Chapter 28
Zelda
The following two days passed in similar fashion. Waking up, research, breakfast, research, dinner, research, meet Link, research. Once Zelda actually managed to wake up early enough that she could still meet her valiant protector… even with clothes on! She had already had the doorknob in her hand when she hesitated. She could see how each day he became more exhausted… and she saw how bent he was on not showing it. If she walked out there now, she would occupy precious time that he could otherwise spend sleeping. A fierce fight between emotions had occurred within her that morning… she wanted to meet him so much that being this close, just separated by a stupid door, made it nearly unbearable… but she wanted him to get enough rest even more. She couldn't force him to… no… she couldn't let him force himself to spend time with her when he desperately needed every second in bed he could get. She knew he would…
So, a bit downcast, she peeled her hand off the doorknob and went back to her bedroom.
What made matters almost worse was: the last three nights she had slept as peacefully as a baby. Ever since the attempt on her life, her nights had been wrought with nightmares. So much so that she had almost been afraid to sleep at all. Now, however, everything was different… It was as if a subconscious part of her mind knew that he was just outside, guarding her… somehow this simple knowledge was enough that she just felt… safe.
That in itself was indescribably wonderful… something in her could sense that he was there and she quickly sank into dreamless slumber. The problem was: not only could she not adequately repay him for this priceless gift, worse, it was bought by his sleepless hours! She slept soundly at his expense! But what could she do? Not sleep? That would just be foolish and would undermine the whole purpose of his sacrifice. What then? She couldn't even do anything as simple as cook him tea that might help him stay awake. The princess wouldn't put so much care into a knight simply doing his duty. It would look very odd… Goddess damn it all that she had to be a princess! Yet another small reason why she didn't want to be one!
Research too was rather disillusioning. The two had successfully narrowed the location of the giant tree down to three spots in Hyrule. There were three problems though:
One: Who said all or any of the locations was in Hyrule?
Two: The three plausible areas excluded the blank spots on the map.
Three: The three areas were nowhere near each other.
So, simply setting off to explore them was quite out of the question. I would take months to visit all three of them. Granted, they could get lucky, but neither she nor Link wanted to rely on something as fleeting as luck.
That meant they had to narrow it down even further, which turned out to be extremely frustrating. Zelda began to understand how Impa must have felt, trying to piece to gather information on a topic that others had actively tried to destroy. It was like looking for a black cat in a dark room while your feet were tied together.
In the meantime Link had drawn the other two locations and had gifted the sketches to her. He said he wanted to put them on paper, just in case these memories did after all fade with time. Zelda had all three papers propped up on her desk so she saw them every time she passed. She liked looking at them… even though they were so closely associated with their perilous mission, they filled her with pleasant feelings. A beautiful triptych of fascinating locations. What more could a girl need? Besides… they were his gift to her…
Today started a bit differently. Zelda was suspended in that beautiful state between asleep and awake when she heard a knock on the door. It took her brain a while to sort this complex matter out. When she had finally worked out the intricacies of calling "yes?" the door already swung open.
"Still in bed, sleepyhead?" Sally yelled, loud enough to ensure that the last grains of pleasant sleep were blasted away.
Zelda buried her face in a pillow. "Not 'nymore…" she grumbled, muffled.
"Goodness!" she heard her cousin announce. "Surely I haven't anything to do with that, do I?"
"Saria, what do you want." It wasn't really a question. At the moment she felt more like kicking her out the door than listening to her… she sounded strangely overexcited and it clashed rather heftily with her slightly murderous mood of 'having been woken up'.
"Princess is grumpy today. You could at least do me the courtesy of showing me your face when we talk." she sang.
Something was going on but her head was still too much of an uncoordinated mess to figure it out. With an expression that probably screamed for cousin-blood she unburied her face from the pillow and squinted against the light of the rising sun. Everything was still blurry, but she could make out that Saria looked a bit… ruffled. Not overly so but not what you would expect a girl to look like when she had just woken up and dressed. Also… wasn't that the thing she had worn yesterday?
At least it did jump-start her brain a bit.
"What in…? Is everything alright?" Zelda asked, propping herself up on her arms.
"Perfectly. Now that I have your attention…"
"Seriously, Sally, are you ok?" she asked, getting a bit worried.
"Apparently I haven't got your attention. Yes, Zelda, I am ok. I am a tiny bit eager to go to bed and don't wake up until ever. And you happen to be currently obstructing my avenue to the realm of sleep, so…" Sally looked at her expectantly.
It took another moment, then it went click in Zelda's brain. "Have you been… out… all night?" she asked, her feelings a mix between curiosity, admiration and apprehension.
Saria sighed, slightly exasperated. "Look. I'd love to girl-talk about the magnificent night I had, but please… tomorrow. You have nothing to worry about, Ricco is a gentleman, and I am not that… eager. I am only here because I happened to run into your lovely boyfriend, possibly the only hylian alive who understands the profundity of my tiredness. He asked me to tell you to meet him at two o'clock in the afternoon in your 'going-out dress'. And he winked as if I had any brainpower left to understand a word he was saying. I hope you do. Oh, and he said to bring his first drawing. Now, if you would excuse me, I seem to have already reached the state of giddiness that comes when you go far beyond tiredness. And trust me, nobody wants me in that state. So I shall endeavour to rectify this for the next month. Good day and good night!" she burbled, turned and left.
