A magnanimous, uncouth, and horribly disastrous yawn burst forth from Zelda's mouth as she threw her arms up into the air as far she could, twisting her shoulders atop the plush mattress to work out the kinks from within her spine. Her eyes opened as narrow as slits as the sun broke placidly through the curtain roof of the stable, sending her hands in a flurry to shield her eyes.
"Gaaaaah," she groaned in complaint, turning to her side to find solace, only returning to find the comfort of this bed that she knew must be vacated.
Such a thought immediately sent a frown across her face as she wormed her way to the edge of the bed, rolling her eyes lazily as if in disrespect for the very day itself; a very uncharacteristic outlook that symbolized just how tired she had been. Urbosa had put her through the paces, after all; never backing down, even as Zelda demanded more training with the sword. Even after a solid number of hours toward reclaiming sleep, Zelda felt weary, perhaps simply in reply to the journey itself. She remembered a similar feeling her last 'excursion', when she and Link visited the various shrines around Hyrule dedicated to the Goddesses.
Her smoky eyes broke open listlessly as she thought of that illness that had incapacitated her for much of their Akkala trip- what would have been her first, and only, time in the region before now. At least she wasn't passing out along the road this time around.
As quick as they'd come, her thoughts vanished as Zelda caught sight of herself in the mirror; a frightful visage visiting her there. Her hair had transformed into a messy mash of whatever-the-heck, attacked her head, and then grown into something quite monstrous, leaving Zelda downtrodden as she loosened another powerful yawn into the air, throwing her legs off the bed to be slung onto the floor.
She pushed herself to her feet, their weighted presences dragging along as Zelda scooted toward the door to her room, head hanging low in infinite exhaustion as she reached for the door's handle, sliding it open weakly before her brow furrowed in confusion, albeit hidden behind the mass of hair that trailed even in front of her face.
Urbosa was standing there, though in that second between Zelda opening the door and noticing her, the Gerudo's scowl grew intense.
"U- Ur-"
"What's going on in there, huh?!" Urbosa demanded, quickly stomping toward the door and sidling past Zelda's inert body.
Zelda watched with worry as Urbosa immediately began circling the room like a dog looking to lay down before the Gerudo came to a presumably satisfactory conclusion. Her breath left in a relieved sigh before she smiled, nodding to herself and making her exit.
"Wait, wait, wait," Zelda hounded immediately, "What was that?!"
Urbosa only glanced at her from over her shoulder as if in ignorance, "Whatever do you mean?"
Zelda threw her hands toward the door with a droll, dripping look on her face.
The Gerudo shrugged, "Link wasn't in his room. So, I had to make sure he wasn't in here, making merry with my little girl."
"W- What?!" Zelda cried out.
Still, Urbosa cracked a smirk, "Still, his absence narrows the field quite definitely… Oh yes…"
Like a panther launching itself toward prey, Zelda swung her arms around Urbosa, yanking her back into her room before slamming shut the door, frighteningly throwing herself against the door to brace it for an extra preventative measure.
"U- U- U-! Urbosa!" Zelda shouted, "You- You can't-!"
The Gerudo shrugged, "Can't do what? So, I know Link and Mipha are like sand-seals on a cloudy evening, big deal."
"No! Massive deal!" Zelda challenged, "I-! I'm not supposed to tell anybody!"
"You didn't!" Urbosa shrugged as if it were the simplest thing, "Folly upon those who refuse to recognize the perceptive abilities of us Gerudo. How do you think I narrowed it down between Link bounding around with either you or Mipha in the first place?"
"B- B- B-" Zelda stammered, smoke exiting her ears as her eyes blankened "B- Bounding..?"
Urbosa chuckled at Zelda's naivete, simply brushing past the Hylian with a pat on her shoulder, "Don't worry; I won't make a big deal about it."
"That-! That's exactly what you'll do!" Zelda challenged, pulling Urbosa back toward her, "Look! You said you weren't gonna train me, right?! If you're gonna get Link to train me- How's he going to accept such an arrangement if he knows I blabbed?!"
