Link had to admit it was much nicer to travel with all of his equipment. He had his sleeping bag to keep him warm so the princess could get all of the warmth from hers and feel more comfortable. He never closed his, instead just having it folded over with his sword just inside so he could kick it open and defend the princess at any given time.
His cooking was a bit more creative, though it was still just a rotation of the same simple dishes. The princess still appreciated his efforts as she ate more than before, which led Link to believe perhaps she hadn't really liked it in the first place.
The first spring, the Spring of Courage, had been slightly damaged but overall the same as it has always been. The princess knelt in the water from dawn until dusk, offering anything she could to the goddess for any courage that could be returned. She needed to be brave as she took on her new responsibilities, ruling with the ability to go beyond her fears and make the right decisions.
She got up as it got dark, Link holding out his hand to help her out of the water. Her skin had a blue-ish tinge as he heard her teeth chattering despite her best efforts to hide her discomfort. He pulled the towel from his shoulder, watching her wring the water from the skirt of her dress.
She took the towel to dry her legs and the fabric a little more before taking her bag. She pulled out her dry clothes as she gave him the look he was used to, turning around so she could change.
''I'm not looking forward to the water on Mount Lanayru,'' she said as he heard her drying herself off a little more, pulling on her clothes.
''The springs keep it relatively warm, Princess,'' he said as he felt her hand on his shoulder while she put back on her shoes. ''We'll make some extra elixirs just in case.''
She picked up her bag and walked around him, looking at the dark skies. ''We'll have to set up camp here, I guess.'' It wasn't a bad spot; they had shelter from the weather and the princess could continue praying if she wanted to. There was also only one entrance, which made it a lot easier to keep a track of potential threats.
They sat down around a fire, eating the dish that the princess had insisted on making. It was the fish dish that she'd described in the past, smiling as she tasted it and it turned out pretty well. Link had divided feelings about her cooking for him; she'd gotten so much joy out of doing something for him that he wanted her to do it as much as she liked but she was royalty and shouldn't have been doing such menial work. He wasn't ready to let her cook every night but if she wanted to every so often, he'd let her have a turn.
He sat on the ground with his arms on his knees, legs bent so he was ready to stand the second he needed to. He had his bow under his legs instead of his sword; with only one entrance, there was a much smaller chance of ambush so he wasn't afraid to use a ranged weapon.
Zelda sat down beside him, offering some of her food as she looked like she was struggling to finish it all. ''Link,'' she said in the kind of tone that meant she was nervous to speak, the one that immediately made him nervous to hear it. ''I- I don't know how to put this without sounding... with those other girls, you don't have any- I, um, there's been quite a number so at least one of them has probably been-''
If Link wasn't too busy trying to work out what she was asking, he would have thought her flustered expression was almost cute; it wasn't often the princess was lost for words. ''I don't know what you're asking, Princess.''
''Children. Do you have any?'' she finally asked, Link finally understanding why she'd been so embarrassed by the question. He was embarrassed hearing it, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to work out what to say back.
''No,'' he said, which immediately made her look relieved. ''Did I make it sound like I had sex with all of them? I'm sorry. There's only been two or three. The rest were similar but not... and with those very few we were sure to be careful and do the right things because well, none of us were ready to be parents and...''
Zelda relaxed a little, watching him be just as anxious and flustered about the topic. ''So long as... I don't want there to be any problems if we were to get married, then there'd technically be another heir and you understand-''
Link nodded. ''None, Princess. I've been through every village they were in a number of times since and I would have noticed if they were pregnant or had a baby. You don't have to worry,'' he said and he could see she looked relieved.
She was quiet for a second before speaking up. ''When you say similar...'' she said and Link struggled to work out what to say. It shouldn't have been so awkward; they were both technically adults and had confided in each other about so many other things. ''Sorry, it was just my father and I, and he would tell me I should be focusing on waking my powers before even thinking about anything else. I should have asked Urbosa or someone about it.''
Link began to understand why she was finding it hard to say the right words; she didn't know what they were. It made him feel slightly more comfortable as he realised the topic may have been awkward but it wasn't why it had been so difficult to get words out. ''There's other things you can do, Princess. I'm not the kind of person to have looked for opportunities, and I certainly didn't push for them. But especially when I first woke up and had no memories, I didn't know how I thought or felt about it. I knew I was going to help you fight Ganon but other than that, I didn't know who I was, what I would do. As I regained memories, I realised why it always felt like I was doing the wrong thing. But I couldn't work out what the right one was so it took a while for me to start reconsidering my actions.''
Zelda could see his honesty in his eyes and hear it in his voice, the words something he'd probably never spoken aloud before. ''So you regret it?''
''Yes and no,'' he said as he thought about it. ''I would have said no if I knew we were going to end up here. But with what I knew and how I felt, I didn't make the worst decisions. I honestly thought there'd be no one forever because I'd never stop dedicating my life to you.''
Zelda slowly took his hand, holding it nice and tight. ''I always told you that you could go.''
Link let her rest her head on his shoulder. ''You knew I never was. Not while you could be in danger.''
''I could be in danger my entire life. I'm royalty and therefore always a target,'' she said and Link looked at her.
''Yeah, I know that. I always have,'' he said and Zelda lifted her head to look at him. ''That will never change.''
