Chapter 26: Campfire
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The silence that engulfed their first day of travelling was completely different from all others Link had experienced. Autumn had settled in and passed nearly by while they were away in Gerudo Desert; now the wind rattled in the trees, shaking brittle leaves, and the horses' hooves crunched over a dusty trail strewn with dry, dead plants. Ravens and jays croaked and shrieked, piercing other birds' songs with their warning of harsh cold to come.
The Princess did not speak, but neither was she ignoring him. He caught her occasionally glancing back at him as if about to say something, only to change her mind and face forwards. Anger and sadness did not haunt her gaze, but curiosity and regret did. And she fidgeted in the saddle - Link had never known her to fidget.
She was clearly immensely uncomfortable. Which, of course, made Dinraal uncomfortable, too. And that, in turn, made Choice restless.
But Link found it difficult to focus on that - in fact, he found it difficult to focus on anything. He felt badly shaken from the Captain's rage the night before, and with the threat of having to leave his life behind hanging over his head like a guillotine's blade, he found himself incapable of focusing on much else.
I can't do this… I can't do this… I need to pay attention to the surroundings - the fact that I'm not only goes to show that I can't do this!
...What am I going to do?
The Princess finally broke the silence with a cough as they were nearing Woodland Stable. "So, erm… Sir Link, how old are you?"
He blinked in surprise. A direct question, and without any hint of unhappiness lacing her voice. "Sixteen," he answered softly, and instantly he felt a great weight lifted from his chest.
That right there was against my orders. But it barely matters anymore, does it? I should not let what little time I have left go to waste. Perhaps… perhaps I can show the Princess what she really means to me in this time.
A small spark, a flame of determination, kindled in his soul. I'll not let Captain Janin dictate how I serve my Princess.
"Sixteen… when do you turn seventeen?" she asked.
He let out a breath in a sigh. "With the coming of the new year," he murmured.
Her eyes widened slightly. "You were born on the first day of the year?"
His heart pounded harder. This was difficult to answer, and in a brief moment of cowardice he wished he hadn't encouraged the Princess by answering her other questions. No one's ever wanted to know any of this before. "It's… complicated," he finally said, hoping she wouldn't take offense.
The Princess frowned, but there wasn't any hurt in her gaze. A soft glow of understanding lit her eyes. "...Oh, I think I understand," she said with an awkward, half-hearted laugh. "I'm sorry for asking."
Link could feel his cheeks heating up. What was that all about? What are you thinking? He felt as if he'd opened up a path to his heart - painful and vulnerable to anything the Princess might say or even think. A knot of tension built between his shoulder blades. Maybe I don't know what I'm getting myself into.
There was silence between them again, until they reached the stable and boarded their horses. From there, Link had been instructed to take the Princess along the not-yet-finished, but much faster, route to Goron City - the very same one he had been a part of setting up so many months ago now. Memories of blinding fists and thrown stones invaded his mind and he shuddered, feeling his eyes sting.
After this last meeting with the Captain, he felt like a raw wound, all sensitive, open flesh. Things that usually didn't trouble him now caused his heart to squeeze - things like saddling Choice, eating a breakfast of fried eggs, thinking about the path he would take to Goron City…
"I'm sorry," the Princess blurted all at once, , wringing her hands nervously as they hiked up the path into the mountains. "I… I said many things to you recently, that… that I shouldn't have. Urbosa's right; it's not as if you had any choice in this. My father commanded you to follow me, so here you are."
His heart skipped a beat. Here was another opportunity for him to break his oath - "I wouldn't have changed anything even if I did have a choice."
The Princess looked at him in surprise, and her brow creased. She looked a bit nauseous for a moment, and he realized she was feeling guilty. He cringed inwardly. Oops. Not my intention.
"How's your side?" the Princess asked, quickly changing the topic. "I - I noticed you had gotten rather scratched up; are you quite alright?"
Link stiffened, his cheeks flaming. The Princess, too, seemed embarrassed. "I'm… fine," he managed, albeit a bit hoarsely. Goddesses willing, I won't ever have to give the King another reason to behead me for indecent exposure.
