The first memory-less chapter in a very long time, ever since Link and Zelda were heading to Rito Village. To remind you where they are, they are heading to Death Mountain, along the road that leads also to Akkala and Zora's Domain.
This chapter is starred by Link, because he has got some thinking to do. Zelda has her own moments, and before I get flak for what I wrote, my vision of Princess Zelda now, every Princess Zelda I've written before, and every Princess Zelda I will write afterward, is a fighter in her own right. Better than Link, debatable, but she's on par with my vision. So when you get to that part of this chapter, remember that. Remember also she has had Sheikah training, and we Zelda fanfic writers universally say Sheikah training leads to a great warrior. It is also universally thought with us writers that Zelda is naturally good with a bow (it is her signature weapon anyway) and probably better than Link. I have yet to read otherwise that Zelda sucks with a bow and magic, and when Impa or Zelda/Sheik is around, they are cannon fodder.
With that said, I have another story update. I did say the memories of Champions' Ballad would come into this story, but instead of full fledged chapters, they will as flashbacks when we meet each Champion in their specific memory chapter. For example, I'll add "Revali's Song" eventually to "Revali's Gale" in the future, but "Daruk's Song" will come with "Daruk's Mettle," the next chapter.
With that said, enjoy the chapter!
Link
The journey from the Exchange yesterday led to the moment they're at now, back on the Thims Bridge six months after originally crossing it on route to the Great Hyrule Forest. Link smiled to himself as they crossed, reminiscing about the earlier trip he had with Princess Zelda. They were younger, inexperienced in travel, and Zelda definitely hated having him around. Until the ordeal at the Woodland Stable, Link was actually excited and nervous about being with the Princess until they crossed this bridge when everything spiraled out of control. But even though she gave him her tough side, Zelda had soft spots. He learned that Zelda loved the scenery of Hyrule (hence the scenic route around Mount Crenel and the moment she stood agape at the sight of the Korok Forest), she loved history, technology, research, and she was an adept warrior in her own right. Whether it was purely a jest to motivate Link to get better or actually true, Sir Ordon once told Link that Zelda beat him in combat, something Link has yet to do.
Link had also put in the back of his mind that Zelda kicked his ass as well six months ago.
Now he rode upon the Thims Bridge with Zelda again, with a new perspective different from what he had months prior. He was Hyrule's Hero, the Hylian Champion, Master of the Master Sword, and Zelda's Appointed Knight. Zelda was...still the same Zelda. That same Zelda turned back to him, pointing to her left and right, "Which way do we go?"
"We're going to the right. That road leads directly to Death Mountain… Have you not been there recently, to recruit Daruk?"
Zelda nodded as she turned back around, directing Gaepora to the right as she came to the end of the road. "I did go this way, yes, but that was on route to Zora's Domain. Remember that I did have other knights to guide me, but I didn't ask them where to go. They were to do the leading until I arrived in each city."
"But you pull the alpha shit on me." Link bit his lip to refrain himself from speaking his thoughts, muttering "Very well" as he followed Zelda. He pushed Epona a bit to catch up to Her Highness, steading his steed once he was at her side. Zelda caught sight of it, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of Link's actions.
"I am not going to gallop off."
"That's nice to know."
"Then stop riding beside me like a chaperone, hounding me with your presence! It is very annoying. At least invoke enjoyable conversation if you're going to do so, or either get in front or behind me and stay there!"
Link had expected backlash, but not a verbal one. "Princess, I am just doing this for your safety, in case you do go rogue."
Zelda pulled the reins on Gaepora, coming to a halt, kicking up sand in the process. She glared at Link, and in his opinion, it was the sharpest glare he had ever seen. Link, the Hero of Hyrule, the bravest man in the land, was scared by the look Princess Zelda Nohansen Hyrule was giving her. He stilled his breath, anticipating the roar of the lioness, but instead, her voice came out clear and calm as the waters of Zelo Pond beside them. "Let me get one thing clear, Hero. I can take care of myself, more so than probably you could. Let's not forget who had you holding your stomach a few months back. I don't care what fancy sword you wield. I don't care if your split in four. I don't care if you had to come from another world to get me. I don't care if you had to jump seven years in the future to save me. I don't care if Hyrule sunk underwater, and you had to sail on a boat to get me. I don't care if I was having nightmares, and you fought every single one of them to wake me. You are my appointed knight, your concern for my safety is noted, but I don't need it. Protect yourself instead, for you are just as important as I am in the grand scheme of saving our Hyrule." Turning away from the starstruck Link, Zelda held her head high and snapped Gaepora's reins. The Hero sighed, designating himself to follow the Princess.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Another hour later, Link called for a break. They were nearing the end of the beach of the Wetlands, and the Hero thought it'll be wise to let the horses' rest before they complete the second half of the ride. Zelda agreed as she wanted to spend some time on the beach. Link didn't bother tying the horses up, as they really had nowhere to go. Instead, he got some firewood he bought from a stable, arranging it on the sand.
