Chapter Five – the trip to Hateno
The next morning, we rose early and bathed in the chilly waters of Lantern Lake. We had stayed up later than we should have, catching up with Impa and discussing plans for the future of Hyrule. Paya had graciously offered to sleep downstairs with Impa, so after our long evening with Impa, Link and I had lain awake in Paya's room for yet another hour, discussing in whispers Paya's attraction to him and how best to tactfully handle things to prevent her from suffering too much. Finally, exhausted, we had fallen asleep holding one another. In the half-light of the growing dawn, the shock of the cold water cleared my muzzy, sleep-deprived head. I dressed once again in my riding clothes, relishing their warmth and familiar comfort.
Already the gears were beginning to whir in my head, returning to the previous night's discussion; with our greatly reduced population and limited resources, we would need to send scouts outside of Hyrule to discover if there were other countries with whom we could forge trade alliances. To my knowledge, no one in recent history had attempted such a feat, as we were isolated all around by desert, sea, and apparently bottomless chasm. The prospect was daunting, to say the least, but we needed resources we no longer had if we were going to fully rebuild. We could plant forests to replace the trees we would fell, but it would be many years before those new trees would be harvestable. I would need to speak to as many people as possible, to find out if anyone knew what lay beyond. Perhaps the Rito, since they were blessed with the gift of flight? Perhaps there was something still intact in the castle library that might shed some light.
Another possibility we would have to be prepared for was that a bigger, stronger, more populated country might see our weakness and invade and conquer Hyrule for themselves. That thought frightened me, and I desperately hoped that whoever we discovered out there would be peaceful and cooperative.
I had to force myself to put those thoughts away and focus on the tasks currently at hand. I ate breakfast absently, leaning against Link's warm side as he shoveled food into his mouth like the gourmand he was. Having him close, feeling his warmth, breathing the masculine, outdoorsy, leathery smell of him and his gear – it all combined to give me a sense of peace I don't believe I had ever really known before.
I breathed a sigh of contentedness, and Link glanced down at me. When I smiled at him, he smiled back and lovingly put his arm around me, then continued rubbing my arm as he scarfed the rest of his breakfast. It occurred to me that Link was the only man I'd ever been this physically close to. Not even my father deigned to hold me or touch me since my mother had died. I knew he had loved me, of course, in his own stern, protective way, but his love had been distant and proper, as if he had forgotten how to express affection. I was eager to settle in at Hateno, so that Link and I could finally be alone and truly rest and become reacquainted on more than one level. This physical affection was something I could become addicted to. Yes, the kingdom was desperately in need of repairs, but my heart needed a few things, too. No reason I could not deal with both things at once.
After breakfast, I visited Claree long enough to retrieve my laundered ritual gown. I was stunned to find that she and Lasli had stayed awake all night, furiously sewing one of the casual dresses I had requested.
"Claree! You shouldn't have!" I cried, accepting the bundle with gratitude.
"It's one night of sleep," she shrugged. "I couldn't let you leave with nothing but one set of riding clothes and a ritual gown you would have no need for. I'm only sorry I couldn't do more, but there wasn't time." She leaned toward me and added, voice lowered, "I put some underclothes in here, too. I figured you didn't have any but what you arrived in."
I hugged her warmly and kissed her cheek, and she promised to start right away on the wedding gown. She would send word when it was complete, so that I could come back to try it on and make any necessary adjustments.
Back at Impa's home, I stopped Paya in the midst of her breakfast cleanup. I had to ask something of her, and I was not certain how she would react, considering the recent information I had received from the seamstress.
"Paya, a word, please?"
"Of course, my lady," Paya squeaked, dropping everything and coming to stand subserviently before me.
"Paya," I intoned scoldingly, lifting her chin and forcing her to look into my eyes. "Friends, remember?" I smiled gently, and she smiled bashfully back at me and nodded.
"I have a great favor to ask of you."
"Yes, my lady, anything you wish."
"I feel I may be asking presumptuously, but because you are the beloved granddaughter of my dearest old friend, and because you and I are going to be good friends as well, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you first: would you be so kind as to stand with me at my wedding as my maiden of honor?" I cringed inwardly as the words left my lips. Would this request hurt her?
To her credit, Paya only allowed her pain the briefest flicker in her eyes. She grasped my hands excitedly. I do believe she forgot herself momentarily, as I had yet to see her touch another person first.
"Oh, Princess, I would be so honored. Thank you so much for asking me. How could I possibly say no? When will the ceremony be held? Have you decided on a date yet?"
"Not precisely, but very soon. Within the next month or so, I expect. Claree must make my wedding gown first. You will be the first to know," I promised.
Next, I sought out Impa. I quietly voiced my concerns about Paya's feelings and how guilty I felt that she was the odd one out in our unwitting lover's triangle.