"Good," the Princess squeaked, and yet again she fell silent.
They stopped for the night beneath a ledge that would have prevented any horse from going any further up the trail, but it wouldn't be too difficult to climb over in the morning. Link set down his pack and began pulling out a thick, folded square of canvas with which to erect a tent for the Princess, but he was stopped by a light touch on his arm.
"Would you… teach me?" she asked quietly, avoiding his gaze.
Surprised, Link nodded slowly, letting the canvas tumble from his arms. It took him a moment to realize he was staring; with a wave of heat stealing across his cheeks, he quickly snatched up the canvas again. "Er… for this one, well… it doesn't really rain out here, so the point is to give you privacy."
"There are different types of tents?" the Princess asked curiously.
Link nodded, shaking out the thick fabric and patting out the dust. "A few. Depending on the environment, season, or how long you plan to be using it…" He wondered if he was saying too much and decided that he probably was. Teaching the Princess has nothing to do with protecting her.
A wave of bitter despair washed over him and he bit his lip. "I… can't do this, Princess," he murmured. There's still hope for this journey. I can still turn this around - maybe. I'll get to stay with Choice, and perhaps with the Princess as well…
But what good would that be if she goes back to hating me? I can't help her if she won't… won't let me.
And yet if I help her now, I'd be throwing everything into jeopardy.
He rubbed his temples wearily, wishing that a clear answer would cut like a sword through the fog of confusion in his mind.
"Are you… alright?" the Princess asked hesitantly, her dainty hands clasped together. "You seem…"
Link grimaced. "I can't," he whispered, turning away. "My duty is to protect you. I can't do anything more." He prayed she would understand.
Judging by the uncertainty in her gaze, it was clear that she didn't. But she didn't press him further about teaching her how to set up a tent, and he went about doing just that with guilt aching in his gut.
There wasn't much level ground, or soft ground, for that matter, but he managed to find an area that wasn't quite as rugged and uneven and built the Princess' tent there. Because of the volcanic stone all around them, he couldn't anchor the tent to the ground; instead he weighted the corners down with various chunks of rock he scrounged off the side of the trail.
The smack of stone striking stone caught his attention and he turned, his eyes widening as he found the Princess hovering over a small pyramid of sticks with a flint and a whetstone in her hand. "What… what are you doing?" he asked, astonished.
"I thought I'd do some of the work around here for a change," she smiled shyly, a familiar look in her eyes. The look he'd seen when she hadn't bought enough fireproof elixirs but didn't know yet about her mistake. His heart warmed.
"Here," he said, kneeling beside her and gently taking the firemaking tools from her. For a moment she looked dismayed, clearly assuming he was once again refusing to let her do it. He moistened his lips anxiously and withdrew a small knife from the satchel where the Princess had found the stones. "Try scraping towards the sticks with this instead." He demonstrated a few times, sending small sparks onto the sticks; then he looked around and his gaze settled on a clump of stubborn, brittle grass. Eagerly he hurried over and snatched a handful, bringing it back to the campfire and arranging it both beneath the Princess' pyramid and above it. "Try to aim for the grass; it'll burn easier."
The Princess looked at him with an excited smile, her eyes glowing with wonder. Carefully she took the knife and flint from him again - he shivered as their fingers met - and did as he had shown her, scraping the edge of the knife along the piece of flint. The first few times she didn't manage any sparks, but on her fifth try a small speck of light leapt from the flint to the grass and a small flame flared for an instant.
"I did it!" she gasped delightedly, quickly trying again and again. The next flame was larger; it caught the grass around it and a small blaze leapt up, eagerly licking at the fuel surrounding it. Link pushed himself to his feet and scanned the rocky ground, gathering up several handfuls of dry plants and bringing them back to the Princess.
"Keep putting these on," he told her, demonstrating. "It'll keep the fire from going out until it catches on the wood."
The Princess nodded eagerly, her eyes gleaming with more than just reflected firelight. It was one of the rare times Link had ever seen her happy about something unrelated to ancient technology; he couldn't keep a small smile from slipping out.