Shrugging dramatically, Urbosa rolled her eyes, "Who blabbed?! The only thing that's been spilled is- Well, that's a different topic for a different time. Speaking of!"
Urbosa returned her advance toward the doorway, though Zelda was quick to grapple her arm, her yanking turning out to be nearly futile amidst Urbosa's determined motions. The Gerudo smirked expectantly as she opened the door, peering down the hallway toward Link's vacant room before turning her eyes to Mipha's.
"And now…" Urbosa proclaimed with quiet expectation, "We wait."
"Wait nothing!" Zelda shouted, now furiously attempting to wrangle away the powerful woman from the doorway.
Urbosa absent mindedly kept Zelda at arm's length, her eyes curling with intrigue as she stared down the hallway, "Juuust a- OW! No biting!"
The wrestling match went on, even if it were Zelda's entire body against Urbosa's single arm, until the loud click of mechanism tore through the air. Zelda's eyes went wide as her body stiffened, watching Urbosa with terror from within her room, finding the Gerudo with a mere look of placidity upon her face.
Link strode out from Mipha's room, stopping halfway beyond the threshold as Urbosa's glance caught him in an immobilizing steel trap. He watched her with indifference, wondering why she might have been scoping him out. He remained still, half in curiosity, half in uncertainty- uncertainty whether he should be worried.
As if sensing his dilemma, Urbosa's lips curved into a smirk as her head half-nodded in a show of pride toward him.
Link's insides overturned in nausea. Without any retort available to him besides remaining still with a brave look upon his face, he simply stared down Urbosa as the Gerudo woman turned back into the room she's been half-hearted from.
"Oh, they're totally a thing," Urbosa noted wryly, "No wonder he was so fiercely loyal. Mipha'd probably stab him in the chest were he to mess around."
Zelda waved her hands in the air, "Just-! What are saying?!"
Her fingers clanking rhythmically atop her chin, Urbosa wondered aloud in devilish interest to herself, "-but what if that Sworn Brother thing…"
Zelda watched her warily for a moment before spinning away in frustration, "I-! I'm still upset with you! Link will never teach me now!"
Abandoning the canon swirling around in her head, Urbosa shrugged measly, "He's not gonna deny you instruction, don't worry. He knows I'm just teasing- I don't care one way or the other if those two are together. Though I can see why they'd be apprehensive about- I'm more hurt than anything that they didn't let me in on their tryst!"
She aimed her open palms toward herself, "What's not to trust about Aunt Urbosa?!"
Zelda's furtive, yet subtly angered, face carried on drolly as Urbosa shrugged in feigned sincerity, "What?!"
"Just let me get ready," grumbled Zelda from behind the messy hair shadowing her face, "This is the first morning where I've longed for the comforts of home, so I'd like to just bear my head down and-"
"Say no more, child," Urbosa asserted calmly, reaching out to gently stroke her surrogate daughter's arm, "I will make sure there is something in the way of breakfast for you."
"Thank you," Zelda nodded really, only to sigh with apology, "Sorry for being a grouch."
Urbosa smirked, raising a knowing finger into the air, "I know you too well, dear. No need for apologies. I did make sure to bring- Ah, well, I suppose it might be better as a surprise."
Piquing the young woman's interest, Urbosa left with a confident grin, knowing Zelda's mind, awash with speculation, would quite easily escape the morning grumbliness that now inhabited the Princess' mind.
Shutting Zelda's door behind her, Urbosa made her way along the perimeter of the stable's interior, knocking on Revali'a door as she passed by, shouting, "C'mon, Revali! Early bird gets the-! Ah, well, you know."
Continuing her gait outdoors, Urbosa was happy to find the two Hylian stable hands, though the pair of them were in much greater spirits than the night before. Instead of intruding upon their attempts at beginning breakfast, Urbosa raised her arms, stretching them as high as she could, until her middle-aged joints began to crackle in a morning chorus she had come to known well, even if it had largely been in apprehension.
The Akkalan air had greatly cooled overnight, stripping the landscape of its humidity for the most part, which Urbosa greatly appreciated. She slipped a jar out from her side-strewn knapsack, taking a dab of moisturizer from its contents and dotting her arm before returning the medicament, along her full use of her hands to spread the silky concoction along her arms, contentedly watching the sunrise while her muscles beamed at being massaged after a night's rest.