Zelda sighed. ''You know that you're going to have to change that if we stay together,'' she replied. ''It won't be your job to protect me anymore.''
''It always will be,'' he said as he looked at her, looking into her eyes. ''Whether it's official or not. I will always protect you, Princess. You are too important.''
She knew that but it didn't make her feel better. ''At least it will be easier when I become queen. I will very rarely leave the castle.''
He hated the lack of her smile, hoping to find a way to cheer her up. ''I can't call you 'princess' anymore once the coronation is over,'' he said and Zelda didn't look any more pleased. ''Would you rather 'your highness', 'your majesty', 'my queen'-''
''Or, you know, Zelda,'' she said as she looked at him. He looked uncomfortable with it. ''That is my name. You've always been allowed to use it.''
Link was still struggling. He'd never even considered calling her by her name, not unless it was prefaced with her title. He couldn't even make the sounds from his lips as he tried to force himself. ''I can't-''
Zelda turned to him, looking into his eyes. ''I refuse to be in a relationship where you cannot look at me like we're equals. If you keep calling me names like that, I'll have to start saying them back to you.''
''Like what?'' he said and Zelda had a small smile on the corner of her lips at the thought.
''If we stay together like I hope we do, then you will be my king,'' she said and even just the words sounding wrong to his ears. He wasn't worthy of ever being king. She looked somewhat pleased by the phrase, holding his hand a little tighter. ''My king.''
It did sound a little better the second time around, particularly as it was more affectionate. She leaned in slowly to kiss his lips. ''Zelda-'' he said quietly and her smile got a little bigger.
''Not that hard, is it?'' she asked rhetorically. It didn't sound that bad once he'd finally gotten it out.
He couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. She was so happy that he had done something so simple that he considered doing it forever. ''I can't call you anything else until I'm not your knight. For as long as I serve you, if I don't refer to you properly people will assume I'm not doing my job.''
Her smile faded a little. ''Well, when it's appropriate, please call me Zelda,'' she suggested. He gave a single nod. She leaned in to kiss him again. putting her hand on his face. It warmed her in a way she didn't understand, her whole body feeling hot and desperate to be touched.
She pulled back, unsure about the feelings as she looked at him. She wondered if he felt the same. If it wasn't entirely inappropriate, she would have undone her clothes to let in some air to cool down. ''It's warm in here,'' she said and Link looked embarrassed.
''I can assure you it's really not,'' he said as he shuffled awkwardly in place. He got up, grabbing some of the spare wood to put on the fire. Zelda looked confused as Link looked too nervous to sit down again by her side but too awkward to sit elsewhere.
''What's wrong?'' she asked and Link held his arms. ''Link?''
He looked at the ground. ''This isn't the place.''
''For what?'' she asked, feeling more and more confused.
Link frowned as he looked up at her. ''You're not suggesting...'' he asked and Zelda just looked concerned. He felt some relief. ''Sorry, when someone suggests it's warm and they're close to someone else like that, it usually means they want... I shouldn't have assumed.''
Zelda felt a flush across her cheeks. ''No! Well, yes but no,'' she said, realising he may not have been as wrong as she initially thought. The warmth was particularly regional on her body as she felt her legs squeeze a little tighter at the thought. She'd felt it before - she was a young woman after all - but it hadn't clicked until he mentioned it. ''You're right, not here.''
Link sat back beside her, looking much more relieved. ''It's not that I don't want to, it's that you deserve better, Princess.''
''Zelda. And I think deserve is the wrong word. I don't deserve anything. I would like not to be on a stone floor but I don't think it's a matter of whether I deserve better or not that decides if we do or don't. I just think it would be uncomfortable.''
Link let out a small sigh as he put his hand out for her to take again. ''One of many reasons I can think of,'' he said and Zelda gave him a curious look. ''I don't think it would be looked upon favourably if we were to... if you got pregnant. And I'm not ready to take on the responsibility of another life besides yours. Not until I know you'll be cared for if I had to protect theirs.''
She should have expected he would take fatherhood very seriously. She felt it too; she was barely an adult, let alone mature enough to be a parent. Her behaviour over the past few weeks was evidence enough that she was still too selfish and emotionally vulnerable. She remembered just how calm and patient her mother had been with her. She would be proud of herself if she was half the woman her mother was.
''Pr- Zelda,'' Link said, old habits kicking in. She snapped out of her thoughts to look at him. ''I think we should go to bed. We need to be up early tomorrow to keep moving. The cold is going to slow us down on Mount Lanayru.''
Zelda nodded, fixing up her sleeping bag beside his. She was tucked in but still leant on his shoulder, trying to get comfortable on the solid surface. ''Link.''
''Yes, Princess?'' he asked as he listened to the crackle of the fire, making sure it didn't sound too strong. The last thing he needed was it burning too much and losing control while they slept.
''Can you remind me we should sleep on the grass tomorrow? Not now but stone really isn't comfortable,'' she said and Link laughed a little.
''Sure.''
A bit of a short one today but something to get you through to the next one which will be longer. I hope you've enjoyed this so far and continue showing me that great support. I know a few of you have been asking questions or pointing out things that haven't been explained yet in the reviews, so hopefully I'm slowly covering these off as they become relevant. A lot of these I plan to explain as the story goes to help build upon the concepts but if something seems particularly confusing, let me know so I can try to fix it. You're probably not alone!
As always, thanks for reading