That entire story had taken her about 10 seconds to ramble out, so Zelda needed a few more for decoding.
Sally was fine. Okay. She apparently had an exciting night. Zelda was glad that she enjoyed her time with Ricco to the fullest… and she felt just a tiny bit of envy. Staying up an entire night, just she and Link, together… that did sound extremely alluring… Sigh… but when?
'Don't worry, Ricco is a gentleman.' What had that meant?
…oooh… right. That! Nayru's love, her brain was not yet ready to face the world today.
What's next? Meet Link at two o'clock. 'Sounds like I might take that proposition into consideration', Zelda thought eagerly. But wait… two? Wouldn't that interfere with his training? He wouldn't just skip on that would he?
… no, he wouldn't, she decided. Something must have happened. It was plausible that Sir Alistair might have to cancel occasionally since he was one of the highest military officials tasked with preparing for conflict…
Going-out dress… that only took a split second. Zelda smiled mischievously. Today at least she wouldn't have to listen to his complaining about her not wearing trousers, then.
Finally motivated to leave the comfort of her bed, she swung herself out. She stretched herself with relish, surprised to hear her lower spine creak. All that sitting around… well, apparently Link is taking me to the city today…
Excitement flooded her to an almost embarrassing degree. She had to think about how odd it was that going into her city, walking through her streets, visiting her markets filled her with that much wonder. It was rather sad…
They were hers only in name… if it weren't for that dear rascal, she'd probably never have the chance to simply experience all of it like a normal person.
Zelda the normal person… it has got a lovely ring to it…
With a sudden, almost startling realization she knew what it was that she loved about being with him so much… he made her feel normal! A normal girl who met with a normal boy. He didn't curry favour with her, he teased her remorselessly… He didn't mince words before her, he spoke openly… He didn't try to tell her what was best, he wanted her opinion and seemed to value it… But most importantly: she felt he was just there for her. And she adored him for all of this! …and then of course there was the not entirely unimportant matter of his gentle advances… For the first time since she could remember, she felt truly wanted. Not just… you know… that way, but also as a person. As Zelda. Not as the princess.
She stood rigidly in the middle of her bedroom while all those thoughts shot through her mind. They were both elating and very sad…
Was her worth so small that only he could see it? Because only he had bothered to look a bit deeper? Was the only reason she had any value in this world that she had to play some grand part in saving it? Who was she? Truly just a tool that fate chose to repair whenever it was needed? Did she serve no other purpose?
Zelda sunk back down onto her bed. The fact that she had seen her past self, so similar they could be twins, had bothered her subconscious for days. Now, suddenly, all those depressing thoughts and doubts had jumped her waking mind with a vengeance. It all boiled down to the question: Who was she? Could she even be anything besides a tool? Was her existence otherwise without any purpose? And once the tool's job was done, would it simply be discarded as it was no longer of use?
She swallowed, her dark thoughts threatening to overpower her. The only thing that spoke against that, the only ray of light that she could desperately hold on to… was Link. His attention, his affection, his… dare she hope it?... love was the only evidence against her being nought but a glorified implement. His support was the one thing that made her believe that beyond all that fate had ordained, there was a life worth living.
Farore's mercy… she should be happily preparing for another meeting with him… instead she was stunned by this angst conjured up by what felt like a lifetime of her existence being either tolerated or dryly expected. If Sally hadn't been her close, dear friend… there were times when she wondered what she might have done…
Goddesses help!... she felt herself teetering on the edge of depression.
… "Shit." Zelda suddenly said, rather to her own surprise. It was as if a tiny part of her mind had torn to the front and had forced her to say that word in a last effort to avert a crisis.
Zelda remembered the last time they had wandered through the city… when he had taught her to swear… a miniscule grin tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Shit!" she said, a little louder. She hoped that no-one had heard. Saying it had felt pretty good though… Dare she go further?
She imagined Link's mocking face and placed a firm "Fuck!" in the room. She startled herself with how loud it had come out. What would the maids think if they heard?!
… "You know what? Fuck them!" she announced, noticing how heavy with emotion each of these lovely expletives was.
"Fuck them! Fuck all of them and their judgemental little minds! I shit on all of them!" she yelled, timid at first, but getting more energetic with each word. Oddly, the world didn't shake in its foundations just because she had a little… moment.
"All of you can go straight to hell! Except two of you, granted!" she added, unable to completely shed being Zelda. She just couldn't bear the thought of talking to either Sally or Link this way, no matter that neither of them could hear any of this. She felt like a fool… but at least she was being herself!
"Fucking fuck off for making me feel like shit! Piss on you for making me feel like the hylian equivalent of a fucking hammer. And fuck the world for being so shitty and weak that it needs saving. FUCK!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Every word ripped the thick, stifling blanket of dark emotions. She shouted them out into the world, yelled them back where they came from… and she delighted in it!
"Fuck the Threat and its shit plans! Fuck you Impa for being a cryptic bitch and for thrusting this upon me without having any fucking answers. And fuck you fa…"
"Is everything quite alright, your majesty?" a scared, trembling voice asked from the side. Zelda's head whipped around and saw a white-faced young maid look at her as if she was a demon. She felt a mixture of gleeful vengeance and sudden profound embarrassment. But, thankfully her princess-training took the lead.