"Early bird… Pah…" she heard from behind her, grinning at even Revali's grouchy attitude.
She shrugged, "I think we all do better sleeping atop the ground. Beds just make us long for home."
"Geh," Revali cowered at the thought, "Upon the ground… Yeach."
Urbosa smirked, "What, do the Rito sleep in the sky as well?"
She noticed Revali's pithy glance, which only amused her further, leaving her humming to herself as she continued her self-care, sighing fondly as Revali strode away toward the campfire before ensuring his separateness by sitting as far as he could from Daruk and the two Hylians.
Her eyes narrowed inquisitively at Daruk stomping toward her from below the nearest hill, throwing his hands up in triumph as he happily presented his morning's catch.
"Check you out," Urbosa noted in praiseworthy musings.
Daruk chuckled, "Even made of stone, we Gorons can still make hunters yet!"
The Gerudo woman watched with interest as Daruk showed off the line of rope he had used to tie up his catch, "Got a couple rabbits, and a handful of fish before collecting a few herbs."
"Not gonna make you sick again, are they?" Urbosa inquired with a grin.
"N- No," Daruk nervously assured, "That, uh- Zelda frightened me enough. Best not to get ill around her… I just figured it was the least I could do in return for our hosts' generosity."
"And for last night," Urbosa nodded knowingly.
"Eh, well- I suppose," Daruk chuckled with a nervous timbre.
A sigh escaped him mostly in silence. Standing with various creatures hanging from over his shoulder along his rope line, Daruk nervously pawed at his side, taking stock of his thoughts all while Urbosa laid an inquisitive, sidelong glance upon him. His lips yanked to one side as he mustered his words.
"Y'know, I didn't sleep much last night," he admitted, lifting his hand to show off the line, "I did most of this overnight. I was just thinking about everything, or- Well, us all getting up to Vah Rudania, anyway. I was so down about not being able to return yours and Mipha's kindness, but now that it has become a possibility to do so- Now I'm simply weighted down by the responsibility."
He groaned repeatedly, "I ran across the whole mountain in my mind's eye, thinking of routes, of potential plan b's, everything. Now I'm simply nervous."
A deep chuckle greeted him as Urbosa reached over to smack his arm, "The carefree Daruk, of all people, considering all the negative implications of his actions?!"
She crossed her arms, "Half of your notoriety comes from her penchant for wild bouts of stupidly charging, head-first, into problems, I thought."
Scratching his chin nervously, Daruk muttered, "I'd like to think there's some strategy involved…"
Another amused chuckle left Urbosa, "Look, Daruk- We have you here for a reason. You know the mountains of Eldin the best. You'll do fine guiding us; I know you will. Even if you have a Zora up there, I know you'll rise to the occasion. You're a Champion after all."
"But what if-" Daruk muttered, "What if I wasn't the right one for the job..?"
Watching him curiously, Urbosa considered what might have elicited such a thought within this Goron's mind. She slumped her shoulders as she turned toward him, breaking her arms free from her torso as she reached for one of the fist hanging over Daruk's shoulder.
"Come on," she offered, pulling the tuna free and taking a seat, whipping out a knife, "You're not about to offer uncleaned animals to the stable boys."
Daruk's brow furrowed, embarrassed that he hadn't even considered such a thing, before rushing to sit himself, carefully working on skinning the next fish along his line.
"My bad…" he spoke up weakly, "My mind's been-"
Urbosa's sharp shake of her head quieted him, "There's no time for apologies. Now, what brought all this on? Zelda chose you because you were the best for the job."
Gritting his teeth, Daruk noted, "You do recall, just a moment ago, you noted that much of my success has been boorish resilience, right?"
"So? Sometimes that's what people need," Urbosa smirked, tossing a strip of tuna scales toward a nearby tree for the various fauna of the region to consume, "You get people who spend so much time not acting, because they want plans that are airtight, or because of apprehension. You need somebody who'll simply get the job done, few questions asked. King Dorephan? That whole mess would've not happened, at least not in that way, had he simply stuck to his guns and turned away the earliest Niq people."
