Chapter Seven – making a home and making the rounds
After we'd dressed and eaten breakfast, Link took me to see Seldon, the self-appointed resident tour guide, for a personal tour of the village; he then tagged along holding my hand as we jogged, laughing, after Seldon. Seldon huffed and puffed as he led me from one point of interest to another: East Wind, the general store; the Kochi Dye Shop; the mayor's house; the community cooking area; the Great Ton Pu Inn. Seldon informed me sadly that, according to travelers, Hateno Village was the largest remaining town in Hyrule, followed closely by Kakariko. From the small bridge beyond the inn, he wheezingly pointed up the hill and explained that there was a small sheep and cow farm up there, beyond the windmills. Of course, he didn't have to tell me that beyond all that lay the research lab where Purah resided; I could see it from the village and I planned to visit there at my earliest convenience. It didn't take Seldon long to get tired of touring and go back home, but his home also happened to be the Ventest Clothing Boutique, which he ran with the help of his very shy daughter, Sophie.
The boutique only had men's clothing on display, but Sophie showed me to the shelves off to the side, where women's items were folded and stacked neatly. She explained that her father was the one who designed and stitched the clothing, but she was the one who measured each customer for the most perfect fit. They displayed men's clothes because men's sizing was so standard; women had such widely varying body shapes that they didn't keep many ready-made items on hand. Each piece was exclusively tailored to the individual. I went ahead and explored the small selection, anyway, not wishing to wait for a custom-made item. There was one lovely burgundy dress that fit just a little bit large; it would do nicely until Claree had the rest of my clothes ready.
Link gallantly offered to take my dress back to the house while I waited at the town bulletin board. I smiled politely at the two women who were obviously gossiping near the water tank. They smiled back briefly and went back to talking. I was quite sure they were gossiping about me and Link. When he returned, he took my hand once again and we walked in amiable silence up the hill toward the research lab. We passed a young lady sitting on a stool near the windmill; Link introduced her as Ralera. Ralera and her husband Rhodes took shifts monitoring the windmills; Ralera had moved to Hateno from the small southern fishing village of Lurelin. She was a lovely, friendly young woman; she welcomed me to Hateno and offered both her friendship and her service if ever I needed anything.
A little further uphill, some village children were spying on the research lab from behind trees. Once we were out of earshot, Link explained that they were waiting to see the little Sheikah girl.
"Little Sheikah girl?" I puzzled, not understanding.
"You'll see for yourself," he grinned, shaking his head a bit. "Purah's failed experiment."
"Oh, dear," I replied, beginning to see the picture forming in my mind.
Sure enough, upon entering the lab, my eyes were met by an adorable Sheikah girl with huge glasses, who carried herself in a very familiar way. Her mannerisms and her way of speaking to the old man on the other side of the room left no doubt in my mind that this was Purah. When she left off speaking to the man and turned and saw me with Link, she shrieked with joy.
"Princess! I had feared I'd never see you again, but here you are, looking the same as last time!" She snatched the Sheikah slate from Link's hip and held it out to him, insisting that he take a picture of me and her together. Link obliged with a wry, lopsided smile.
Once the obligatory picture had been stored on the slate, I accosted Purah. "I must say, Purah, that you do NOT look the same as the last time I saw you. To be honest, I expected you to look much as Impa does. What have you done to yourself?"
She flushed slightly. "Oh, nothing I can't handle. My anti-aging experiment went just a little too right."
I frowned at her. "Purah, 'a little too right' is the same thing as 'wrong.' How do you propose to get yourself back to your proper age?"
"I don't WANT to be my proper age," she declared flippantly.
"Well, at the very least, wouldn't you rather be an adult again, and skip over the awkward pimply teenage years, and the dubious joys of puberty? Have you at least been trying to reverse the effects?"
She waved me away dismissively. "I'll get around to it. I've had more pressing matters to attend to, like repairing and upgrading this slate, for example."
I knew that this battle would be a lost cause and decided to simply get down to business. "Speaking of this slate, Purah, I was wondering… do you or Robbie have the equipment to create a second one?"
Purah thought for a moment, her child's face scrunching up rather adorably, though I certainly wouldn't tell her that. "Why do you want a second one?"
"Only one of us can travel with the slate, so we just spent the better part of three days riding from the castle, to Kakariko, to Hateno. I thought if we had a second one…"
"Say no more," Purah cut in. "We don't have the parts or the technology to create a second slate, but I've actually already given this some thought; had a feeling this situation might arise." She gave me a meaningful look filled with naughtiness. "I might be able to tweak it a bit to allow for two people to travel together, provided you're touching each other when you use it. That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" She winked quite openly at me, so that Symin and Link could see as well, and I couldn't help but smile and blush. Link just rolled his eyes, and Symin shook his head.