Once he was done, he looked around for the princess. She hadn't said a thing since they arrived, which wasn't new to him but the fact he hadn't seen or heard a peep from the girl was alarming. He turned first to the horses, freely grazing in the grass bordering the sand, but Zelda wasn't there. That was some relief that she hadn't made off with Gaepora. Her stuff, such as the Sheikah Slate, was also there, so she didn't leave the area. Looking to the west towards where they came, he could see another Hylian about 50 yards away. Squinching his eyes, Link could make out some gold, brown, and blue hues around the person.
There she was. Link sighed in relief again, then tried to figure out what the Princess was doing. She was gazing at a flock of birds just taking off into the air, seemingly frightened by some event unknown to Link. Then, as quick as a man in a bunny hood, Zelda whipped out her bow, placed an arrow, pulled back and released. That one arrow split into three, hitting three of the flock and knocking them into the water. Excited with herself, Zelda rolled up her pant legs then walked out to grab her bounty.
Link's jaw hung low. He knew Zelda's ability with a bow was outstanding, but this… Link could barely manage two arrows at a time. Zelda made it look like child's play. She was right. She can take care of herself. Link returned to trying to start a fire as Zelda returned to land, and by the time he had got it going, the Princess arrived with three skinned birds in hand. Link cocked his head, confused. "How...did you skin them? It's perfect."
"Sheikah trick I imbued into the arrows. Kills the target, then removes their skin. Works best with small game, as you can see. We hunt a bear, for example, the magic pretty much converts it to...prime raw meat. Saves time, gives us what we want to eat."
"That is...very useful."
Zelda smiled, more for herself than to Link and his dumbfounded state. "Very useful. I could has used magic to cook them on my way here, but you set this fire. Here." She handed the meats to Link, then turned to the wetlands. She took out a book, immediately beginning to read.
Link set the meat in the pan above the fire, throwing in a few herbs collected along the way. "Nice shot."
"Thank you."
"Father said you were an excellent archer. He told me you could fire arrows in succession very quickly, but that was when we were kids. Now… Three at once? I'll admit, I cannot even do that."
Zelda didn't look up from her book, but Link caught a hint of a blush on her cheek. "I...umm…I…"
"Something wrong, Princess?"
Zelda shook her head. "No… It is just no one besides your father, Impa and other Sheikah have seen me with a bow. I do know my skills are widely known, but...I...didn't know...you were watching…"
Link raised an eyebrow. "The Princess of Hyrule, this bi-very headstrong woman, is self-conscious?" His mind went back to her posture while she aimed, head aligned with her left arm as her right drew back on the bowstring. Unlike every archer he knew, himself included, her hair wasn't tied, but flowed freely behind her, as if the fibers themselves were no obstacles to her concentration. Legs were set a shoulder-width apart, and the upper joints were set and still. Her torso, perfected and curvy, was motionless as if Zelda had ceased breathing. Then her… "Hold up. 'Perfected and curvy?' And I was going to think about her back next? Oh no… Farore, please no."
"You are staring." Snapping away from his thoughts, Link kept his gaze on Zelda a little longer. She was still engrossed in her book, so he didn't know how she noticed him staring. Her cheeks were also a deep pink, but not fully red.
"Sorry." Link looked down to the cooking food, then to the had been on the job as Zelda's knight for a week, yet it wasn't until yesterday at the Exchange that Link actually began seeing the Princess as not her title, but her sex. Yes, he had noted before she was beautiful, but having the realization that she is beautiful is different. You can tell your friend she's beautiful, and mean it as a friend. But you can go through the same scenario, and in your mind, you can be saying, "What the hell have I've been doing this entire time that I looked over this?" A different view of the same person can change things.
