Chapter 41

New Territory

Zelda's PoV

I see the doctor as soon as I wake up, anxious to see if I'm healed enough to go back to my usual activities. I'm thrilled when the doctor tells me I can take the sling off for good and I pretty much rip it from my arm and accidently slam it down on the table next to me. The doctor tells me I should still be careful for a while and I nod before saying thank you and hugging him. I'm so giddy as I walk back to our room in the Seabed Inn. Link is just rolling out of bed and rubbing his eyes. I give him the good news by spinning around and presenting my now freed arm to him by holding it out and pointing dramatically at it.

"Congrats Zel. Now you can write that letter to Tetra you've been talking about for the past few days."

"Oh yes." I say, grabbing my backpack from the floor and pulling out my stationary box and matching pen to do just that. I bring my writing materials with me as we go next door to get some breakfast at the Jeweled Hook. I eat quickly then write my letter to Tetra.

Tetra!

I have the most romantic boyfriend ever. Link brought me up to Lovers Lake for the most amazing evening. You'd freak out at the little details of that that I'm too much of a wimp to write out. I guess you'll have to wait till we see each other again. I can just hear you screaming in frustration with but trust me, I think you want those juicy details in person. Right?...But know that we also ran around under the stars in nothing but moonlight. We also went skinny dipping in the lake up there before returning to our camp by the heart lake and losing control of ourselves again. It was absolutely the most perfect night.Hylia...I can just hear you teasing me and you're not even here. I'm blushing so bad that Link is curiously staring at me across the table here.

Moving on, Zora's Domain is just so incredibly gorgeous! I'm blown away just seeing the architecture here. One day you just have to see it.The first night we were here the Indigo-Go's asked me to sing with them. Me! One of Hyrule's most famous bands praised me for my voice. I still can't get over it! I guess I have to believe Link when he says that I'm "good enough to be on the radio", which he has told me at least three times.

We got to go inside Divine Beast Vah Ruta! That. Was. Beyond. Amazing! I wish you had been here with me. There is a huge water slide inside it and it's so fun to go down. You would absolutely love it!

My shoulder is better and healed up now, so I'm back to doing things without help again, finally. Though Link has been super helpful and extra sweet to me, going out his way to do all the simple every day things I could not do myself. He really is the best. I feel so truly lucky to have him. Please tell mom and dad and everyone else that I'm doing well. Has anything happened in Lurelin that I should know about?

We're leaving Zora's Domain today. I don't know where we'll end up next but I'll write you all about it once I do. And no, I haven't decided to reveal who I really am to the world yet. I don't think I'll ever give that information up for the sake of a personal life. I really love how my life is going as is.

Love Zelda

Link and I decide to leave soon after I mail my letter. I'm not expecting so many people to come and see us off when Finley and the other Zora kids run around and shout that we are leaving. It feels like the whole domain comes down to the main square to bid us farewell. We shake hands and reciprocate hugs with nearly everyone.

I hug Mipha and tell her that it was really nice meeting her and I'm happy to have become friends. She squeezes me back tightly.

"Me too, Sheik. Safe travels and take care of yourself."

"Thank you." I say, giving her a second squeeze.

Sidon takes me surprise by picking up both Link and I simultaneously and crushing us in a bone jarring hug. I gasp for air before he releases us back to the ground.

"You guys better come back sometime with loads to tales to share." He says.

"We certainly will." I tell him.

After several more farewells we turn and walk across the entrance bridge for the last time.

"Hey Sheik, make sure Link stays out of trouble, will ya?" Sidon calls after us.

"Sure will. Goodbye!" I call back waving over my shoulder. I see not only him, but also Mipha and many other Zora waving back.

x.x.x

Link's PoV

Standing in the horse stable I watch as Zelda practically dances around her horse this morning, humming and giving Starlett a thorough grooming. Her mood has been sour and depressed the last several days. But now that she's been released from the doctor's supervision and relieved of, in her words, "that awful sling", she's back to her usual chipper, hyper self.

"It's nice to see you smiling again." I say, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed.

"Of course I am." Zelda says, stretching both arms over her head. "We've spent the past week in Zora's Domain and as lovely as our stay has been, I'm excited to leave and be on our merry way."