The smile faded as something occurred to him. What matters more to me, a person or a place? The Princess or my home at the castle?
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The night passed uneventfully; however, Link did notice a far-off cluster of lights - torches - at the bottom of the mountain, in the east. A large group travelling west… a merchant caravan, perhaps?
They moved quickly and had nearly reached the copse of trees engulfing Woodland Stable by the time the sun peeked over the horizon and he could no longer make out the glow of torches. Odd that they chose to travel at night…
After a quick breakfast of biscuits spread with a bit of honey Link had brought along, he packed up the Princess' tent, kicked the charcoal remains of their fire apart, and the two of them clambered up the small ledge and continued up the path.
"So this is a new route?" the Princess asked as they climbed, suppressing a yawn.
Link nodded. "And an unfinished one. But the King wanted us to be swift, and… well, it's faster than the usual way." He frowned, lamenting the fact. I'd have liked to have more time.
"Unfinished…" the Princess tilted her head. "Is it dangerous, then?"
Link fought back a grin. "Only if you're not careful. Which is… why I'm here, I suppose."
The Princess snorted. "I'm certain I can handle a bit of danger," she responded, a slight edge to her voice. Link couldn't help feeling stung. So she's still not entirely happy about my position.
Won't she be delighted when we return, then.
"I'm sorry," the Princess said. "I… that sounded rude; I… didn't mean it that way. Especially after… well, and… er, thank you, for saving my life then." She twisted her hands together uncomfortably. "I didn't say it before, but I should have."
"It's my job," Link murmured, feeling the sting in his chest morph into a cold ache. And I've done horribly so far. You won't have to put up with me for much longer. His heart constricted.
The Princess went pink, her face slightly scrunched in a faint grimace. "Of course," she murmured. And… was that disappointment he heard in her voice?
His cheeks felt warm. Of course not. Wishful thinking.
Their hike continued in silence, and Link earnestly focused on their surroundings to distract himself from the veil of awkwardness that seemed to have settled over the two of them. The trail was steep in places, hard beneath the soles of his boots, but there were frequent breaks in the rocky walls surrounding them, offering breathtaking views of the Great Hyrule Forest and, occasionally, Hyrule Castle. Autumn was well enough underway that Hyrule Field in the distance looked more yellow than green. The colder temperatures were quickly lulling the wilderness to sleep.
As they climbed, despite the increasing elevation, the temperature remained pleasantly warm. Link was puzzled by this at first, until he remembered the flowing lava rivers and lakes Death Mountain harbored throughout the year. He grimaced, unconsciously tugging at the neckline of his undershirt as he remembered the choking heat. Struck by a sudden wave of horror, he checked the small pouch hanging from his belt, unbuttoning the flap to reassure himself with the sight of four fireproof elixirs - more than enough to get them to Goron City via this new path. Good.
They stopped for a brief lunch about an hour or so from the marker that would pinpoint the first cliff they needed to descend. The Princess stared at her parcel of dried fruit intently, as if it somehow held the answer to every question she'd ever had; evidently she was deeply contemplating something and Link didn't dare interrupt her.
He had other things to worry about, such as the cloud of dust he had spotted coming up the trail behind them a few hours earlier.
Now he could see it again, and it was closer - close enough that he could almost make out just what it was. This is the company I saw last night, he realized with a cold shudder. They had been moving quickly then, and he could tell that they were moving quickly now, too.
He squinted, trying to see through the haze of dust and distance. There wasn't as much dust now as there had been earlier, since the trail had morphed into solid rock; he could see horses… Wait - horses can't make it up this trail.
A stone of cold dread sank into his stomach. Not horses. Lynels.
He could see more clearly now; there were four of them, each harnessed to a cart full of… full of…
His pulse raced. Bokoblins. Four white-maned lynels were dragging carts of battle-ready bokoblins up the mountain towards them. This can't be a coincidence - monsters don't collaborate like that. Ever.
He moistened his lips anxiously. "Princess," he began, reaching towards her before quickly withdrawing his hand. "Princess, we need to get going."
She gave a slight start, looking up from her fruit as if she had only just noticed him there. "Wh-what?"