She endowed the girl with a regal expression. "Everything is perfectly alright. That will be all, Daliah, thank you." she pronounced.
The poor girl, clearly hopelessly confused, curtsied and nearly ran back outside.
Once she was gone, Zelda felt herself snort, then giggle, then laugh like the maniac she apparently was. Bent over, holding her already aching stomach she thought 'Well, that will be some exceptional fodder for the rumour mill, I imagine!'
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Laughing had helped tremendously. It appeared that Link's lesson on the wondrous world of scatology had provided her with a stupidly effective way to counter those dreadful emotions her brain cooked up increasingly often.
Zelda was currently standing in her undergarments in front of the mirror. To her own embarrassment she had felt the urge to (not for the first time, mind you) take a close look at her legs that, apparently, held a certain attraction to a certain young man. She turned this way and that, sometimes lifting her knee a little bit, flexing her foot up and down…
She couldn't see it. They were of decent length, granted, but to her they looked just… meh. Skinny, like the rest of her… As a small girl she had been as thin as a rake… thankfully that had passed now… a bit. Didn't men usually like women with big… circumference? She looked away from the mirror and down, frowning at the two of them as if that could make them grow. They were certainly there alright, she wasn't completely flat, thank the goddesses thrice, but still… if Sally took after her mother, she would probably soon be more… robust than her! That would be an endless embarrassment. Yet another thing her cousin could mercilessly tease her with…
Then there were her hips… slender once again! Zelda felt reminded of the mad old crone of a Gerudo that had nearly caused a castle-wide uproar with her comment about her bone-structure. "Decent enough, I'd say. Shame about the hips though, hardly ideal for bearing children…" the wrinkly fossil had commented dryly. That had been a year ago… today Zelda might have shot something back, but back then she had been way too timid. Still, it didn't change the fact…
She sighed deeply… 'oh well. Can't be helped. Maybe one day I'll tease out of Link what sort of woman he likes…' she thought, blushing slightly.
Anyway, time to get dressed! Time to pick one of her two costumes with trousers! Brown or blue? Brown, of course! Nobody ran around in blue with the Hyrule crest on it, dummy! She really needed to get the seamstresses to make more for her. Not only for Link's sake… that too, she admitted… but also for herself. She liked the freedom of movement this legwear provided. Until now she had only ever worn it when she had trained fencing… now its use had expanded quite dramatically.
She pulled on the tight brown trousers and fixed them with a belt. Then she remembered that her shirt was supposed to be tucked in and she opened it back up to rectify her mistake.
"Lords and ladies, the princess of Hyrule!" she mumbled, annoyed. "Too stupid to dress by herself!"
Why did Link like her again?!
When she had successfully conquered her clothes she looked at herself once again. It did look pretty good on her, she had to admit. The tight fabric seemed to do some magic with her derrière… Maybe it wasn't her legs he was looking at after all…
…maybe she should walk in front of him more often, Zelda thought, grinning impishly and feeling her cheeks flush quite potently.
Well, dressed and ready! Let's go!
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She saw him before he spotted her and the sight actually made her halt in her tracks, startled. She had only ever seen him standing straight-backed and energetic. Now that he had caught him unawares, she could see just how tired he must truly be. He was sitting on a low wall, hunched forward, his head resting in his palm. Zelda noticed him actually pinching himself painfully on his thigh to stay awake while waiting. It nearly broke her heart seeing him like this. Apparently he really had no swordsmanship lesson today as Sir Alistair needed to personally inspect the troops. And instead of getting his so well deserved rest he rather chose to spend time with her… A whole thunderstorm of emotion coursed through her… guilt, paired with delight at seeing him… sorrow that he had to push himself so, mixed with deep gratitude… anger that he was such a fool and didn't take better care of himself together with overpowering fondness for him because he did this for her…
Goddess above, what could she do? There were no words for how much she wanted to visit the city with him… but she too was willing to sacrifice something for him. But should she? Would he see it as rejection? Certainly the last thing she wanted was to exasperate him now that he already wasn't feeling well.
She decided that for now she would play along, but keep a very watchful eye on him. If it was obvious that he was already scraping the bottom of his energy, she would have to have a serious talk with him. Pride be damned, she wanted him to stay healthy!
Somehow, she was unsure how he did that, he suddenly looked up and right at her. He straightened up immediately and smiled brightly. She couldn't help but smile back. It would be flattering to assume that her presence just wiped away all those sleepless hours and maybe that actually played a part… but more likely it was just acting on his part… 'My idiot…' she thought fondly…
He jumped up and they both walked to meet.
"My lady, you look wonderful!" he said as greeting, immediately making her blush, the scoundrel.
"Are you looking at me, or my trousers, you knave?" she asked him in mock indignation.
"Yes." he answered most sincerely, making her snort softly.
Now that he was close she could feel how low his fire was burning and how much energy he had to invest to appear so dynamic. Good at acting he might be, but he couldn't fool her… and she didn't want him to think that he had to try.
"Link, listen…" she began, choosing her words very carefully. "I know you must be tired. I would really, truly love to go into the city with you…" she stepped a bit closer and took his hand in both of hers. She could feel the calluses on his palm and, strangely, enjoyed how they felt against her soft skin. "… but do you think it is a good idea? Wouldn't you rather have a few hours of sleep? And I want you to be honest with me!" she bid him.
