Chapter 4 – a day in Kakariko

It began raining during the night and was still raining by morning. The sound was so peaceful, neither of us wanted to get out of bed. But rise we did; I still felt heavy and sluggish, and sore and weary from riding. At least I had slept without nightmares. I credited it to the soothing blue nightshade tea Link had given me before bed.

We availed ourselves of the wash basins, soap, and water Rensa had set out for us, washing our hands and faces; then, feeling a bit more refreshed, we stood in the doorway and watched the rain, absently munching on a breakfast of apples and goat cheese, our brains flickering slowly back to life.

Tasseren took note of me shivering in my filthy ritual dress and pulled a cloak from behind his counter. "Some traveler left this here last month and has never returned to claim it. Please take it, my lady. And safe travels."

Link had paid for our beds last night, so when Rensa appeared with our mounts, all we had to do was climb aboard and go - after Link bid farewell to the stable dog, of course. We rode in silence, each thinking our own bleary thoughts under the hoods of our cloaks.

2Finally, Link spoke.

"How did you do it, Princess?" he inquired with a hint of awe. "How did you hold Ganon in submission, alone, for an entire century?"

I collected my thoughts for a moment, figuring out the words to describe it. "Once I unlocked my power, I discovered that I could exist in two different states. When I connected with the goddess within me, my body went into a form of suspended animation, much as yours did while you were in the Shrine of Resurrection. That is how I, too, have remained physically young. But my spirit entered the spiritual realm, where time is almost as nothing. The subjective time I spent there was probably more like a year, and thankfully, in that state, I did not require sleep or food. Even so, I had great difficulty holding him alone for very long. He was stronger than me, and there were times I feared he would overpower me, but he was not stronger than both of us combined. We are two parts of the Triforce; he is only one. I know it seemed I must be rushing you along your quest, but I was so afraid I would lose my hold before you were ready to help me."

I turned to face him. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question." Link looked back at me and nodded, looking somewhat tense. "When you first entered my service, you hardly spoke. But you have spoken more in the last two days than I ever heard you speak the entire time you were my knight. What has changed?"

He smiled, appearing relieved that I hadn't asked him something more difficult. "It's simple, really. My father always told me that in battle, and in other dangerous situations, it's better to keep your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open. Pay attention to your surroundings. Keep your mind focused. When I was protecting you, and our kingdom was being overtaken by more and more monsters, and Ganon's return was imminent, every moment felt like a dangerous moment. I had to stay alert to keep you safe.

"Of course, there were other reasons, as well. You were my Princess; I was your employee. I did not speak unless spoken to. But the more you tried to draw me out, the more you shared of your own feelings, the more I relaxed in your company. I always found you physically beautiful – at times it was almost debilitating – but as I learned more about you, witnessed your struggles and your difficult relationship with your father, saw how intelligent you were and how much you loved your people and wanted to protect them, the more I admired the person that you are, and I found myself falling hopelessly in love with you. Then my desire to protect you was more my own than it was my sense of duty."

He stopped talking and looked at me for a moment with one eyebrow cocked, a glint of chastisement in his eyes. "For the record, you really pissed me off when you slipped away from me in Gerudo."

I dropped my head, blushing. "I was foolish. I'm sorry for that, Link."

"I'm just thankful I caught up to you in the nick of time," he replied. "And in case you ever wondered" – here he cast a sidelong glance at me to make sure he had my attention – "that night in your room was the happiest night of my life."

My entire body flushed icy hot, and I blushed even more and nodded. That night had remained just in the back of my mind ever since it had happened. "It was mine, too," I concurred.

Not surprisingly, Impa was prepared for us when we arrived. She has her ways of knowing things that have always been a mystery to me. She hugged me with much more strength and vigor than I would have thought possible at her advanced age. We both wept a little. The only words she had for Link were, "Took you long enough, hero," but she embraced him with the same enthusiasm she had shown me. She introduced me to her lovely granddaughter, Paya, who was the spitting image of Impa at that age. I wondered at that: Impa had not been married the last time I saw her, much less a mother. What had happened to her child, or children, and what had happened to the man who was the father? But now was not the time to ask.

We feasted on the bountiful food of Kakariko: carrot soup, meat stuffed pumpkins, and apple pie, washing it down with plum wine. Link ensured that nothing went to waste; I do believe his tunic looked a bit tight in the midsection after the meal. Paya cleared the table as Impa filled me in on the events of the kingdom since I had been away, and I noticed her casting surreptitious glances at Link as she bustled about.

"Zelda," Impa said suddenly, eyeing me appraisingly, "why don't we do something about that gown?"

