She wants a husband who will work hard by her side in Ordon. And while I love being a wrangler, I feel this new need to help people. If I hear of any kind of trouble with monsters, I stop whatever I'm doing and jump on Epona to help. Whenever I go, Ilia becomes sick with worry until I return. I don't think marriage would be fair to either one of us given that ultimately, we want different things."
She nodded thoughtfully. "That's too bad. I thought the two of you might make a good match." I didn't know why, but her comment made me feel a tinge of sadness. "But I suppose finding a different girl shouldn't be too hard for the Hero Chosen by the Gods."
I chuckled. "I'm not overly interested in a girl who acts like she worships the ground I walk on having not even met me before."
"Surely there must be some girl who has your interest." When she said that her head tilted just slightly, making her smile seem lopsided. There was just enough sunlight left to light her pale face and catch one of the natural blonde streaks in her long brown hair. My heart did a little flip as I tried to keep from staring.
I knew I couldn't possibly answer her question honestly, so I just shook my head. "Though it might be for the best that no one share my bed for now. Some of my dreams can cause me to become unwittingly violent."
Zelda let out a small, humorless laugh with sorrow in her eyes. "It's screams for me. I've scared my handmaidens more than a few times at night with noises normally reserved for impending death."
"We make quite the pair, huh? The wise princess and courageous hero. Yet it sounds like we're both a little broken."
"I suppose. However, that's not the way I choose to see the situation."
"Oh?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"The horrors we relive in our dreams aren't meant to break us, they are meant to keep this kingdom from being broken again. I control Hyrule's military and oversee the planning of the entire kingdom. You are our first layer of defense and a spokesman to the people. We more than anyone else need to stay vigilant, and so we shall. The second either of us has even the slightest suspicion that something's amiss, we will use our full power to observe and if necessary, destroy any potential threat exactly because we know the potential consequences of behaving otherwise."
"Sure, but it's not like I've forgotten. I could never forget. Only difference is without the dreams, I'd actually be well rested." I mumbled the last part, but it was still loud enough that she could hear.
In the moment before her response, her whole body seemed to relax, and in that moment, I saw it. I saw that flash of wisdom that did not belong in the eyes of a girl only nineteen years in age. I absolutely understood why the goddesses found her worthy to bear the mark of the Triforce.
"Memory," she said, "is a funny thing. Memories are malleable. Over time, details that aren't forgotten are easily altered to fit our current perspective. Of course you'd never forget the Twili War and you'd never want anything of its like to start anew, but as time ticks on, as every new worry is revealed as a false alarm, urgency fades and complacency sets in. Once we become complacent, we are in danger. That is when evil is allowed to take root.
"But, if we are forced to relive those days every night through our dreams, we will never lose our urgency. We will never trivialize our past, nor will we allow ourselves to believe that those before us were so different, that they were the ones at fault in that disaster. As awful as they are, these nightmares could actually be considered a blessing. After all, what was the point of our victory if we just allow the same thing to happen all over again?"
I looked at her hard. "And that provides comfort for you when you're woken by your own screams?"
She returned my gaze evenly. "Not in the moment necessarily, but it does make it an better burden to bear overall. I do not pretend it is easy, but I could bear much worse as long as it was in service to Hyrule."
I believed her. Since the first moment we met, I had the feeling that her duty was more important to her than anything else. Anything she wanted was secondary.
"Hyrule doesn't deserve you."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"I... nothing. I just wish the people of this kingdom could see you the way I do."
She looked away as a tinge of red colored her cheeks. I hadn't meant to embarrass her, but it was how I felt. I hated that her people called her unflattering names when she would give any and every part of herself for them.
She looked back at me once again composed, and once again with her walls raised. It came as no shock to me when she said, "Please don't think me rude, but I'm afraid if I remain here much longer, a search party will form. But I'm glad we could meet again."
"Of course," I said with a sad smile. I hated to see her go, but I understood she had an incredibly busy life. "Until next time," I said with a bow.
Zelda nodded me off and exited quickly, but gracefully. It seemed I couldn't give the girl a compliment without raising her walls. I found that sad, but at the same time, I was thrilled with how much she revealed to me. I think we needed each other, if only to share things others couldn't understand. As I said the last time we met, we had a connection. I smiled at the thought as I readied for my descent, unconsciously rubbing the back of my left hand.
A/N: I was really pleased with this story's response, so this was my attempt at a continuation. I could leave it as a two-shot or continue on with an actual plot. If I were to continue, I thought I could either tell the whole story through these rooftop conversations, or I could expand the setting and introduce other characters. Both options seem interesting to me, so I would love if you would let me know your preference. As always, feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks for reading.