He opened his mouth, then apparently thought better of it and closed it again. The he sighed, a little annoyed. "That obvious, is it?" he asked silently.
She gave his hand a little squeeze. "To me maybe… you know you can't lie to me!" she said, giving him an encouraging smile.
Another sigh. "I won't deny that a date with my bunk is enticing… but this is far more important to me…"
She knew that… that's what worried her.
"Besides…" he continued. "this will not only be for pleasure. That too, of course…" he interrupted himself, grinning, as if to ease any fears she might have had. Dolt!
"One reason is that yesterday I asked around if anyone knew a geographer and/or historian and apparently there is someone in the city who fits that description. If we present him with everything we know, he might provide that last elusive detail we can't seem to find." he explained.
Zelda looked at him, surprised. That sounded like an excellent plan! If it worked, it might save them days of painful research that led nowhere. "Where do we find that saintly man?" she asked, hardly daring to hope that it would be that easy.
"Harkenor road, apparently."
"And where is that?"
"No clue."
"How are we going to find it then?" she wanted to know, a tiny bit impatient.
"I have a few vague instructions. And, hey, the two of us working together… two nonlocals can get at least twice as lost." he quipped, chuckling.
Zelda made a face. "That sound promising. I can see it already… a few dodgy corners later and we're suddenly on Death Mountain, deep in a Goron mine…" she grumbled.
He chuckled, but waved it away. "Don't worry, I'm just teasing. I have a pretty good idea where to go. You did bring the drawing, right?"
"Certainly!" she affirmed. She had nearly forgotten it…
"Very well, then! Business first, leisure second, I always say!" he pronounced haughtily, curling an imaginary moustache with his fingers. A striking resemblance of 'generic self-important lordship', Zelda thought, giggling.
The set off towards the main gate of the outer castle. She really wanted to link arms with him, but even in this disguise she dared not… not as long as they were within the fortress.
Goddess, she hoped this guise would even work! Until now she hadn't even thought about it… true, it had worked before, but still… If you got right down to it, she only had her hair in a tight braid and wore trousers… that's it! But then again… maybe the simplicity made it work? And, of course, no-one had ever seen her without a long dress… it probably was just unthinkable that she could wear anything else…
For a few heart-pounding moments she was sure she would be caught… she would be barred from leaving and Link would get into monumental trouble…
But no… the guards nodded to him, glanced at her briefly and let them pass. Thankfully, an enormous household like Hyrule castle required a constant stream of servants, maids, traders, craftsmen, seamstresses, soldiers, guards and knights going in and out to keep it running. Even the most dutiful guard would find it utterly impossible to remember any individual's face. Zelda sighed deeply in relief. It also showed her how much illusion the security within the castle truly was… but she didn't want to think about that right now.
"So, who gave you that precious advice with the geographer?" she asked, already elated at seeing the busy streets of Hyrule city sprawl before her.
"Gors of House Gorridan." he answered. And upon seeing her questioning expression: "Yes, truly! He is a surprisingly philosophic young man. Now that I think about it, he might be the only noble I have ever met who can speak a coherent sentence…" he added thoughtfully, resting his fingers against his chin in a thinker's pose.
Zelda nodded appraisingly. Challenge accepted!
"Truthfully? I might have to take a greater interest in him then… besides, you, I believe, are the first primitive peasant I ever had the questionable pleasure of encountering that could actually walk and breathe at the same time… an astounding find!" she purred enthusiastically.
He nodded approvingly. "Very true. We are one giant, sweaty, smelly, uncultured bunch of swineherds, breathing noisily while our eyebrows grow ever more united. Does that about meet your view of us, you powdered, pampered, pompous pack of poo-brained politicians?" he retorted very eloquently.
Goddess, she loved doing this with him, it was so much fun! And the important part was, the winner was never certain!
"Why, you have it down to tee! We shall make a noble out of you yet!" she purred, knowing him enough by now that this would hit nicely.
And indeed, he stopped and exhaled noisily through his lips while laughing. "Pffffffffffffffffffffffff… right then! I have decided I no longer want this one. This princess is now for sale! I'm sure we'll find a new home for you on a ship sailing far, far away!" he promised, trying to hold back his laughter.
Thankfully no-one paid them any attention, so the 'princess' went completely unheard.
She shrugged. "Anything to get away from your swineherd smell. Also, if slavery was legal, do you truly think that I would still choose to endure your pesky presence? Preposterous! Positively painful a policy that would be, keeping pointless pipsqueaks in my palace!" she countered, feeling quite proud. She still had the upper hand at the allegory game. But she had one more little nastiness for him.
"Oh, and, speaking of eyebrows…" she added, now acting perfectly serious. She stepped a bit closer and scrutinized the spot right between his handsome ones with a concentrated frown. "Yes… you really should give that some attention…" she concluded cryptically before walking away without another word.
She had just briefly seen the slightly panicked look in his eyes and had felt a devious glee. Good thing she had his back to him, or he would see how hard she tried not to laugh… 'Goddesses forgive me, that was soooo nasty of me!' she thought, only barely holding her giggles in.