In all the commotion and conversation, I had forgotten that I was still wearing the dirty ritual gown. I glanced down at myself, then back up at Impa, shrugging and smiling sheepishly. "You know me, Impa. I don't have a problem with getting my hands – or the rest of me – dirty."

"Well, I'm sure Claree would be happy to launder it for you this evening, and it'll be good as new in the morning. I insist that you spend the night before heading on to Hateno. It's a very long ride. The only stable between here and there is Dueling Peaks, and even that is out of the way."

"It's an all-day trip, including rest and meal stops along the way," Link confirmed.

My inner thighs and bottom were so sore, the thought of another ten hours in the saddle was depressing. "All right, we will stay, but I need some clothing. Everything I owned was destroyed in the castle."

Impa nodded sagely. "Not everything," she smiled. She went to the shelf on the south wall, under the picture of Blatchery Plain, and pulled out a storage box. She handed it to me, and I removed the covering, peering within. There were my old riding boots, riding breeches, and blue tunic.

I clutched the tunic to my chest, grinning at Impa. "How did you know?"

"Zelda, you should know better than to ask me that by now. I have my ways. My visions help me sometimes.

"Of course," she continued, "you'll want to expand on your wardrobe, and Claree is quite talented. I'm sure she'll be honored to design you some lovely new dresses... maybe even a wedding dress." She arched an eyebrow at me knowingly, and I gave her a sidewise, half-scolding, half-guilty smile. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the tips of Link's ears turn red.

"Sometimes I really think you know too much, Impa." I kissed her soft, wrinkled cheek. "But thank you. I will speak to Claree about it when I take my ritual gown to her."

"You can change upstairs in Paya's room."

"Thank you," I said again, heading for the stairs.

Paya was already up there, writing furiously in what appeared to be a diary.

"Oh! Paya! I'm so sorry to disturb you," I fumbled.

Paya's face was bright red as she put the book away hurriedly. "It's okay, Princess. I can finish later. How may I help you?"

"Lady Impa said I could change my clothes up here. Is that all right? I don't want to impose."

"Please, Princess, my room is your room. I can step out for a moment."

"No, stay, please. I am used to ladies-in-waiting seeing me dress, and besides, I would like to get to know you better! Impa has always been like family to me, and any kin of Impa's is kin of mine. I want us to be friends."

Paya got up from the floor where she had been sitting before her writing table and settled onto her bed instead. "I am honored to be considered kin to a princess, my lady. Grandmother has told me many stories about you. I almost feel I already know you. It was the same when I met Master Link. I am excited to get to know you, as well, my lady."

As I changed, we spoke of Paya's life in Kakariko. She was devoted to her revered grandmother, and to the traditions of the Sheikah tribe. She was lonely, as there were no Sheikah men her age in the village, yet she herself had never left the village. I felt sad for her; no wonder she was so fascinated with Link. When had she ever seen a young man her own age? I hugged her warmly, and she timidly returned my hug.

"I would love for you to come and visit with me and Link once we are settled into our home in Hateno," I told her, pulling on my comfortable boots. "Perhaps you'll find a love there – although I don't believe there are any other Sheikah living there besides Purah and Symin."

Paya looked slightly crestfallen and uncomfortable. "Perhaps," she acceded. I felt a pang of guilt; I believe she may have had her sights set on Link, poor dear. I hadn't meant to rub my relationship with him in her face. I hoped that wouldn't keep us from being close.

Link's eyes lit up when I came downstairs in my old familiar clothes. I smiled and lifted my bundled gown. "I'm taking this to Claree. Would you please show me where to find her?"

Link walked me to Enchantment and introduced me to both Lasli (Claree's assistant) and Claree herself. He then handed me his bulging money pouch and excused himself, not wanting to be involved in any boring girl talk. I handed over my gown, then commissioned Claree to create 5 more sets of riding breeches and tunics, two casual dresses, a formal gown, and a wedding gown. I'm sure she hadn't had such a lucrative influx of business in all her time as a seamstress. As she measured me top to bottom, she babbled about how exciting it was to have been able to become acquainted with the hero of legend and how everyone in town already loved him dearly, especially Paya, who blushed furiously anytime anyone mentioned his name.