"No, Purah, that won't be a problem at all," I said with heated cheeks.
"Hokay, you and Linky are going to have to leave the slate with me for a day or two. Symin can send one of those little village kids down to you with a message when it's ready."
Link and I said our goodbyes and headed back down the hill, taking a detour to the south to visit Hateno Beach. There was a lovely pond with a waterfall on the way down, and we stopped there to cool our feet and rest.
"Have you given any thought to where you'd like to hold our ceremony?" Link asked idly, kicking his feet back and forth and making little splashes.
"There are so many beautiful places in Hyrule," I sighed. "I can't think of any one place that would be suitable. What about you?"
"Well," he began, "if you'd like a tropical getaway, I believe Lover's Pond in Faron would be the perfect place."
I had heard of Lover's Pond but had never been there. Link told me that the Gerudo actually seek it out when they leave Gerudo Town to find mates. "It's a popular place for lovers to find their true loves, and I think it would be just as fine a place to hold a wedding. It's at the top of Tuft Mountain, which overlooks Lurelin Village. I've made friends with everyone there, and in fact, Ralera is the daughter of the Lurelin Village elder. Perhaps she would like to come to our wedding as an excuse to visit her father."
"That sounds perfect," I agreed. "But I think we should wait until Purah returns the Sheikah slate to us before we start making arrangements. I don't care if I ever sit atop a horse again, or at least for a month or so."
We dried our now-cool feet and put our stockings and boots back on, then continued down the slope to the beach, where we collected a goodly number of razorclaw crabs as our contribution to the communal village dinner that night. By the time we had climbed back up the hill and descended back into town, the late afternoon sun was fading and the smells of food already cooking were drifting over the central area. We hurried to put the crabs to boil, then helped ourselves to a delicious stew of Hateno beef, vegetables, and Hylian rice.
After dinner, I helped wash pots and pans while Link entertained the children with a game of tag. My heart swelled as I watched him surreptitiously while I worked; he would be such a wonderful father someday. Already I found myself wishing for both a son and a daughter with him: a daughter to carry on the goddess blood and sealing power that seemed to only belong to the female descendants of the royal family, and a son to follow in Link's noble footsteps. Of course, children would have to come later; I had many plans forming for the reconstruction of Hyrule, and I also simply wanted to mend my heart and become a truly whole woman before devoting much of my life to the rearing of Hyrule's future leaders. Of course, most selfish of all was my desire to simply enjoy the sweet romance that Link and I had begun, and lose myself in only him, for as long as possible.
While we waited for the slate, Link and I busied ourselves during the daylight hours with helping the villagers with various tasks. The farmer on the hill asked Link to shoot some of the deer that were overrunning the area, and then help with preparing the meat and skins for winter storage and garments. I stayed in town and got to know Uma, the old woman who monitored the common cooking area at the center of town. She was also the village midwife. I helped her and the other women prepare the food and keep an eye on the local children who played around the town while the grownups went about their work. Being in such a central location allowed me to get to know the rest of the villagers, and Link and I contributed to and shared the evening meals with everyone before retiring to our home and continuing our exploration of each other.
It was only a couple of days, as Purah had promised, before Karin, the mayor's daughter, came to see me and inform me that Link's and my presence was requested at the research lab. I gave her a red rupee to go find Link in Retsam Forest and have him meet me where the road forks between the lab and Hateno Beach so that we could go together, then I excused myself from Uma and began walking up the hill.
Once Link arrived, we went to the lab and received instructions from Purah on how to use the slate together. It was rather simple, but she was so proud of herself that we listened attentively, anyway. One useful feature she had added was the ability to teleport with a horse as well as with another person, though the fact remained that only two beings could travel at once. You simply had to select an option for "single entity" or "two entities." She made us try it out, and we teleported together from the lab to the Myahm Agana shrine and back again.
While at the lab, we informed Purah and Symin of the location we had chosen for our wedding and invited them to come to the reception.
"Link tells me that there's not enough room around the pond at the mountaintop for all our invited guests," I explained, "but we plan to arrange a feast at Lurelin Village so that everyone can be included. We insist that you come!"
Purah seemed hesitant about revealing her too-youthful state to Robbie and Impa, but in the end she couldn't resist our enthusiasm. She hadn't attended a wedding since Robbie and Jerrin had gotten married, forty-five years ago. Symin, on the other hand, had no reservations about attending; he had spent far too long cooped up with Purah in the lab and welcomed the opportunity to mingle with people from outside of Hateno. He accepted our invitation with joy.