She could feel him approaching from behind and he fell into pace with her. She could almost feel him vibrating with uncertainty. She also noticed him furtively looking around, trying to find his reflection anywhere…
She almost felt bad enough to release him from that particular terror she had wrought upon him… almost… she was only just discovering that particular side about herself… and she had to admit, she rather enjoyed it…
They walked in near silence for about ten minutes. Occasionally Link asked someone for directions, but, as he promised, he had a pretty good idea where to go and they quickly reached Harkenor road, an upper middleclass area by the looks of it. They were about to enter the man's house when she could sense him stirring.
"So… that was a joke, right? The eyebrow thing?" he asked, seeming terribly forlorn. Zelda gave a sympathetic little laugh and cupped his cheek with her hand. Maybe she had overdone it just a tiny bit… "Of course it was, silly!" she whispered, looking deeply into his uncertain eyes. She stood on tip-toes and gave him a short but heartfelt kiss on the lips. That seemed to have helped somewhat. She smiled encouragingly at him, still looking into his fascinating, blue eyes. Slowly but surely the corners of his mouth were tugged into a smile as well. "You devious little devil! You've certainly won this one… but… Please don't do that again. You really had me worried there…" he asked of her with his big, trusting eyes.
She felt a bit bad, but also relished her victory. Against him, they were hard earned… Still, it had been rather nasty… "Aw, sorry. I didn't mean to scare poor little Linky. I like your monobrow just the way it is!"
… and so was that! Before he could react she kissed him again and turned to the door.
Okay, enough evil for today!
She knocked and few seconds later an elderly man opened. He looked the sort of fellow who rarely got visitors so he didn't bother to shave. He also seemed a bit puzzled at seeing to 'youngsters' at his door. "Yes? Can I help you?" he creaked, as if using his voice was also a rather rare occurrence.
Since Link was tired, and she had just tormented him enough for a few months, Zelda decided to speak. "Greetings, Sir. Do we have the honour of WHAAH!" she yelled. Something had just pinched her… rear! And there was only one possible candidate… who immediately spoke up. "Please excuse my girlfriend, good Sir. She has these little fits, nothing serious though, I assure you. My name is Link, this enchanting young lady is Sally and I assume you are Alwick Rodricksson. We are scholars, Professor, and in need of academic guidance!"
Zelda had whipped around and stared at him incredulously. He had just pinched her somewhere he had no business placing his fingers and then acted as if she was some kind of loon! That had been very swift revenge, she had to admit… she had won a round… but he had already a sizeable head start on the next one… She didn't know whether to slap him or giggle in admiration. The 'girlfriend' pacified her a bit…
"Scholars are you? A little young, seems to me…" he judged, frowning at Zelda still. She could feel herself blush in shame. Well alright… he could be nasty too.
"True, we are young. Yet when is the pursuit of knowledge more pressing than in one's younger years, Professor?! We believe we have already gotten pretty far in this particular matter, yet the last decisive details elude us. Would you not help two aspiring colleagues, Sir?" Link sang with a, to her, hilarious mixture of sincerity and complete and utter rubbish. She could see how he could finagle his way out of a lot of situations with his charm. She might even allow him to continue on living after that little manoeuvre, she decided, actually pretty amused, even though she was still quite embarrassed. But, she guessed, she had it coming… and she had come to enjoy his little revenges quite a bit… Even if they overstepped the boundaries a tiny bit… or possibly because they did…
The old scholar seemed to be convinced by Link's heavy assault of steer excrement. "True enough young man, true enough. Very well, I'll not have it said that I close my door to people seeking knowledge! Come in!" he invited.
Link walked past her with an astute little grin in her direction. Zelda couldn't help but give one back.
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They left the old man's stale smelling house about four hours later. It had been tedious getting him to understand what they wanted… initially he had suspected them of wasting his time with fairytales. When Link's charm had hit its limit, Zelda's womanly one had been met with success. It turned out that once they had him enthused on their query, he had been nearly unstoppable. Even though the rest of his house had rather forced upon them the impression that they dealt with a complete slob, his library of books and maps had been perfectly organized. He had praised them for what they had already achieved with so limited means, oblivious, of course, to the fact that they had had the royal library at their disposal.
The aging geographer could immediately tell them that none of the blank spots on the map they had been worried about had anything. He had nearly encyclopaedic knowledge and could tell them immediately how many expeditions had taken place around each of these ranges, when they had been and what they had found.
That left the three areas they had already narrowed it down to. To their elation, the old scholar could, after one brief look into one of his notes, assure them that the southernmost spot was out of the question. He had personally led an expedition there and he hadn't come across anything that resembled the tree in Link's drawing. That left two. Two relatively similar stretches of forest. Both huge, both had parts that were surrounded by hills or mountains, no ways or paths led to a spot where these parts might be easily examined… that posed a problem. Professor Rodricksson, to his own dismay, had to admit that to his knowledge it was conceivable that what they were looking for was at either spot. Link and Zelda had almost said their thanks and farewells right there. He had helped them tremendously already and they didn't want to intrude further…
And then Zelda had had an idea. She had turned to Link and whispered: "We assume the agents of the Threat have targeted all the knowledge of the dragons too, correct?"
He had nodded. Zelda had frowned in thought. "Then, couldn't there be a marked difference in research between the wrong spot and the one where the dragon actually resides? Couldn't we detect a notable lack of exploration around the correct location?" she asked, hoping that she didn't make a logical fallacy.