"Paya is stronger than she appears," Impa assured me gently. "She understands that in Hyrule, history repeats itself time and again, and that certain people – you, Link, me, Ganon, even Epona – are inextricably linked, if you'll forgive the pun. So don't worry about Paya. Besides," Impa smiled, well, impishly, "Robbie tells me his son Granté is a little older than Paya, and is making a good living selling specialized armor. Hylia knows where he gets it, but it seems to be a lucrative business. Robbie's promised to send Granté to Kakariko to visit me, and in the process, we shall see if he and Paya make a spark. Don't tell Paya, but I've had a vision of her children. Let's just say we'll have a fine new Sheikah family in the near future to carry on the time-honored traditions. Paya will be a changed woman by the time she takes my place.
"Now, don't you think it's time you let your hero show you the way to his home? You've dallied here long enough. Methinks a certain healthy young knight is in need of a little tender care, and I know a certain lonely Princess who needs to learn what a loving touch feels like. Safe travels, Zelda. Carry my love and best wishes with you, old friend. You have your whole life still ahead of you, and I hope to see as much of it as I can before my time is done."
Link had prepared the horses while I had been at Enchanted, and had gone for food supplies at the grocer while I spoke with Paya and Impa. He had returned to the house just as Impa and I finished our little talk. He and I said fond goodbyes to Impa and Paya before leaving the house, and then bid farewell to Dorian and Cado, who were already at their posts at the bottom of the long staircase. I allowed Link to help me mount, then sat upon Cavalier to wait for him to mount.
Suddenly, Koko and Cottla came running out of Dorian's house, slamming the door behind them.
"Master Link! Master Link! Wait!"
Link turned and knelt to be on their level as they pelted down the hill into him, throwing their arms around him and giggling madly. Link laughed at being the object of their exuberant affection.
"We thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye!" Koko cried indignantly.
"You wouldn't do that, would you, Master Link?" Cottla whined.
"Now, why would I be so coarse as to leave two fine young ladies behind without a backward glance?" Link consoled them with a twinkle in his eye, wrapping one arm around each of the girls and squeezing them to his sides. He fondly kissed the tops of each of their heads, and they giggled and blushed, squirming energetically.
"You didn't play hide-and-seek with me, Master Link," Cottla pouted.
"And for that I must heartily beg your forgiveness, young lady," Link said solemnly, bowing his head in mock shame. "I had little time to spend here on this visit, and business to conduct. I leave you with this promise: I will play hide-and-seek with you AND we will race the next time I visit. Deal?"
Cottla grinned, placated. "Deal. But you better come back again soon."
Link held up a pinky to her, and she twined her pinky with his in a very solemn oath. "Deal."
Link rose and mounted Epona, smiling and winking at Dorian as he swung into the saddle. My heart swelled and tears sprang up in my eyes as I imagined him as the father of my own children. He tended to be very childlike himself, especially since his awakening in the Shrine of Resurrection without his memory; it seemed only natural that he was so good with children. One more item to add to the growing list of reasons I loved him.
The trip was long, and because we were traveling mostly at a trot, we stopped frequently to let the horses rest a bit, as well as to stretch our own aching bodies. I hoped this would be the last time we had to travel long-distance on horseback for a while. I still had to fight down horrible anxiety as we rode through the northern side of Blatchery Plain toward Fort Hateno. Link saw me shudder and rode closer to me, extending his arm and offering me strength with his steady gaze; I took his hand, and we rode side-by-side past the dreaded site. His firm grip reassured me, and I forcefully pushed the image of Link's battered, lifeless boy from my mind. I wondered if I would ever be able to pass this place without this feeling of horror, as Link had conditioned himself to do.
We stopped and picnicked at Fort Hateno. It was a pleasant, shady glade; Link picked apples and shot down a nest of courser bees, then made honeyed apples. He had procured some cooked chicken from a passing vendor; we ate the chicken and fruit together for a satisfying lunch. Link fed the horses some of the swift carrots he'd bought in Kakariko, then we continued onward.
"Five more hours," Link advised. "A bit longer with stops, but we should still be in Hateno before nightfall."
As promised, we reached Hateno just around suppertime, and we stopped just beyond the archway at the entrance to the village. Lanterns were already being lit, the early evening sun slanted in golden rays between tree boughs and chimneys, and the smells of roasting meat and steaming vegetables wafted from the community cooking area at the center of town to our twitching nostrils. Link's stomach growled loudly and impertinently, making me laugh.
You only have to smell the food, don't you?" I teased.