"We don't know an exact date yet," I apologized, "as we're still waiting for my dress to be completed. We were also waiting for the slate to be upgraded so we can make our arrangements in person without having to ride for days. But we will certainly let you know when everything is solidified."
We spent the next couple of days planning our ceremony, contacting those who could perform the necessary preparations. With the aid of the Sheikah slate, Link took me to Lurelin Village to speak to Rozel, the village elder, about holding our reception there. Link offered to pay handsomely, and told Rozel that we had invited Ralera and her husband Rhodes so they could visit. Of course, Rozel was more than happy to assist us with our wish; Link had helped them with a monster infestation that was inhibiting their ability to fish, and had also shared the treasure Rozel had told him about at the bottom of the sea. Rozel tried to insist that Link owed him nothing for arranging the feast and lodging for our guests, but Link would not hear it. He gave Rozel five thousand rupees in advance and promised another five thousand the day of the feast.
Rozel conceded with tears in his eyes. "You have done so much for our little village, young hero. It is my great honor to do this for you. I believe we can have your wedding tent constructed, more benches and tables built, and all the food gathered and ready in about three weeks."
We assured him that this would be fine; I was confident that Claree would have my dress prepared before then, and Link planned to simply wear the royal guard uniform he had found within the ruins of the castle, in a tribute both to his father and to his former hope to become a member of the royal guard himself, in his father's footsteps.
Next on the agenda was to visit the various domains and invite the leaders and the people who had assisted Link with accessing the Divine Beasts. We placed the travel token right in front of our house before setting out, for the sake of convenience. Visiting the four corners of Hyrule was a bittersweet undertaking for me; though Link had come to know all the current residents of these places, I knew very few of them myself. Nearly everyone I had once known, with the exception of those in Zora Domain and the Sheikah who had served at Hyrule Castle, were long dead.
We visited Tarrey Town first; Kapson, the old Zora priest, had believed that Hudson and Rhondson would be the last couple he had the honor to marry before he died, so he was both humbled and ecstatic that we were asking him to officiate at our nuptials. His last wish in life would be granted twice, and he averred that he would die a happy man having married the last princess of Hyrule to her beloved knight.
Link also stopped in to see Granté. We invited him to the wedding feast in the hopes that he and Paya would find each other; we hinted to him of this in a not-so-subtle manner. Granté appraised us knowingly but with a smile on his face, and agreed to come, saying he had planned to visit Kakariko, anyway, and could simply do so on the road either to or back from Lurelin. His quests for rare armor took him all over Hyrule, and he was overdue to visit his ancestral home.
Next, we visited Zora's Domain. I was pleased and proud to see what a fine young man Sidon had become, and I was delighted with his exuberance and willingness to help. I could see that he was greatly impressed with Link, and had become Link's most loyal and steadfast friend. He nearly burst out of his skin with pride when Link asked him to stand with him as his groomsman at the ceremony. I feared he would crush Link when he picked him up bodily in a hearty bear hug. He even did it to me, spinning around in circles, all decorum thrown aside in his childlike joy. I hugged him back for dear life, laughing, until he set me back on my feet.
We tried to invite King Dorephan, but he politely declined, citing his old age and inability to move about as freely as he once had.
We didn't stay long in Goron City, as Link was the only one with flamebreaker armor and my fireproof elixirs didn't last long. We visited Bludo and invited him and Yunobo, bought a bit of Goron spice at the market, and traded gems for rupees with the Gerudo jewel dealer who seemed to have taken up permanent residence at the inn. I fleetingly wondered why she continued to use elixirs instead of buying armor, but didn't ask her; to each her own, I figured. According to Link, the armor WAS very hot and heavy, and he was always quite sweaty when he finally took it off.
Rito Village was quite literally a breath of fresh air after the heat of Goron City. Actually, it was so cool that Link bought me a snowquill tunic from the Rito tailor to help me stay warm. We spoke with Kaneli, the elder, to invite him, and he accepted but he informed us that Teba had been secluded at the Flight Range ever since Ganon's defeat, so we would need to seek him out there. Before going, however, Link introduced me to Kass and his lovely daughters. Kass bowed deeply to me in a very courtly manner, taking my hand and pressing his beak to it in lieu of the usual Hylian-style kiss.