Link had concentrated hard for a few seconds, but his face had gradually lit up. He had looked back at her with an expression of admiration that had nearly brought tears of joy and pride to her eyes. "Zelda, you are brilliant!" he had exclaimed. Thankfully the old researcher had been too busy mumbling over his maps to notice that her real name had slipped out. They had spent the next five minutes explaining to him that they were thinking of going on an expedition themselves, but they wanted to, of course, tackle the area that was poorer documented. Zelda asked him if he would be so kind to show them the notes of all the past excursions to the two sites. Excited, the professor had scurried around to find all the transcripts of the explorers' notes that he owned. In the end, it was almost laughably obvious… He owned 13 such transcripts for the woods to the west, and only one for the east… and that one was aborted two days in… He was rather confused by this himself, he hadn't ever really thought about this discrepancy… He could list a number of supposed explorations that were cited in literature at some point, but now that he thought about it, he hadn't ever read one of the original explorer's notes in his whole academic career…
Link and Zelda felt excitement rise in them like hot air. Could it be that they had actually found it? Had the overly successful purge of information in the end led them to their goal? The irony alone would be delicious…
Soon after they had left a slightly befuddled professor Rodricksson who promised them and the world in general that he would uncover the mystery of why documentation was so elusive… he seemed to take that almost as a personal insult. They left his house nearly drunk with the feeling of achievement. They had their destination! Finally!
Zelda couldn't stop herself from smiling as she walked besides Link. "You are brilliant!"… those had been his words… somehow those three simple words from him almost felt better than a kiss. Her chest seemed filled to bursting with warm, bubbly pride, a sensation that was very new to her. She noticed he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She turned towards him, slowing down their walk. He looked at her for a second, she still with that wide happy grin on her face. Then he suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders and kissed her.
Initially she stiffened and made a little surprised sound. Everybody could see! Everybody! After a moment, however, she realized that she didn't care and she melted into his wonderful embrace. She could hear a few laughs from the people around and some even started clapping. She had to grin herself, her lips still pressed against his and she giggled into his face. By the goddess, not caring felt marvellous!
After what felt like an all too short eternity, he released her, but still held her close. His face was flushed as he looked into her eyes with that look of pride that made her skin tingle. "Sorry, but I couldn't help it. I had to! I am just… overwhelmed…" he softly said. Goodness, he had tears in his eyes! And that loving look he gave her… Farore's mercy, he was going to make her cry! She could already feel hot tears well up… Laughing a bit ashamed, she wiped her eyes. They were born of pure joy, true, but she still didn't want to him to see her all emotional like this.
As if he had read her mind, he embraced her once again, his right arm around her shoulders and his left on the back of her head. She rested her cheek against his chest, thankful that she could try to control her emotions that threatened to bubble forth without him seeing her. It was a stupid thing to worry about, she knew… but she couldn't help it. As a princess you had to be near emotionless, all feeling abraded off… She certainly didn't want to be like this with him, but still… you couldn't go all soppy either, could you? She felt his fingers gently caressing her head… She slung her arms around him too and pulled herself even tighter to him. She could hear his calm breathing where her ear touched his chest.
Zelda tried to engrave this moment in her memory. Tightly embraced, she nearly floating with both her and his pride, so happy that the tears didn't want to stop welling up… I want to stay like this forever…
She could sense him wiping his eyes as well and she felt another little giggle piping up. She had never experienced this… such fierce joy from someone for something she had discerned or done. A single little sob escaped her before she could control it. She wanted to let it out, but she just couldn't. It already felt so wonderful… so fulfilling. He gave her the feeling, the confirmation that she could be proud of herself… that she was allowed to… that he wanted her to. She would carry that incredibly sweet notion with her now, in her heart… hopefully, she could repay this momentous gift at some point. But right now… for once… she wanted to selfishly enjoy it. And he let her, content with just holding her for as long as she wanted.
Zelda couldn't say how long they stood there, in the middle of the street, uncaring of the world around them. When she felt that the initial rush of emotion had passed and she was comfortable with the gentle afterglow, she slowly, reluctantly peeled herself out of his arms. He watched her with the slightly sheepish, but playful smile she adored so much. It seemed like he had also brought his feelings under control… good. She didn't want to show the good people of Hyrule two sentimental teenagers sobbing in each others arms! What sort of image would that leave?! She giggled at her own, absurd thought. But, apparently, both of them really were a bit mushy… eh, and why not?
"So. Where will you take me now, my soppy fool?" she asked, putting all the tenderness she felt for him in her little insult.
"Well, my weepy little genius, I don't know about you but I am hungry." he announced with refreshing straightforwardness. "Why don't we introduce you to the culinary world outside of palaces?"
Now that he mentioned it, her stomach was a little empty… and right now, she felt like she could take on the world. So why not start with dinner? "I thought you'd never ask…" she cooed, hooked her arm into his and off they went.
-spacer-
"This is the place, I think…" Link said, looking thoughtful.
Zelda was amazed by how many street restaurants there were in Hyrule city… some streets were completely impassable for anything larger than a pedestrian due to the wild mix of tables and chairs.
They were standing in front of a relatively modest establishment, simple wooden tables and not even a pillow on the chairs. But, she noticed, there were comparatively more customers here than at other, more visually enticing ones.
