The Nest

We were both wounded, and the wound was fresh and still open.

I didn't know if I would ever get over the anger and frustration that the whole story had caused me, and I was already realising that the road wasn't easy.

I looked over my shoulder to check on her, and she was still fast asleep. She slept so little that I decided not to wake her when we crossed the Great Tabantha Bridge over the Tanagar Canyon.

I was worried that these monsters had gone this far, they had gone too far, beyond Tanagar Canyon, beyond the border. And I was concerned (and surprised, equally), about my wife's nonchalant attitude. She seemed to be used to dealing with monsters, her oblivious attitude could have cost us all dearly. Besides, she was laughing at the whole thing. Defenseless, half-naked and muddy to the eyebrows, she was thrilled to the point of laughter. Maybe that's what King Rhoam meant when he confessed to me that she had a difficult temper.

"Where are we?" She joined, her voice hoarse with sleep.

"We're reaching the rito territory and Lake Totori."

"So far away? What about Tanagar Canyon?"

"We left it behind hours ago."

She frowned and joined in to sit next to me, in the reins of the carriage.

"Where are Fridd and Ardren?"

"I gave them permission to advance us and leave for Nightfall. We had your father's safe conduct to cross the border smoothly. And the detour to Nightfall is to the east."

She stared at the landscape for a while. It had changed radically since we moved away from the Tabantha region. The forests, the pure mountain air... it already looked like we were home.

"In Lake Totori there are minerals that are very good for the skin. There are several interesting studies on this. When I was little I used to go there sometimes, Father would let us swim to a small island a few yards from the shore. Have you ever been there?" She asked, closed her eyes and sniffed the fresh wind of the forest.

"Just passing through."

"Is it far from the Eagle's Nest?"

"No."

"How far or so?"

"I don't know, not far away."

She narrowed her eyes, I guess she didn't like the inaccuracy of my answer.

"The rito organize many archery tournaments. But they don't like water at all. It's funny, don't you think? Having such crystal-clear waters around... Do you like swimming?"

"No. I... I don't know how to swim."

"Really?" She widened her eyes, and they looked a different green.

"No."

"That's weird."

She mumbled this information. I don't think she'd ever asked me so many questions in a row since I knew her, maybe the hours of sleep had been good for her.

"Have you ever seen the sea?" She asked me then. I guess she was making some kind of mental scheme about me.

"No, I haven't."

"Oh, wow," she bit her lip, "Would you like to see it?"

"I don't care," I shrugged.

"What? Are you going to live your whole existence without having seen the sea and other things?"

"I don't know."

"I don't understand people like you." She grumbled.

"People like me? Do you even know how I am?"

"You can't swim, and you're not interested in seeing the sea."

"I didn't say I'm not interested, I just said I don't care if I see it or not."

"That's the same as not being interested. I wouldn't want to die without seeing everything."

"Good luck then."

"Prince Richard has a palace near the East Sea. From its towers you can see the blue horizon, full of waves."

"Who is Prince Richard?"

"My fiancé."

It was what I've imagined, she would also have her own plans before everything came over us, living at sea, on the other border with that prince. Instead of prince and sea now she had a barbarian with a tower in the middle of the forest. Not bad. I had lost a lot with the deal too, so we were actually evenly matched. I felt bitterness and I just stood silent, like her. It's not convenient to talk when the only thing you think about is to deepen the wound. She stared blankly at the landscape until she had enough, then returned inside the carriage.

As I had calculated, crossing the rito border was just a formality. I thought we could stop for a little snack, but it started raining and it was already getting dark, so I just handed over my safe conduct to the border guards and asked them to send a hawk to the King of Hyrule, so he knew his daughter had crossed safely to the West.

Zelda snuggled her head back into her blankets nest (now she was cold and didn't hide it), she had been curled up there, asleep from time to time.

"Is it raining again?" She asked, joining in a little bit.

"In the West it's autumn, and it usually rains a lot," I said.

"Have we left Hyrule behind yet?"

"I didn't want to wake you," I said, "I asked the rito to warn your father."

She sighed and stood again in silence, until I felt a tingle and found out it was her pulling my robe.

"Link, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure"

"Can we stop for a moment, please? I want to say good-bye."

It was raining pretty hard, and it was almost night. The Eagle Forest surrounded us and we had already begun the ascent to the Eagle's Nest. But I stopped. I understood what she needed to do.

I saw her get out of the carriage in that strange outfit she made for herself, and her long, slightly tangled hair soon got wet and glued to her back. I tried not to look. It was a moment of intimacy for her past and her origins. But I was afraid she'd do something stupid, so I watched her some distance away.