"What a profound honor to meet you in person, Princess," he said reverently. "My teacher was employed in your court; he taught me everything he knew about you, the royal family, the legends, and the songs of antiquity. I have become well acquainted with your knight, as our paths crossed frequently throughout our respective journeys." He nodded companionably to Link.
"Kass," Link spoke up, "we would like to ask a great boon of you."
"Anything within my abilities, Master Link."
"We wish to marry three weeks hence. Would you honor us by playing at our ceremony, and perhaps at the feast afterwards, to entertain the guests? Your wife and daughters would be welcome, too, of course."
Kass's feathers fluffed with pride. "Indeed, Master Link, it would be MY honor to be a part of the festivities. A wedding such as yours will surely go down in history."
"Well," I demurred, "we won't be having anything ostentatious, I'm afraid. We wish to have a few choice guests at the ceremony itself, and even the feast will be a humble beachfront affair. For obvious reasons, we cannot use the castle or even the Temple of Time."
"Even so, dear lady, the news shall travel far and wide, even if I have to spread it personally." He winked conspiratorially, and I smiled at him fondly. I liked this Rito; he was certainly a far cry from the pompous yet secretly insecure Revali.
Link and I thanked him sincerely, pressing a modest pouch of rupees into his feathery hand as a token of our appreciation, and went on our way to find Teba.
It took a while to get to the Flight Range, even on horseback. Link had to fight off a couple of mounted bokoblins along the way. We found Teba seated in contemplation before the cooking pot in the lodge. He accepted our invitation solemnly, then asked Link if he had time to once again show Tulin, his son, his archery prowess. I could tell by Link's demeanor that he felt uncomfortable teaching Teba's son archery in Teba's place, but he graciously agreed. Tulin was duly impressed at Link's amazing display, as was I! The speed with which he hit every target was blinding
Afterwards, he explained to me about his ability to see things as if in slow motion when he aimed his bow from the air. He was concerned that because it seemed to be a gift given only to him, Tulin may grow frustrated and give up on his archery if he was unable to shoot the way Link did. He did concede, however, that because Teba was undeterrable in learning Revali's Gale and outdoing Master Revali himself, Tulin might be inspired by his father to learn, somehow, to outdo Link. "And I'm perfectly okay with that," he smiled, looking back fondly at the Rito child we could no longer see as we rode back toward Rito Stable.
Visiting Gerudo Town was hardest for me. Around every corner I expected to see Urbosa, who had been like a second mother to me after my own mother had died. I missed her terribly. But meeting Riju was a joy; in spite of her youth and small stature, she was already proving herself to be a wise and well-loved leader. Buliara, her guard, was very protective of her, and it was clear that Buliara loved her little chief like her own daughter. I determined to visit Riju as often as possible; she and I had in common that we had lost our mothers at an early age, and I felt we could lean on each other for support and friendship.
On a whim, we visited Outskirt Stable. Through mysterious and magical means, the stable network had the ability to produce any horse we had registered with them, whether that horse was physically boarded at that particular stable or not. We asked for Cavalier and Epona, then I led Cavalier over to Toffa, introduced myself, and offered him a ride. Toffa accepted with glee, and as we rode around the area near the stable, he waved at everyone and made sure they all saw him riding with me. I saw the girl Link had mentioned, standing and watching us in open-mouthed awe, and I gloated inwardly. I took Toffa all the way to the Sanidin Park ruins and back. Link rode along on Epona, glowing with happiness and pride. We returned Toffa to the stable around sunset, where he promptly retired to bed, tired but with the smile still on his face.
Link did a bit of trading with Trott and Botrick for grain and arrows before mounting Epona and teleporting back to Hateno. He returned shortly and retrieved Cavalier, then finally came back for me.
We were tired, sweaty, and dirty from our travels, so we bathed in the pond and simply walked about nude to dry ourselves, as it was after dark and even more private than usual now that all the villagers were settled into their homes for the evening. I had quickly become accustomed to being exposed to Link's adoring eyes; in fact, I quite enjoyed it. I also enjoyed feasting my eyes on him, though the sight of the scar from his fatal wound brought me a twinge of sadness and guilt. If only I had been able to access my power sooner, he would never have sustained that wound. He had endured so much. Even though he had assured me that he had come to terms with his previous near-demise on Blatchery Plain, I wondered what other thoughts and nightmares still haunted him.
We ate a quick meal of meat and mushroom skewers, followed by some relaxing blue nightshade tea, then Link brought out a blanket and we lay together on the lawn, looking up at the stars.
"Link," I began, pensively, "it's going to be so different living in a post-Ganon Hyrule. There may still be a few monsters left to fight, but you'll no longer have quests to complete. Will you have an identity crisis, do you think, not playing the hero anymore?"