A droll expression met her as Daruk, "So Zelda chose me because I don't think?"
"Hey, you said it," Urbosa teased, sticking a tongue past her lips before bowing her head to focus on her knifework, "I don't know why she chose you. Except that she thought you were right for the job, and fully expected you to come into your own as such."
Still quite uncertain, Daruk allowed his eyes to wander awkwardly as his own knifework went unabated, any stray slice merely bouncing off his stony skin.
"That said," Urbosa smirked, "So far, Zelda came into her own, and then Mipha. Should current trends continue, you'd be next in line, I suppose."
Daruk rolled his eyes, though such an insinuation finally brought him to chuckle himself, shaking his head, "So far as the trails of the mountain go, there's little I haven't already confronted and conquered. It's you all I'm worried about."
"Oh ho ho," Urbosa suddenly goaded, "Even me?!"
Daruk smirked mischievously, "Perhaps most of all. and we've a Zora with us."
"Well, I'll be!" Urbosa chortled in feigned objection, joining along in a laugh as the turn turned to find Mipha walking toward them, the Gerudo happily greeting her, "Morning, Mipha!"
Such a grandiose expression left Mipha temporarily stifled as she muttered, "Uh- Morning?"
"Ah, Mipha!" Daruk charged, presenting the slivers of tuna he had managed to fillet, "How's that?!"
She scrutinized his work with a scrupulous eye, nodding carefully, "They look nice!"
"Ha!" Daruk shouted, turning toward Urbosa, "Match that!"
The Gerudo watched him with incredulous eyes, "Seriously? I could better fillet one of these with a hand tied behind my back."
She presented her own work, noting aloud as Mipha turned to examine her fillets, "Don't lie to the poor Goron; it'll go to his head."
"D-Don't lie?" Mipha questioned quietly, uncertainty lining her voice.
Urbosa gave a fierce nod, "Of course not! If Daruk is seeking a contest, I'll- Just look at how delicately smooth my fillets turned out! Right along the grain, just how it should b-"
"Actually…" Mipha frowned, "These are all wrong…"
"What?!" Urbosa cried out, sending Mipha recoiling in sudden surprise.
"I-! I-!" she stammered as Urbosa examined her fillets.
The Gerudo eyed Daruk with a piercing gaze as the Goron began to laugh heartily, grabbing his stomach, "BWAH HA HA! I told you!"
"Told me wh- These are immaculate!" Urbosa demanded, hopping to her feet and holding out the lengths of fish, "Look again!"
Mipha did as she was asked, though quickly explained, "I- I mean- I'm not saying they're not perfect, just- Most Zora would simply prefer Daruk's offering. See how he catches the most minute glances of fattiness in every segment?"
"Just out of random?!" Urbosa charged in severe questioning.
Daruk boisterously continued his racket, patting the Gerudo's shoulder, "HAH! Perhaps I am coming into my own! Who knew?!"
"Coming… into…" Mipha mouthed thoughtfully, uncertain as to his reference.
"Save it, Boulder Boy," Urbosa frowned is dis-spirit, "I'm still the arm-wrestling Queen, remember."
Daruk cleared his throat to put on the façade of a connoisseur, "It appears to me, dear lady, that my skilled hands are simply better suited for the finer things."
"Dear lady?" Urbosa goaded with a wry smirk, "You're gonna go there, eh?"
Daruk retorted with a heated glance, "I've already gone there, missy."
"Oh, it's on!" Urbosa cried out before falling back to the ground, slamming another fish atop her thighs to fillet it as well, "Grab that last one and we'll really see!"
Daruk emulated her with a zealous air that caused Mipha to step back a few paced in worry, turning to find Zelda watching the two's wild theatrics in her own exhausted look.
"Should- we do something?" Mipha questioned with worry.
Zelda shrugged, pulling a mug toward her mouth for a sip, "It might be best to simply allow them to… do whatever it is they're doing. Besides, it allowed me the chance to dig through Urbosa's packs and find what she had saved for me."