Once we're both ready to go, we take our time retracking our way back down to Lanayru Wetlands where we stop for lunch. While I cook I ask Zelda what direction we should go next, North toward Akkala or West toward Hebra. She asks questions about what we shall find in either direction. I keep the details vague, which annoys her, but I don't want to give too much away. From personal experience, I know it's always best to experience new places without knowing what you'll find next.

I lie in the grass with my eyes closed once I finish eating, feeling tired enough that I could probably pass out for a cat nap. The sun feels perfectly warm which only makes me feel more comfortable. An unknown amount of time later, I feel my shoulder being poked and I squint my eyes open to see Zelda looking down at me.

"Hey Link. Wake up, I've decided."

I stretch and yawn before regrettably sitting up, seriously just wanting to lie here but knowing she's eager to move on.

"Alright, Zel. Where will it be?"

x.x.x

Zelda's PoV

We go straight up the hill from the sign and follow the road, running into many animals along the way that scamper off at the sight of us. I walk my horse next to Link's even if I am eager to get where we are going next. I remind myself that we've got all the time in the world and there's no need to rush as we pass through dense woods full of pine trees, smiling to myself. I stretch my arms out above my head as we ride and enjoy how good it feels. I was beyond happy when the Zora doctor told me I was good to go without the sling. He suggested that I still wait a week before doing things such as shooting my bow or using my sword, but I'm much happier today nonetheless. I'm pain free once again too, no aching or arm cramping. Woo.

The grassy ground beneath our horses' hooves changes to hard stones further up the road. I wonder just when this part of the road was built, as most of those stones are cracked, broken or over taken by moss and/or weeds. Far up the hill I see the top of a tower emerging over a huge stone wall on the mountain ahead. I smile just thinking about climbing it and realize that my bravery meter has really grown. A month or two ago I wouldn't have even thought of climbing one. I never imagined I'd be excited to do anything dangerous but Link brings out a whole new hidden side to me. His personality is really rubbing off on me lately. Even after almost falling off the mountainside above Zora's Domain I'm not afraid.

Death Mountain greets us closer than ever at our next sign at a fork in the road. I stop Starlett and gaze up at it, fascinated and wary at the same time. Link says that if we'd like to go that way we'll need to stop and take preparations and I think about it before shaking my head. I'm still not too sure about visiting the volcano. It makes me anxious thinking about how we could burn up, considering that fact is even true.

I tell Link we should continue deeper into Akkala so we head off that way. The longer we travel the road the more the scenery changes. Just down by Zora's Domain everything was green, but up here the landscape is full of color. The trees leaves have changed to the beautiful fall shades I have always heard about, painting the landscape in gorgeous reds, oranges, and yellows. I've never seen leaves these colors before since the Faron region is eternally summer due to the tropical environment. It's far more lovely up here than I've ever heard about or imagined it to be.

Up ahead I see a giant chunk of metal and trot my horse quicker toward it. As realization over takes me, I stare wide eyed with my hands over my mouth. Another guardian! But this one is absolutely nothing like the one in the glass case inside Ruta. This is one of the huge ones I've also read about that would have killed us on the spot from a hundred feet down the road if it were active. I dismount my horse and jog up to it for a closer look. Link stops Epona next to me and says that we'll be seeing a lot more of these things the deeper we travel into Akkala. I grin at him before studying every inch of the guardian in front of me, curious and giddy.

I've never seen one before but I know they used to be all over the world. They were cleaned up long ago in Faron, Necluda, Lanaryu, and Central Hyrule. Looking at the one in front of me I definitely wonder how they moved them at all with their massive size. This one stands at least six or seven feet tall and four feet wide and it must weigh a ton. And where did they take them? I ask Link if he knows and to my surprise he actually tells me they were brought up here to Akkala.

"That's why there will be so many."

"I'm so excited to see them all."

I get back on my horse and we carry on our way. When we reach the next split in the road we are right below the mountain holding the Sheikah tower. Walls over a hundred feet high surround this mountain and I gape up at it. Link tells me this place is called Akkala Citadel and I immediately ask him if we can go up there. Link says sure we can, but we should board our horses at the nearby stable first since the walk up there is mostly stairs. I nod and let him lead the way across a stone bridge that reminds me of the one across Lake Hylia, only ten times smaller. It appears just as old though. I smile as I see the giant colorful horse head poking up through a small grove of trees.