Lasli interjected about how Link had graciously brought fireflies to her home so she could enjoy the sight of them at night, since even up here in the relative safety of the mountains, there had been a curfew enacted and she was not free to go outside at night. She told me how Dorian's girls, Koko and Cottla, enjoyed playing with Link and cooking "special" meals for him – after their mother's death, they had only Dorian, and Link had become like a big brother or an uncle to them. Link had even braved Cado's cuccos and spent a day returning the creatures to their coop – "without even a peck or scratch!" Lasli exclaimed in wonder. I smiled at that; Link, for all his fearsome battle skills, was gentle and naturally gifted with animals. Tears came to my eyes as I considered how deeply he had endeared himself to these people. Truly, who could NOT love Link?

Claree finished and stood, placing her tape measure, pencil, and notepad on the counter. Facing me, she gushed that she was exceedingly flattered to be catering to me, the princess of Hyrule, even though I demurred that I was no longer a princess, as the monarchy had been destroyed a century ago.

"I still see you as a princess," she said somberly. "Always will. We Sheikah will always be proud to serve the royal family, no matter their incarnation. And we thank you for all you have done for us and the rest of the kingdom."

I hugged her warmly and thanked her for the expert care and stimulating conversation. "I'm afraid Link and I will be needing the wedding gown as soon as possible," I advised her a bit sheepishly. "I hate to put you on the spot, but we'll begin making our arrangements as soon as we reach Hateno, so that will need to take precedence over all the other clothes. We intend to marry as soon as possible, outdoors, and it's still the warm season, so the dress will need to be cool enough that I don't sweat half to death in it!" I laughed at the thought of getting married with straggly, sweaty hair and running makeup. "You can take your time with the rest. I still have my riding clothes, and I'm sure I can procure another outfit or two of some sort in Hateno, though I'm sure their quality will be overshadowed by the quality of YOUR work."

Claree blushed at the compliment. "I'm so excited to be designing a royal wedding gown! I'm having ideas already."

I looked around at the displays, and as an afterthought, I bought the Hylian cloak. The shabby one Tasseren had given me had served its purpose well enough, but this cloak was made of thick wool from highland sheep, so it would be both warm and rain-resistant.

Having spent enough rupees for the time being, I bid Claree and Lasli farewell and went outside. Link and Cado were across the path, leaning on the fence of Cado's cucco pen and talking idly. Link straightened as I approached.

I nodded politely at Cado before speaking to Link. "I'm sorry to say I spent quite a lot of your rupees," I blushed. "But I do need clothes, and unfortunately the reserves at the castle were looted long ago."

Link smiled, took my hand, and kissed it. "It's all right, Princess. I'm pretty good at making lots of money. Even in this scaled-down version of Hyrule, there are plenty of ways to make a profit. Especially if you're not afraid of taluses. I can also seek out ore deposits in the mountains. There's a Gerudo jewel dealer I see at Goron City quite often, and I know a man in Zora Domain who gives out diamonds almost as if they're candy. So don't ever feel bad about spending 'my' money. You are a princess and deserve to be treated as such." He was still holding my hand, and I smiled gratefully and squeezed his hand.

We bid farewell to Cado and walked around the village for a while, enjoying the sights of peaceful domesticity. Link introduced me to everyone, including Rola the fletcher, Cado's estranged wife, who was a little too taken with Link. I suppressed my amusement and realized that this would be a common occurrence all over Hyrule. After we left the sundries shop, I teased him about his irresistibility.

"Is there a woman in Hyrule who isn't completely smitten with you?"

"Well, there IS this one girl at Outskirt Stable," he grinned, casting a saucy sidelong glance at me. "She said she was waiting for the hero of legend, but when she found out I was him, she decided I wasn't her type."

Good, I thought, even the legendary hero needs to be knocked down a peg or two now and then. I smiled to myself but did not voice that thought to Link.

Link took me up to the glade behind the shrine that overlooked the village and showed me the silent princess flowers that grew there near a great flower-shaped fountain. "They're becoming more common," he smiled. "You've heard the lore, right?"

"Lore? I don't recall hearing any lore regarding the silent princess before the Calamity," I replied, shaking my head.

"They say that if you swear your undying love over a freshly picked blossom, you and your love will live a charmed life." He plucked a single flower and held it between us. "Zelda, my princess, my dearest friend and love of my life, I pledge to you my undying love. May it live on even after our bodies have grown old and died."

I had the urge to chastise him for picking a flower that was still so rare, but I was deeply touched by his display, and my desire to reciprocate the sentiment overpowered my momentary outrage. I placed my hands over his, holding the flower with him. I was on the verge of tears once again, and my voice came out husky. "Link, my steadfast knight, lover of my very soul, I pledge to you my undying love. May our love live on in the legends of Hyrule for as long as the world continues to spin." We sealed our vows with the most tender of kisses, then Link twined the flower in my hair, and we walked back to Impa's home hand in hand.