She grinned, holding up her mug in presentation, "Some nightshade spores. You add it to something warm and it melts into the best cup of anything."
Fondly staring into the mug, Zelda explained further with a homely smile, "Mom used to make it for me. I suppose Urbosa was saving it for when I got homesick."
A moment passed, with Mipha watching Zelda's warm smile stretching gradually across her face, fading only as she noticed Mipha's glance, "Sorry. You want some?"
"O- Oh, no; I couldn't!"
Thinking of Urbosa's near-ravenous quest to figure out the secret between Link and Mipha, Zelda bit her lip at Mipha's refusal, hoping to at least earn something of points before the Zora found out about her poor job at remaining secretive of their relationship, "Don't worry; it's not bad!"
"Come on!" Zelda goaded, stretching the mug out from her as far as she could.
Mipha sighed in listless resignation before offering a menial smile of her own, "Alright, I suppose."
"It's delicious! There are notes of lavender in there, with a hint of honey as well," Zelda explained in esoteric terminology.
The Zora carefully took the mug from her, careful to not dare drop it before allowing her fingers to slither into the handle. Mipha watched the darkened liquid as it reverberated from end to end, taking a quick smell to find it rather sweet, her lips curling low in discerned taste.
"Smells nice," she nodded before pulling the mug toward her.
She took a sip, allowing a quick slosh atop her tongue's pallet before swallowing, catching the warm liquid flowing through her body, making everything within her feel so much alive at that moment. She couldn't help but shiver at the sensation, causing Zelda to giggle.
"Hot," Mipha noted, suddenly coughing politely into the back of her hand.
Zelda apologized, "Sorry; I probably should have mentioned that. Was it good?"
The rolling heat within her sent Mipha's mind back to Link, catching only part of Zelda's question in full context, resulting in her reply coming across rather low, "Loved it…"
Zelda's head fell to one side, "Huh. I knew it was good, but-"
"Stable boy!" Urbosa suddenly shouted, rushing across the plains landscape surrounding the large tent of the Akkalan stable, "I assure you, my catch will be more worthy of tasting in the morning!"
"BAH!" Daruk grumbled loudly, having been tripped by the Gerudo at the start of their mad dash to seek approval from the stablehands.
The Hylian man quaked in fear as the two large bodies converged on his position, stumbling backwards until Urbosa slid to a stop before him, throwing her hands in his face with a myriad of fish fillets dangling in front of his eyes.
"Look, see? Huh? How precisely imprecise they are!" she spoke up excitedly.
Daruk clamored behind her, "No! Listen not to her lies! Only a Goron knows how to properly slice! Ask the Zora over there! she'll tell you!"
The Hylian shook in violent shock, "F- F- Fish?! For b- breakfast?!"
Zelda watched from afar with a worried brow, tapping a finger to her lips as she shook her head, "Perhaps it truly is better off we sleep on the ground…"
"Best not to get comfortable, anyway," came Link's voice as he stepped out from within the stable, his own expression one of concern as he took stock of the situations playing out before him, "Can't say I was expecting it to drive those two mad, though."
Mipha smiled abashedly, slowly offering the mug in her hand to Link while Zelda surmised quietly, "It's no more mad than any other display of camaraderie. Competition is just how those two show affection for one another."
Link cleared his throat, and while apprehensive about taking the cup from Mipha, took it for a quick sip to battle the lump in his throat resulting from Zelda's words.
"Affection in a platonic sense," Zelda assured with a smile, turning back toward the two with a gradually darkening expression, "Speaking of…affec-
"No!" cried the Hylian stablehand, cautiously pushing past the three as he covered his ears, "I'm not making fish stew for breakfast!"
Urbosa assured, "But-!"
"This will all go to waste!" Daruk shouted.
The stablehand spun around, crying out in dismay, "Then why did you cut up so much of it?!"
Unable to reply meaningfully, Daruk and Urbosa eyed one another quizzically as the Hylian groaned dejectedly, spinning around to head back into the stable, "I'll continue with the normal breakfast for everybody… Goddess…"
Sighing, Zelda ran a hand along her face, "Nothing but trouble… I'm going to have to leave a sizeable tip for the poor guys."