"Who recommended this one to you?" she asked, now eager to get a bite to eat after they had wandered through a multitude of tantalizing smells.
"Ricco, unsurprisingly. Where there's good food, he's not far. And he does know his way around delicious cooking, I can tell you!" Link promised.
They sat at one of the few unoccupied tables. Zelda felt both very curious and slightly nervous. To her shame she had to admit that she had very poor knowledge of what the common man ate. Would it even taste good to her? Wasn't it possible that she had been so spoiled by her kitchen's food that this would be a gruelling experience? She hoped not! She had enough of academic fulfilment today, she wanted to discover something as simple and fascinating as her people's food. And she wanted to like it!
"You seem a bit unsure…" Link asked, startling her a bit. His expression was a bit worried… had he had similar thoughts?
"I… am, to be honest. I feel like a complete idiot admitting this to you, but I have only… cursory knowledge of what is actually eaten outside of… you know." she admitted, feeling herself blush slightly because of the ludicrousness of it all.
He chuckled amiably. "I suspect we have been thinking along the same avenue. I have just been wondering what you usually eat. My mind, of course, has immediately sent me on a journey of the most ridiculous foods it could imagine…"
"Like?" she prompted, grinning, genuinely interested in what he imagined would be part of her daily meal.
"Boar's tripe fried in aurochs dripping? With honey?" he answered without skipping a beat. She immediately started giggling at the nonsense. "Giraffe's necks stuffed with bear black pudding? No?" he continued, his face carefully blank.
She shook her head in and made a frown of disgust, still laughing. "Rubbish! Though, admittedly it does sound decadent enough for some noble families…" she added disapprovingly. "But it's still rubbish!"
"Tell me, then! What is worthy food for the princess' plate and palate?" he asked.
"Currently there is a fad about sweet food. So the honey part of your nonsense was actually spot on. Pancakes filled with berries and jam, candied fruits, chocolate over everything… and while I can't deny a certain… affinity to sweets…" she blushingly confessed, leaving the sentence unfinished. Link, that rascal, raised his eyebrow at her, looked pointedly around the table at her waist, then back to her.
"I can just imagine your unrestrained orgies…" he stated, dripping with sarcasm.
Was there anything around she could throw at him?
"Well, you probably won't find anything as expensive as chocolate here. Simple, but good is the pleb's motto!" he joked.
A serving girl of about 18, clearly in a hurry with all the customers, came by their table. "Wha' can I getchu?" she spoke hastily. Zelda actually had to take a second to decode what had just been mumbled at her.
"Two lemon water and two today's please!" Link ordered, friendly. Zelda was surprisingly pleased to notice that he did not ogle her almost scandalous cleavage. Only after the fact did she realize how much it would have annoyed her if he had. 'Especially since that lady's were quite a bit larg…' a nasty voice supplied before Zelda cast it down into the abyss.
"Shouldn't she ask what we want?" she asked a tad confused, when the girl had left.
She sensed that he was about to laugh, but thankfully he caught himself. "Well, most of these taverns have only one warm meal per day. That's enough, isn't it? Usually they can also get you some small stuff… a loaf of bread, an apple…" he explained. More and more Zelda felt like an uncultured idiot… in her own culture! Rather frustrating…
Thankfully the service was quick and they got their meals. A sizeable bowl of brown sludge stood before her, with what appeared to be a dumpling about the size of a man's fist. She felt Link watch her, but didn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking like a spoiled, cowardly brat. She took a nose full of the steam that rose from the bowl. Her mouth immediately started to water… it smelled delicious! Encouraged she grabbed the wooden spoon next to the dish, dipped it in tentatively and nibbled a bit of the thick stuff off. Her eyes widened and an unbidden smile spread on her face. It tasted strong, richer in flavour than what she was used to… it was simple… just beef stew with salt, black pepper and possibly a bit of spicy hot pepper as well. It was sublime! She dug the spoon back in and fished out a chunk of meat. It melted in her mouth, more fibrous than the cuts they had in her kitchen, but also more intense in flavour. Oh, this was wonderful! Now the dumpling! She looked but couldn't spot a knife… had they forgotten to give her one? She looked around, almost hastily, not wanting to stop her eating. She noticed that everyone seemed to have their own knives with them… Zelda looked back. Link had reached over and, with a caring and amused look in his eye had already started to cut the huge treat for her into bite-sized bits. "Thank you…" she mumbled, slightly embarrassed, before continuing the feast. It appeared to be a potato dumpling, soft like cotton and fitting beautifully with the rich aroma of the stew.
Goddess Nayru have mercy, she'd have a huge belly after she had eaten the whole bowl, but right now, she cared not! Simple and delicious, just as he had said! She let out a sigh of pure relish, then noticed that Link was looking at her with a most amused expression. "What?" was what she meant to ask… given that her mouth was filled to the brim, it came out more as "Mwap?"
He just smiled and shrugged, apparently content that she liked it. If he was amused by the lack of refinement she currently portrayed by stuffing her face, he could continue for all she cared. She had to get to the bottom of this bowl, all else mattered little!
She wiped the bowl clean with the last bit of dumpling, put it into her mouth appreciatively and licked her fingers clean. She leaned back with a contented sigh.