Like most stables, this one is warmly lit and cozy as we approach, walking our horses by a large patch of wildflowers where a little girl is playing. She looks up and says hi as the stableman walks up to the front desk and welcomes us. He introduces himself as Dmitri and we exchange our names as well. When I tell him we plan on going up to Akkala Citadel he says we may leave our horses under the care of his wife, Tenne, in the enclosed pasture behind the stable while we're away. I'm sort of surprised when he turns away the twenty rupees Link offers him for a normal stable visit. Once we've settled our horses in, we leave the stable with a few fresh apples in hand and trek back up the road.

x.x.x

Akkala Citadel is a wonder to behold as we stand at the top of the hill for a small break. From here it reminds me a lot of Hyrule Castle, which makes sense since both were built in the same time period. I love old places like this, key elements to the lost past. I take Link's hand in mine as we cross the bridge, which clearly has been rebuilt at some point since it's now made of wood, the broken original stone matching parts of it still left on both ends.

We climb the stairs that wrap around the secluded mountain, passing by more and more dead Guardians. Just looking at them I'm glad I'll never meet a live one. The destruction they left in their wake on this place is more than enough experience I need from them. From the books I've read, I know the difference between the types, so I know most of the ones here used to fly. I can't imagine how that's possible, they look like they weigh a literal ton. The ancient Sheikah were definitely much more intelligent and technologically advanced then anyone is today if they could even build monsterous robot things and get them to stay in the air. Thinking about it, I entertain the idea that maybe I would have liked to live back then; if for no other reason to see the "good" guardians in action before they were taken over, as dangerous as they really were.

When we finally reach the top of the stairs, what we find is not really what I'm expecting. The whole place is in ruins, broken pieces of building lying on the ground. Pieces of a tattered, royal red carpet lead inside, the walls and windows are overgrown with moss and cobwebs. It's like this place was just forgotten. I wonder why nobody decided to come up here and rebuild. It would be a cool place to live all fixed up. If I look real hard, I can just imagine a whole village living up here in peace. I ask Link what he thinks about the place being abandoned and he agrees with me, joking that maybe someday he'll build a home up here.

In the middle of the ruined citadel sits the Sheikah tower that caught my interest as soon as we first entered Akkala. A few of the roofs slant and lean toward the body of it, moss growing everywhere. We explore inside and find little more than empty bookshelves, empty barrels, and old paper and books littering the floor. The notes posted on the wall above decaying wooden tables are so weathered that I can't even read them. Just when I think there's nothing cool to find we come across an old rusty chest. I look over Link's shoulder as he opens it. We're both expecting it to be empty and are both happy to find an old bottle full of some sort of liquid. I ask Link to pop it open and after a bit of struggling, the cork pops out. The strong bitter scent of wine emanates into the air and we both grin. Link stuffs the cork back into it and I place it upright in my backpack for later.

We spot a staircase up on the second floor so we climb up a pile of rubble to get up there. We walk up the steps until they cut off abruptly. From here there is a four foot gap between the broken stairs and the side of the tower. We have no choice but to jump across over the pile of rubble below us, there is no other way to reach it. The other three sides of the tower are blocked by broken walls and collapsed roofing. I have doubts about making it even after Link takes the leap and successfully gets a hand and foothold.

"Come on, Zel." He says, climbing up a few feet and holding himself up, leaning backwards with one hand outstretched. I stare into his eyes and find some resolve there; I can do this. I reach out for his hand but can't quite reach so I'll have to jump.

"Are you sure you won't drop me if I make it?"

"As long as you can get a grip on my hand I promise I won't let you fall."

"Alright." I say, rubbing my hands together and taking a deep breath. I back up a few steps then run and jump. I end up getting a grip on his wrist instead and Link grasps my forearm and holds tight as I grab onto the tower. Once I've got a grip I breathe again, my heart thudding in my head.

Without looking down I follow Link up the tower focusing on the first landing, which is only about ten feet away. I rest once I haul myself onto it before doing the same for each of the next ones, keeping a calm and level head. It's really not as scary as when we climbed Central Tower, I almost feel more comfortable the higher up we get. Although, that's probably cause I'm getting closer and closer to safety. Link helps me up once he gets to the top and I sit down and take my backpack off.