He gestured down towards the oncoming cloud of dust. "We need to move quickly. There's a small army of monsters headed right towards us, moving fast. If we get to the ridge and climb down before they catch us, we'll be safe." Probably. "But we need to hurry."
The Princess stared at the approaching horde and surged to her feet. "I'll follow your lead," she affirmed grimly, her face pinched with worry.
Link nodded, hesitating only a moment before taking the Princess' hand and pulling her with him up the trail at a light jog. Their boots slapped down hard on the unforgiving stone beneath them, jarring the bones of their feet; Link felt the Princess' hand swiftly growing sweatier in his grasp.
We're not fast enough. Nowhere near fast enough. Their pace could never be enough to outrun cantering lynels. But perhaps our headstart will make up the difference.
It would have to.
Lizards scuttled across their path, moments away from getting stepped on. Link felt the Princess' step falter each time; she didn't want to hurt them. Endearing, but it might cost us our lives, he thought.
The mountain's temperate air soon became a vise, much too warm; sweat dripped down Link's spine like a monster's claw carefully tracing the path it would take. The Princess' hand burned in his, but he didn't dare let go; he refused to allow her to fall behind. Come on, Princess - you can do this!
Ten minutes had barely passed and she was breathless, her cheeks flushed, her teeth bared in a grimace as she struggled to keep up. Her sharp gasps were much too fast, as was her pulse, which he could feel hammering in her wrist. But she pressed onwards, clinging tight to his hand, dragging her feet forward in time with his, her eyes burning in determination.
Link glanced over his shoulder. The monster horde was gaining. He could hear the bokoblins now, their squealing cries echoing along the walls and pillars of stone around them. We won't make it.
They continued running; he slowed his pace as much as he dared for the Princess' benefit, but it didn't seem to help much. "S-sorry," she panted, her cheeks flushed from exertion, when she caught him looking. "C-can't… do… this…"
Link quickly looked away. For a moment he debated carrying her on his back - But lynels are expert archers; if it's her they're after, they'd have a clear shot…
He grimaced at the thought, before realizing that they would have just as clear a shot as they did now.
He stopped and crouched. "Climb onto my back," he told her, his voice a bit rougher than he meant.
The Princess' brow furrowed in dismay as she clutched at her side. "I - I'm… sorry," she gasped between desperate gulps of air. "I… not…"
"It's fine," he told her quickly. "Come on - we're running out of time!"
Looking a bit embarrassed, she swung one leg over his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. With a grunt he hooked his arms beneath her knees and straightened, shifting slightly from one foot to the other. She wasn't particularly heavy, but his back was already beginning to ache having to bear her and their supplies all at once.
He set off at a slow run, faster than before, and instantly felt increased pressure on his shins each time his feet collided with the unyielding ground beneath. Wincing, he adjusted his grip on the Princess' legs and pushed thoughts of the pain from his mind, forcing his attention instead on the din of bokoblins and the thunder of hoofbeats drumming steadily nearer. He raised his eyes to the trail curving ahead of them; there was still so much farther to go…
Eyes narrowed, he dragged an extra burst of speed from his legs, breathing heavily as they climbed higher up the mountain, into thinner, warmer, air. His calves and thighs burned from the effort but he tried to ignore it, tried to ignore the ache in the bones of his feet as they struck stone again and again and again, pounding out a rhythm that matched the racing of his heart. His left ankle in particular was still sore from his fight with the Molduga; he was afraid it would give way and send him - and the Princess - tumbling to the rocky ground.
He glanced over his shoulder and was for a moment stupefied by the sight of the Princess' weary face mere inches from his own; feeling his cheeks burn he quickly switched his attention to the monsters racing after them.
They were ever closer. Mere minutes behind now.
And it would take more than minutes for them to scale the cliff if he wanted the Princess to reach the bottom in one piece.
It's too late.
"I'm stopping here, Princes," he grunted, carefully setting her down. Her legs shook; she had exhausted herself on their run up the trail. Link bit anxiously at his lip. "I know you're tired, but you need to run now. Alright?"