"Now that… was beautiful…" she heard Link say, equally full judging by his voice.
"Mhm." she only hummed.
"That is to say, watching you wolf down as much as me. A truly marvellous sight!" he chuckled. "I guess I have to apologize! Purely by the looks of you, I thought I might have to eat half of your portion as well. Now I truly can imagine how unrestrained your orgies would be…"
Zelda opened her eyes again and gave him a lopsided smirk. She felt so full like never before in her life… she desperately wanted to loosen her belt by one hole… or six… She hoped that he couldn't see her gut… But it had all been worth it.
"If orgies include food like this, I might be persuaded…" she mumbled impishly. He grinned back, showing a bit of redness on his cheeks.
He leaned forward. "You have a little… let me!" he told her and wiped a tiny brown speck away from her cheek. Damnation, had she really eaten like such a slob? Now she felt herself redden a tiny bit… But between showing her date ladylike behaviour and, well, food… there was no contest.
Link, with an impish grin of his own, delicately stuck the tip of his finger in his mouth, eliminating the last incriminating evidence of her feast he had just removed from her skin. "Delicious." he cooed.
Now she blushed furiously. Goddess, he was such an idiot! But she loved every one of his antics…
Link waved the waitress over and asked for the prize.
A realization hit her like lightning. She had no money! She never carried money! You didn't need it in your everyday life as princess… and, feeling once again like an utter moron, she was completely unused to the concept of paying for something. Goddess damn it, why hadn't she thought of that?
But without asking or even looking at her, Link paid for both of their meals. Zelda felt so ashamed she wanted the ground to swallow her up! It was just absurd… he, a boy who could probably hold all his possessions in his hands easily had to pay for the princess' food. It embarrassed her more than she cared to admit. Once again he had saved her…
When he looked back at her, he frowned in surprise. "What?"
She shifted uneasily. "You shouldn't have…" she quietly mumbled.
"Of course I had to!" he stated, bemused about her reaction.
"But you're… I mean…" she stammered, helpless.
"Look. I invited you because I wanted to. I didn't even think about not doing that… there never was a doubt in my mind. And if that makes you feel uncomfortable, get used to it, 'cause I plan to invite you as much as I possibly can." he muttered back, making a slightly bashful face. She saw how, adorably, even his ears turned red.
"But… it doesn't feel right… I'm the pri…" she whined.
"No you're not." he said firmly. "Not when you're with me. You're Zelda then!"
He stood next to her and, with an affectionate smile, he offered his hand. "Come then. Let me carry you back home, my little dumpling."
Almost as if in a daze, she accepted his hand and let herself be pulled up. Could he possibly know how much those few words meant to her? …no. Probably not. But it didn't really matter. Those words he had just said were precisely why she cherished him so very much.
-spacer-
Since the visit to the geographer had taken so long, they had decided to go back, much to Zelda's reluctance. Now that they knew where to go, they both were highly motivated to plan their route. Zelda was already bustling around the castle library, while Link pored over her father's maps. She was thinking furiously how to prepare and what to bring and how they'd travel and and and. She was pacing around excitedly, talking non-stop.
He almost had to drag her back to the desk so she would help him in a more orderly manner.
They measured how many kilometres were between Hyrule and the Faldorn woods. They checked how many villages they could conceivably pass on their way. They experimented with different routes, discussed their advantages and disadvantages…
Zelda suggested passing between the Twin Peaks instead of following the North road longer and then cutting straight due east.
Link thought about it, rubbing his eyes. "We would save about a hundred kilometres, true… But is there an actual path between them or would we have to find our own? Because that might actually take longer than staying on the road…" he reasoned.
Zelda had to admit that he was right. "Wait, I'll get us a description of the Peaks." she suggested and jumped up again. The shadows were already getting long in the high hall. She whisked around a few corners where she knew she would find a book that would help. She found it within minutes and walked back, already browsing.
"Do you thi…" she started, but silenced herself when she saw that Link's head rested on his arms on the table. His eyes were closed and he breathed peacefully.
She had almost completely forgotten how tired he was… and seeing him like this brought that knowledge back painfully.
Still… he looked so irresistibly cute, she noted with a sly smile. With his smooth, handsome face calm and his dark blonde hair in front of his mouth swinging gently with each breath. She felt the almost compelling urge to gently brush through his hair… For at least a minute she just stood there, watching him lovingly. This wonderful boy that gave her so much… helped her so much… made her feel at home.
She snuck outside to order a blanket be brought. When it arrived a few moments later, she unfolded it and carefully placed it over him.
He stirred a little and opened his dreadfully tired eyes. "Zelda? I'm sorry…" he mumbled but she was having none of it.
"Ssshhhhh." she shushed him softly. "Sleep. Everything is alright!" she whispered comfortingly. She gently caressed his head, deeply enjoying both the feeling of his hair and being able to give him a little bit of the affection, that he so readily gave, back. "Sleep, Link." she breathed and gave him a wisp of a kiss on the cheek. She suspected he didn't even notice, for he had already drifted back under the desperately needed blanket of slumber.
She sat down besides him, her right hand remaining on his head to continue giving him tender caresses. She wanted to, even in his dreams, give him the feeling of safety… and that she was there and wanted him to rest. She continued the planning on her own, with one hand… and felt simply content.