It wasn't until yesterday that Link saw Zelda in a different light. Not in the light of her being his boss, his father's boss' daughter, and his future queen, but as a girl his age. Now did he like Zelda as a friend, hell no, but that doesn't mean he cannot like what he sees. Long as he doesn't do anything stupid, he'll be fine. Besides, he knows the Princess has gazed at him many times, and he's okay with it. Their fathers had to know that eventually, they would think like this. If Link is honest with himself, if he didn't, he would think something was quite wrong with his mind.
"I hear you're quite popular with the Zora." Link turned to Zelda, who was gazing out to the wetland. Link followed her eyes, spotting a group of the amphibious Zora many meters away across the Zora River.
"You could say that."
"So popular you're best friends with the Princess Mipha."
Link nodded. "Ever since I happened to stumble upon the Domain, we've been the best of friends." Link's voice suddenly began to drop, remembering the last time he had visited the Princess of the Zoras before the Champions' were inaugurated last week. "I haven't had time to see her lately. I think the last visit to the Domain was three months back before she would have accepted being Ruta's champion."
It wasn't the best one either. Ever since taking up the Master Sword, Link didn't notice he had changed tremendously. It wasn't until Mipha called him out that he was aware of his downed attitude. Speaking and smiling was a rarity to him, and considering that, today was probably the most he had spoken to another person in a long time.
Zelda now faced Link, raising her own eyebrow. "Didn't you fight the Lynel at Ploymus Mountain?"
"...Oh, right, yeah. Yeah, I did." "How the hell I forget that?"
"Mipha said you went without hesitation to confront it, and though she wanted to help, you wouldn't allow it. You saved her when the Lynel attacked, and after a fierce fight, defeated it with a Spin Attack. I must say, I'm impressed, taking on a Lynel yourself."
It was Link's turn to blush, though he quickly swatted the blood away from his cheeks. "Thank you, Princess."
Zelda hummed to herself, turning away to the book. "It was a Red Lynel, wasn't it?"
"Yes." Zelda tried to hide her snicker, but Link's ear twitched at the sound of laughter. He turned to the Princess, who was now composed. "What's so funny?"
"There was a Lynel a month or so ago north of Royal Labs, around the Aldor Foothills. It was a Blue Lynel. No one else could subdue it. Guess who confronted it and beat it." Zelda held her chin up with pride as Link bit his lip before sighing.
"She really doesn't need me."
It was late when the duo of fate arrived at the Foothill Stable. Zelda had quickly made her way to bed, while Link placed himself on a cliff above the stable, where one of those shrines rested. He just sat there, deep in thought about his discoveries today. Honestly, he didn't know what to make of it.
In so many ways, Zelda was his better. She was the better archer, better Lynel slayer, better hunter...but in many ways, she was a worse person with her pride and selfishness. But...he was drawn to her, and it egged him in the wrong way, yet it felt so frigging right. He hated being around her, yet today of all days, he speaks with her like they're friendly acquaintances. She was even amiable today, yet he knew she wasn't warming up to him.
Didn't he already say the Lynel fights really bugged him? To his defense, he fought his Lynel alone. Zelda's fight was after many other failures, but still impressive on her end to come out on top against a comparatively deadlier enemy. Thankfully, neither had to put their skills to the test against monsters traveling together. Both Link and Zelda had fought their share since the beasts started appearing, though none had come across the pair since they started their journey. Though he'll admit, he's intrigued to see just how well Zelda can handle herself, and he's sure she is thinking the same of him. Stories are one thing, sights are another.
Link sighed as he leaned back against the shrine, gazing up to Death Mountain. He wonders if Daruk could help him figure out Zelda, and maybe his feelings. Link had never had such thoughts of a girl before in his 16 years. Those in the military weren't exactly...ones to let you think.
Link couldn't reason as to why his Goron "brother" would understand him either. Maybe he should wait till they got to Gerudo. What better way to understand women than to ask the chief of women herself. Maybe Mipha could help him, as she was a warrior-princess herself as well.
The only thing Link could admit to himself was that he had a totally illegal, totally out of line, and totally treasonous (but a feeling that it was totally fated) crush on Princess Zelda, and there was no way it was going away.