"Smell it? All I have to do is THINK about it," he smiled, one corner of his mouth turning up. "We'll get you acquainted with the town in the morning. My home is this way." He gestured to an uphill pathway on the right, just before the general store. He flicked the rein and clicked at Epona, who began clip-clopping once again, and we rode up the hill, past some rather unsightly model houses that did not fit in with the rest of the village, and across a long, sturdy bridge over a deep gorge.
Link's house was modest yet homey, of the same architecture as the rest of Hateno Village, with a quaint sign in front that declared "Master Link." Link led us around the side of the house to a small stable just big enough for our two horses. We removed their saddles and tethered both horses and saddles to the rails, then Link brought out a huge bag of Tabantha wheat he'd been keeping in the storeroom out back, pouring it into the feed troughs. He tossed in a few endura carrots and apples for good measure, then set about filling a bucket and bringing water from the pond to fill the water troughs, explaining that he planned to have a well dug eventually, but he just hadn't been home enough yet.
Together, we rubbed our horses down and settled them in for the evening, then Link made me aware of the privy he had had built next to the apple tree, saying that was something he hadn't wanted to put off, more important than the well, in his opinion. I had to agree.
"Your cookpot is already lit," I remarked as we walked across the front of the house. By this time the sun was low enough in the western sky that I could gaze directly at it.
"Yes, I know," he replied, sounding mystified. "I don't know how or why, but it's always lit, even in the rain. The goddess must care enough about me to know how important food is to me, eh?" He grinned and elbowed me gently, then opened the front door and held it, sweeping his arm in a gesture to indicate that I should enter first.
Link's home was what one might expect the home of a traveling warrior to look like. His most prized weapons, bows, and shields were on display on the dining room walls. His bed was small and neat, as he was seldom there to use it. And to my surprise, a large print of the photo Purah had taken of the Champions on our inauguration day was prominently displayed on his bedroom wall.
I gasped in wonder and delight at the sight. "Link! Wherever did you get this?"
"A Rito friend of mine," he said, standing next to me and smiling fondly at the picture. "A traveling bard named Kass. He said his teacher was once the court poet and musician at Hyrule Castle. Kass gave me this picture after I completed a trial in the great machine under the Great Plateau. I assume it came from his teacher. When I saw that picture, it was like the last piece of the puzzle. Everything came flooding back to me. I remember everything now." He looked sad, though, and I asked him why.
He shrugged and sighed. "No matter. What's done is done. Our fellow Champions are gone, the castle is unfit to live in, and the world has moved on. We should move on with it, I guess."
"At least we still have each other, and Impa, Purah, and Robbie are still with us. Even King Dorephan. The old Hyrule isn't completely gone from our lives." I tried to sound optimistic, but the truth was that I was sore and tired from spending most of the last three days in the saddle, and I was feeling inclined to melancholy myself.
Link wasn't as worn as I was; months of constant travel had inured him to the discomfort of long-distance riding. After a quick trip back down the hill to the general store, he returned and cooked a hearty dinner of salmon meuniere. We sat close together and relaxed under the tree, eschewing the dining table inside, as the sun dipped below the horizon and the stars began to appear.
After finishing my meal, I began to doze a bit as I listened to the chirp of crickets and the crackle of the fire, and when my head fell heavily onto Link's shoulder, I snapped back awake as Link chuckled in amusement. He stood, pulling me to my feet after him.
"Let's get to bed, Princess," he said gently, and the title sounded more like a pet name to me now than a formal address. It warmed my heart. He gathered up our dishes and brought them inside with us to be washed later.
We stripped down to our smallclothes and nestled together in Link's little bed, spooning. I could feel Link's erection against my bottom, though he made no move to initiate any lovemaking, knowing how exhausted I was. He simply wrapped his top arm around my waist and buried his face in my hair, kissing my neck tenderly. It was so intensely comforting to feel his warm skin against mine. But it sent my thoughts back to that night in my bedchamber at the castle.
The day after Link's visit to my room, I had sought out Impa and asked her to explain everything she knew about marital relations. Of course, I could not tell her of what had happened between me and Link. Instead, I told her that I had been examining the medical text in the library and was curious to know about what to expect on my wedding night, should I ever marry. She had kindly shared the knowledge she had, and it had made me eager to get Link alone again. Unfortunately, that opportunity had never come. I had to redouble my efforts at the Springs, and Link and I had spent most of our time going back and forth between Akkala and Faron, still achieving nothing, until the fateful day I was finally, and unsuccessfully, able to visit Mount Lanayru, the day Ganon had awakened, but my stubborn power still hadn't. But now that I relived that day in my mind, I finally realized what Mipha was going to say before all hell broke loose. She was going to tell me that when she called forth her healing power, she thought about someone she cares deeply for. I smiled to myself as I slipped down toward slumber. It was rather bittersweet and ironic, really. We both thought of Link to call forth our powers.