"At least they're making the Kingdom look better in comparison," Link shrugged, taking a sip of Zelda's brew, "Wow, that's nice. What's in it?"
He turned to Mipha, believing it to be hers, but Zelda was quick to pipe up excitedly, "Oh! It's just a concoction of tea leaves, nightshade sp- What?!"
Link immediately held out the mug for her to take, a wary look on his face, "I know better than to drink anything that you describe as a 'concoction'."
"It's not bad; even Mipha had a sip of it," Zelda grumbled, snatching the mug away from Link's unappreciative grasp.
Link's eyes wandered as he nodded in feigned agreement, suddenly zeroing in on Revali, "Why not offer some to Revali, then? That's the real test, isn't it?"
"My mother's tea is not in need of a test," Zelda grumbled, "Though, I have no trouble offering some to all of my companions on this journey. I will offer him some, but not because of your suggestion, Link."
Link frowned, throwing a fist across his body, "Darn it!"
Eyeing him cryptically for a moment, Zelda turned to wander on over to where Revali had been sitting away from the group. Link watched expectantly, even as Mipha sidled closer toward him with a grave tone in her voice.
"Uh, Link," she spoke up quietly with unease, "This morning, Urbosa-"
Link pressed a finger to his lips to silence her as he whispered, "Waaait for it…"
Mipha's expression turned curious as she turned to find Link watching Zelda standing over Revali, her mug held low in offering. After a short back and forth, the Rito suddenly took the mug for a taste, leaving Link with a rather giddy chuckle. Mipha's eyes narrowed, uncertain as to what exactly they were waiting for, until in a split second, Revali's entire body thrust forward as his head lunged toward to ground, spraying the ground with tea as he spit out what of it he had consumed, much to Zelda's horror.
Link crossed his arms, laughing under his breath before turning toward Mipha with a grin, "It's like a natural thing. No Rito can stand the taste of nightshade plants."
He caught Revali staring him down from afar, leaving Link to nod with accompaniment from his smirking grin, allowing the blame to rest solely upon his shoulders as Zelda quickly helped dry off what of the tea had gotten on Revali's feathers.
"I will say, your pranks are far more amusing when they're not aimed toward me," Mipha grinned mischievously.
Link caught her with a sure glance of his own, "Come on, they weren't ever all that bad. I was a kid; my mind is far more adept at pranks, now."
He watched Revali sputter to himself after returning the mug to Zelda for a moment longer, chuckling once again before asking of Mipha, "So, what was that about Urbosa?"
Mipha went over the Gerudo's overjoyed greeting in her mind once again, knowing it to be so out of place, particularly when the night before had been so ingrained within Mipha's mind. It only served to heighten the spotlight surrounding it- certainly, for a moment to significant for her, others would have noticed, right?
Did Urbosa know..?
Still, at the thought of Link's prank, her anxiety waned in gradual relief. Perhaps Urbosa was simply acting different to be odd or funny, or to get Mipha to believe she knew something she didn't. In any case, Mipha's mind slowly began to leave behind her uncertainty.
"It was probably nothing," Mipha replied, with only a small hint of regret in her voice.
Link shrugged, "Hmm, okay. Just let me know if it does become something. I know how she is."
He was still grinning as Zelda returned, clutching her mug angrily as she strode toward the two of them, muttering, "I bet you thought that was really funny, huh?"
"Kind of, yeah," Link assured rather happily.
Zelda eyed him with frustration, thinking how close she had come to telling him of what Urbosa knew. Now that Link had levied her unknowingly for this plot, giving Zelda more sway for when she would ask him for swordplay lessons, her expression merely softened into a knowing smile of her own.
"Well, you two enjoy yourselves then, alright?" she smiled sourly, turning to continue past them, "After breakfast, we'll be carrying on to Robbie's, alright? Don't tarry, then."
She wandered off, carefully sipping from her mug as she did so, earning two inquirous stares from Link and Mipha as she did so.
"I think it's becoming something…" Mipha eeked out.
"No kidding," Link agreed with a careful tone as he crossed his arms.