"I think I'm getting used to that." I say, digging my water bottle out.

"Good. Perhaps you'll develop some minor inner daredevil yourself." Link says, stretching his arms over his head. I take a swig of water before handing it to him. By the time he's finished, half the water is gone.

"Greedy." I mutter. I get a shameless smile in response.

I stand up and join him at the edge of the tower, which does not have a safety railing around the perimeter like the others we have visited. Below us in the middle of a lake is an island with a huge town on it. A closer look shows me it's no ordinary island, it's at about the same altitude as the ground a hundred feet above the water. A land bridge stretches out to the town in the most unique way.

"That is by far the coolest town ever." I say, pointing at it with one hand on my hip.

"Tarrey Town is a lively place. We're definitely going to stop there for a visit." Link says.

"I can't wait." I say grinning.

Just when I think the view can't get even more amazing, I notice three huge waterfalls filling the lake below Tarrey Town. I'm blown away, it's gorgeous. However, there is one part of the scenery that I can't wrap my head around. In the ocean beyond the town, there is this strange land spiral spreads out in the water, which really makes me wonder.

"I'm so excited to explore every bit of the Akkala region."

"And you haven't even seen half of it. I have to warn you about something very important though, Zel. This whole region is prone to unpredictable and sudden storms. We will have to watch the sky closely because trust me, the last thing you want is to get caught in a deadly lightning storm."

"Deadly?" I ask, my voice raising in pitch.

"Meaning lightning very often hits the ground in Akkala. Weapons are like lightning rods, too. But don't worry-" He pauses and looks me in the eyes, I must look as freaked out by this as I feel. "-there are plenty of stables and places to take shelter all over Akkala. We'll be just fine." I nod and he wraps his arm around my waist. I lean into him doing the same as we stand there, focusing on the view we have and not the terrifying news he just shared with me.

x.x.x

Link's PoV

When we descend the tower it takes a while, but Zelda does a lot better making it back to the ground than she has before. I really think she's getting braver, but I don't see scaling mountains or anything crazy in her future. Near the bottom I drop down and stand on the uneven pile of broken walls below the gap we jumped across earlier. The reason we couldn't climb up from here before isn't only because of the rubble littering the floor, but because this tower has a large, six foot missing chunk at the bottom. I wonder how that happened as the towers are built of the sturdiest, hardest reinforced metal I've ever come across. The thought of anything breaking through it is very interesting. I can only guess that it must have been a Guardian blast from back when they attacked this place under the control of Calamity Ganon. Nothing else would make sense. Since the ground below my feet is very unbalanced, I tell Zelda to hold on for a minute while I find places to ground my feet from slipping. I look up to see her looking down at me, waiting. I tell her to let go and easily catch her before guiding her down to the flat ground below.

Once we're outside, Zelda jogs up the hill behind the building which is also littered with broken debris. When I catch up to her, she's fawning over one of the four old cannons up here. There's no doubt they're as old as everything else with the amount of moss and rust they are covered in.

"I've never seen one of these in real life before. We should fire one! Think there is a cannonball around here somewhere?" Zelda asks me.

I look around and find nothing but a large rock beside the second cannon to the left. I crouch down and pick it up.

"This is the closest we've got." I say examining the rock in my hands, which is roughly the size I think a cannon ball would be and about round enough. I stare at the cannons and come across a dilemma a moment later. I look up to see Zelda grinning at me. She looks so excited and I'm going to have to let her down.

"Zel, I'm all up for blowing a projectile off this cliff, but I honestly have no idea how these things work."

"Oh." She says, physically deflating from excited to disappointed. "Sorry, for some reason I just expected you would have done this before."

"I wish."

Since we can't fire the cannon, I come up with a different idea. It's not quite as appealing, but I hand the large rock in my hands to Zelda and tell her to chuck it off the cliff as far as she can. She raises her eyebrows at me before staring down at the large rock in her hands. Shrugging her shoulders a few moments later, she simply says "Alright" before walking up to the edge of the cliff. With a heaving grunt she throws it with all her might and we watch it fall hundreds of feet to the ground below. I'm not surprised when a stone or two of path below crack and break off at the impact, flying up into the air.

"Not as cool, but that was oddly satisfying." Zelda says, a smirk on her lips. Next, she turns, picks up another nearby rock and hands it to me. "Your turn."