"You mean to stay behind?" Her voice was shaky and a bit hoarse, but for the most part it seemed she had gotten her breath back.
"I'll hold them off," he nodded, drawing the Master Sword from his back. "Get to the top of this peak, then use the map on the Sheikah Slate to try and find a safe place to descend to the flat shelf south of that. Make your way back to the stable if I'm not back by nightfall."
Her cheeks drained of color. "But… you… do you meant to say…?"
He forced a smile. "I'll be fine. It never hurts to expect the worst, that's all." As an afterthought his gaze fell to the hunting knife strapped to his thigh, his one remnant of his family. If I die, who better to give it to than someone I… than the Princess?
He unsheathed the blade and pressed the hilt into the Princess' hand. "Only use it if you must," he told her gravely. "And… don't lose it."
A glimmer of curiosity pierced through the fear in her gaze, but he didn't give her time to think about it. He heard, rather than saw, the lynels stopping not far off, and the bokoblins leaping from their carts. "Go, now. Don't look back - run for your life."
She shook her head, her eyes wide with fear - and concern? Link shook his head, giving her a gentle push with his free hand. "Go!" he shouted, and she jumped and turned away, breaking into a run after one last glance in his direction.
Link inhaled deeply, gripping the Master Sword in hand as the bokoblins scurried up the path towards him. The first he took by surprise, sending his blade through its throat and jerking it back out in time to block an overhead blow from the next.
By then a third monster had made it a few steps up the path behind him; Link darted after it, plunging his sword into its back and whirling around without seeing it crumple in death, catching a powerful swing from a club on the flat side of his blade and slashing the arm of its owner. As often happened in the midst of battle, time seemed to tick by slower than before, and his senses felt inhumanly sharp, filling his mind with cold clarity that allowed instinct to guide him.
It was nightmarishly similar to his dreams.
A horde of monsters converging on him, no end in sight.
And the Princess…
His heart gave a painful lurch. He was separated from her! In fact, he'd sent her away from him himself! And in the dreams, that… that always meant she died…
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Guest Reviews
Chicwa88: Yeah - they totally read the whole story in one day and let me know what they thought for almost every chapter, and since it's my habit to respond to all guest reviews for the week in the next chapter… well, it was definitely a lot, sorry about that! ( : Thank you so much! I'm so happy you liked how this one turned out; I know everyone's really been anticipating this one, so I'm delighted to hear that it met your expectations! More hugs to come, haha! I've been there too; unrequited love stinks - but we'll see if Link's love remains unrequited for long! Thank you again! ( :
CryoPotato (Guest): I'm happy to hear that! And I'm so glad that you look forward to it! Thank you! ( :
Guest: Thank you! I'm so glad to hear that! And I just wanted to say that I know you weren't the 'Guest' reviewer from last chapter (your writing style is totally different)! Thank you so much again! ( :
RealmOfBlue: Awww, that's so fun to hear! I'm also very much a sucker for angsty Zellink - I suppose it fills the emptiness in my own social life, haha! I'm glad you like the deviations so far; I do definitely try to stick reasonably close to canon, although I will say that there's a moment later on that goes a bit farther than my previous deviations, but I hope it's alright! ( :
Guest: (the guest who reviewed on January 21) Thank you for the feedback! I took another look at the description and I think it's still okay; I honestly don't know how I would improve it to more accurately reflect the story. I'd love to hear any ideas you have! Summaries have always been difficult for me, haha! As for the genres, I'm not going to remove the 'Romance' bit; you might be surprised by what happens between Link and Zelda in the future. Please remember that I know what will eventually happen, and there's definitely romance involved. I did decide to change the 'Adventure' part, although I do feel like the definition of an adventure story is unique to everyone. I did, however, look at some of the pre-BotW stories that have inspired me, such as 'The Heart of the Champions' and 'What Lies in the Heart of a Hero,' along with my most recent non-fanfiction story, to see what genres they are posted under. As a result, I changed 'Adventure' to 'Fantasy,' and I hope that fits better. There are many, many fantasy battles in this story, as well as that layer of magic and magical (or at least imagined) creatures.