Link turned toward me and pulled me into his arms. At that moment I realized it was getting chilly and I reveled in the warmth of his body against my cool skin. He kissed my forehead then said, "There are other ways to be a hero, to be useful to your people. If you are serious about rebuilding Hyrule and encouraging outsiders to visit and even come live here, then I fully intend to assist you with your plans. I can help build, I can go on expeditions to see what is outside of our kingdom, whatever you need. I will remain at your service, my princess." He kissed me again, this time on the mouth, and we proceeded to make tender love under the open sky before going inside and snuggling up in the small, warm bed for the rest of the night.
The next two weeks passed uneventfully, and I made friends with everyone in the village, even the two gossips. I was surprised how easily they accepted that I was, in fact, the same Zelda who had been princess of Hyrule one hundred years ago. There had been stories that I had been killed during the Calamity, of course, but the truth had also been passed on in stories that I had remained in the castle using my goddess power to hold Ganon back while waiting for Link's devastated body to regenerate in a mysterious shrine hidden somewhere in Hyrule.
In addition to helping Uma, I took turns helping the women with their chores, and one day during the first week Ivee, the wife of the East Wind shop owner, and Clavia, the mayor's wife, even came to Link's and my house to help me give it a good cleaning. Since Link had seldom been home before I had come to stay here, it had become quite dusty and needed a good airing out. When the women saw the bed, they immediately agreed that such a small bed would not do. They offered to help me make and stuff a larger mattress while Clavia's husband, Reede, constructed a larger frame. We decided to keep it a secret from Link; I would make it a wedding gift to him, and the villagers involved would set it up while we were away getting married. I spoke to Sophie at the clothing boutique and found that she already had a stock of the heavy fabric needed. I arranged with Ivee and Clavia to begin stitching it together the very next morning, cloistered within Sophie's and Seldon's apartment at the side of the boutique, as soon as Link had gone about his errands. Filling it would be no trouble; the village kept a store of grain husks and straw for just such endeavors since everyone's mattresses needed restuffing occasionally.
One Wednesday morning during the second week, I received word via Agus, a traveling merchant from Hateno, that Claree had completed my wedding dress and needed me to come to Kakariko for a fitting. Link came along to visit with Dorian and the girls; he had a promise to Cottla to fulfill. Of course, we would also see Impa and Paya while there.
Claree was fairly hopping with eagerness to show me her creation. When I entered the back room and saw the dress for myself, I understood her excitement. It was perfect. Similar to my ritual gown with its strapless design and many folds, it was the faintest blush of pink, with fabric flowers and leaves across the top of the bust, and a sash of deeper pink at the waistline. Delicate embroidered vines cascaded down, all the way from the flowers at the bodice to the hemline.
"Claree!" I gasped, incredulous. "You did all this in two weeks?"
"I've done almost nothing else," she confessed. "But I did have some help. I'm not the only woman in Kakariko who is handy with a needle. Lasli made the flowers, and several of us took turns doing the embroidery. But the dress is made of the finest silk from Akkala; that traveling merchant, Beedle, came through here, of all the luck. He had received the fabric in a trade, and the rupees you gave me more than covered the cost."
"I absolutely adore it," I gushed, most sincerely.
"Then let's try it on you and make sure it fits," Claree giggled, blushing with pride.
When I left Enchanted, Link was nowhere to be seen. Lasli advised me that he and Cottla were playing hide-and-seek, and that she, Lasli, was to inform me to go on to Impa's home and he would meet me there. I thanked her for the information as well as for her contribution to the creation of my beautiful wedding dress; she blushed and said I was most welcome, and we hugged before parting ways.
I met Cado and Dorian at the foot of Impa's great front stairway, and they each greeted me by taking my hands and kissing me on both cheeks. I was pleased that they welcomed me warmly; before the Calamity, it had become tiresome always having to adhere to stiff, courtly niceties. It was very fufilling to be touched and shown real affection.
Impa had a light meal and tea prepared for me. "This won't be enough for Link, I'm sure," she said dryly, "but if he wants more, he can go hunt down his own food."
I giggled as I bit into a deviled egg.
"I'm glad my son never had Link's appetite," Impa grumped. "If boys were all like Link, I'd have to marvel at how their parents could afford to feed them."
"Impa, we haven't talked about this yet, but how many children DID you have? Where is the father of your child, or children? I've missed so much. You've had an entire life without me around."
Impa sighed heavily. "I knew this topic would come up eventually. But it's okay; I've prepared myself to talk about it."