I take the rock, which is much smaller than the one I handed her, and look out toward the mountain wall straight ahead of us that completes the canyon below at about the same altitude. I wind up my arm and throw said rock as hard as I can, aiming to hit opposite cliffside across from us. I come up short by approximately ten feet.

"Damn, not quite." I mutter.

"That was still impressive. I couldn't throw half that far."

"Try." I say, picking up and tossing a small rock for her to catch.

"Okay."

We throw several more rocks, a few of mine hitting the other side. I can't help but compare this to my habit of throwing rocks off the cliff in Kakariko, only this time it's just for fun. I like that we don't need to do anything special to enjoy our time, Zelda has the same laid-back personality I do. This fact is just another bonus of spending every day with her at my side. I'm glad for the billionth time in the past few weeks I got to meet her and that she agreed to join me on my second round of traveling the world.

Zelda points down at another plateau chunk of land below us to the right. She wants to see the waterfalls from that vantage point so we retrack to the steps we took to get up to the citadel, and take the separate set of stairs that leads down over there. As soon as we get to the bottom of the stairs, Zelda takes off running across the long plateau and I chase after her. She doesn't stop until we're at the cliff before she rests, her hands on her knees and panting. She grabs her water bottle and takes a swig. When she notices me watching her she shakes her head and says that I drank half of the water earlier and I'm not getting any more. I tell her to relax and that I wasn't expecting her to share again.

We sit on the edge of the cliff and I tell her I jumped off the edge of Tarrey Town into Akkala Lake once. She gasps and tells me I'm utterly insane and I agree with her, laughing. I go on telling her all the other stunts I've pulled, knowing that she will likely never let me attempt any of them again. The thing about that though, is the longer we go on together, the less I want to risk my life for fun. Not that I don't still feel the want to climb more reasonably safe things, like super tall trees and towers and perhaps to the roofs of houses or stables. Maybe she's mellowing me out, teaching me life is more precious than I've given it credit for in the past. Or perhaps it's that I'm realizing that I now never want to do something that would either get me seriously injured or worse. We've had the conversation of how grateful we are to have each other in our lives more than a few times, mostly over the past couple of days. The incident above Zora's Domain only made it clearer than ever that I would be miserable without her. It sounds corny, but she's the center of my life.

Zelda runs her fingers along my jawbone as I gaze out over the waterfalls lost in thought. It's something she does a lot, touch my face, and I enjoy the feel of her fingers. I look at her and she gives me a wondering look.

"Rupee for your thoughts?" She says cheesily and I laugh.

"I want to jump off that waterfall."

"What? Okay I know that's not what you were thinking just now, Link. You looked far too deep in thought for it to be that simple." She says, her viridian eyes skeptical.

She reads me far too well. I should also know by now I can't pull off remarks like that with her. I sigh and when I start to turn my head to look away, Zelda takes my face in her hands so I have to look at her. I take a deep breath as I gaze into her waiting eyes.

"You're right. I'm thinking about how I don't want to do that because of the way you've changed me."

Zelda looks at me like I've surprised her. Clearly this was not the response she expected.

"I've changed you?" She asks, quietly.

I nod. "You have. You have something that brings out a side of me that I didn't know I had."

Zelda blinks and tilts her head a little to the right. "What side is that?"

"I think more before I do things now. Or well... I think about how you might feel. I didn't back then, like when I went bear hunting when you were so against it outside Dueling Peaks' Stable. I now put myself in your perspective and my family's when I make decisions."

"So I bring out a more cautious side of you. I'm glad that I make you think clearly. Someone has to."

"I mean it, Zel. You inspire me to be better."

She gazes at me for a long moment, her smile taking over her features before she speaks.

"I'm glad I do, Link. I hope we are always together. Nobody else could make me feel the way you do."

"We will be. I love you."

"I love you more." She says before leaning forward and kissing me, her hands sliding into my hair. I kiss her back as I take her into my arms.

x.x.x

Zelda's PoV

On our walk back to Akkala Stable I keep running that conversation over and over in my head. You inspire me to be better. Nobody has ever said anything like that to me. Something that made me feel so warm, so happy, so special and important. To know that I have made another person want to change for their own self benefit, that I make them realize something for themselves...that's beyond any words I have. Just when I think there's nothing more Link could do to make me feel better than ever, he tops the previous something. Over time, he just adds onto the reasons I have to believe he really is the most amazing person I've ever met. It's moments like this that prove I was meant to meet him at that little contest in Hateno. There's no doubt in my heart about it.

I sing a song I used to sing with my grandmother as we walk. I've always felt that this particular song fits moments like this, when you just feel so happy that it would take something unbelievably crazy to bring you down. Link rubs his thumb over mine in his hand and I smile at him, enjoying the smile I get in return. How did I become so lucky to find a man who is the whole package? He cooks, he hunts, he's sentimental and romantic, he's ridiculously handsome, everyone we meet likes him, he's funny and always has a way to brighten up my day, and so many more things. I'm just blessed.

The sun is setting just as we make it back to the stable and I'm really hungry and thirsty. All I brought with us was that one water bottle and a few apples, which is nowhere close to a good enough dinner. Link buys two sizzlefin trout from a traveling chef who introduces himself as Stamm. I say that I'll do the cooking tonight with a smile holding my hands out for the wrapped fish. Link cooks dinner for us most of the time, like I cook breakfast most mornings. It's kind of like an unsaid agreement between us really, but today I feel like letting him off the hook. No pun intended, even if I am cooking fish.

I follow a recipe from the cookbook I got from the Zora library. I take my time over the cooking pot, wanting this meal to taste as delicious as I can make it. I use honey, Hyrule herb and salt to season the fish and mix in finely chopped mushrooms-which I find growing nearby. The smell is a heavenly torture and I have to try not to pick the mushrooms out of the pot as hungry as I am.

When I'm finally done cooking, I test it and find that it tastes just as delicious as I'm hoping. I smile as I place our meal neatly on two matching plates I bought in Zora's Domain. I carry them carefully inside the stable, where Link is sitting at a small table with the bottle of treasure wine we found in the citadel. Two mugs sit already filled of the clear liquid.

"It smells delicious." Link says as I place his plate down before him and take a seat myself.

"I hope you think so." I answer, sitting down. A moment later, I'm rewarded with a quiet "mmm, tasty" from his side of the table. The wine we found is also quite divine and I find myself wishing the handwritten label was legible enough to read so I'd know what we're drinking.

Link thanks me when we're done eating and we both clean up the dishes and the cooking pot outside. We lead our horses inside the stablehouse for the night and I'm glad to see the stalls are roomier than usual. There is at least four feet by six feet in space. The same can't be said for some other stables I've boarded at. We give our horses a full grooming before going back inside and renting a bed for the night. It feels nice to take my boots off and rub my feet which are sore from walking. Don't mistake me for complaining though, because I'll take being sore as a reward for getting to live my life the most amazing way possible. Besides, I'm quite used to being so after each day traveling. It's just a side effect of being on the road that you deal with.

We brush our teeth and change into our nightwear in the privacy of our bed curtains before crawling under the blanket. I snuggle up to Link and we say goodnight, cuddled up and comfortable. I hear rain on the rooftop and the crack of lightning a few minutes later and I'm glad we decided to sleep inside. Soon the rain turns into a heavy storm and falling asleep seems impossible for me. The bolts striking outside must be close, because they light up the room we are in through the stable's wide open doorway. It even flashes right through the red curtains around our bed. I thank Hylia for this stable as even if I can't see it, I'm still quite scared. When an extraordinarily loud boom followed by a loud cracking noise fills the air, we both jump and I cling to Link. I swear I can feel the hair on my arms raising as the noise and light fades.

"G-goddess that must have been close." I say, my voice more of a pathetic whimper.

"The lightning rod atop the stable was probably struck. Don't worry, though. We'll be fine even if it happens again."

"I hope it doesn't..."

"Don't worry. The chances are unlikely."

I focus on Link's arm around me and press my face in his shirt, breathing slowly. He squeezes me a little tighter and I feel him firmly kiss the top of my head. The sweet gesture distracts me a great deal and I and am able to relax a little bit. I lay my head on his chest and listen to the beating of his heart until he falls asleep and the noise is accompanied by his snoring.

It seems like forever until the storm outside lets up, the flashes eventually stopping and the thunder even subsiding. I sigh softly in relief and drift off to the steady sound of the pouring rain.