She took a few trembling steps in the opposite direction to ours and tried to scrutinize some familiar landscape amid darkness and rain. Then she crouched down and spent some time in that position, she grabbed a handful of mud from the ground and pawed at it. There was nothing to be seen, I strained to see anything that might look familiar to her, but we had left the rito far behind and there was no sign of their village in the distance, nor the distant mountains of Tabantha, nor was there any trace of Lake Totori. I felt very sorry for her, I should have woken her up.

"Thank you, Link," she caught me off guard with my own thoughts.

She went back into her blankets shelter, soaked as she was, and said nothing. I didn't ask her either.

I never thought my arrival at Eagle's Nest would be so sad.

For me it was a joyful place, of races in the woods, horseback riding and fun. We came to the Nest every summer when Mom was alive, and we used to leave it in the fall. We visited every other winter too, it was very cold, but the whole West was cold in winter, so it didn't make much difference. Mom felt it was our home much more than Fort Hawk, which had the look of a defensive fort rather than a home.

Old Manroy greeted us, his back hunched with age and arthritis.

"Captain! We didn't expect your arrival until tomorrow," he said, approaching the car in awkward footsteps. It was raining hard and I was afraid he'd fall.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the carriage and the horses."

"We... we haven't prepared dinner. But I can wake Frea up and prepare you something warm. Mabet will help me put the luggage down and take it to the fortress."

"I beg you not to do it today, Manroy, let your family rest. Thank you. The only favor I have to ask you is to tell me if you have news from my family."

"Yes, Captain. They arrived this morning at Fort Hawk, we got a message from there."

"In that case, could you send another message early morning saying that the princess of Hyrule and I have arrived safely?"

"Of course."

Manroy lived with his wife and grandson in a cabin detached from the fortress. There wasn't much else to the Eagle's Nest, a wall protecting us, the fortress, the cabin, the parade ground, the orchard, and the stables. It had always seemed bigger to me, but as I helped Zelda down from the car and watched her look up curiously from under her hood, I knew it was far from her expectations. It might even be far from mine and my happy childhood memories.

The inside of the fortress was as cold as the heart of Hebra itself, but at least it didn't smell damp or closed (thanks to Manroy). There was a pleasant smell of pine, perhaps from the overflowing woodshed that Manroy had provided, waiting for us to arrive the next day. I went straight to light a fire, there were several chimneys in the Nest, but I decided to take Zelda to the one in the main hall, it was the biggest one and that was the only one that would warm all faster.

"Wait there, we'll soon warm up, you'll see." I said.

She stood in the middle of the room, looking at the bare stone walls around us. There were no paintings or tapestries or anything like that, just some other banner with the Eagle's Nest emblem, and some of my Dad's hunting trophies. Once the fire ignited, she came close to warming her hands.

"I'm going to grab something to eat."

She probably wouldn't eat anything. I hadn't seen her so upset since we met. I brought to the table cheese, wine, and some typical mountain sausages. There was no bread (to be expected) and nothing else fresh (also to be expected). She nibbled a piece of cheese and ate nothing else.

"And... What about the servants?" She asked, after a long time in silence.

"At home. It's too late and they... they're not servants like the ones you know. They're not really servants at all. They only help a little to maintain the fortress, but we all lived together and enjoyed the protection and resources of the Nest. Manroy has lived here since before I was born, and long before my Dad married my Mom. He helps me with the animals, to cut firewood and the orchard. His wife, Frea, will cook for us, you'll see, she makes some very good dishes.

She grabbed another piece of cheese (one scandalously tiny) and took it to her mouth.

"There's also Mabet, Manroy's grandson. His parents live in Nightfall, but he decided to move to the Nest to help his grandparents and to learn some work."

She stared at me, as if waiting for me to continue describing the inhabitants of the Nest.

"That's it," I clarified, "Ardren and Fridd may move here, or they may come for periods of time. They'll help to hunt and maintain safety."

"Are you and I here alone?"

Perhaps she was scared about it, but I still didn't know her well enough to be sure.

"Don't worry, if you need help or anything else Manroy and his family can come in a matter of minutes."

"No... It's not... Well, it doesn't matter," she murmured, looking away.

"In Hyrule there were many servants, I could see it the day I went to visit you."

That day she refused to show up when I wanted to prevent our wedding from being even weirder than it already was.

"Yes, there are many. In the castle there were four maids who only cared for me, and I had two royal guards dedicated to my safety and... from time to time some sheikah."

"Well... here we are less people," I forced a smile. She stood impassive, it was impossible to know what she would be thinking, whether she thought it right or wrong she didn't manifest it in either way. "Frea can support you in those maid things, to... comb your hair and other stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Yes, you know. Those things... maids do."

I had no idea what the hell maids were doing, but Frea was strong and hard-working and would obey whatever order my wife gave her.

"It won't be necessary. I'll manage myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

We finished our dinner in silence. On a full stomach I managed to warm up, the fire burned big in the chimney and it felt nice. Zelda kept her eyes lost, as if she were far from there.

"Are you sleepy or-

"No, I'm not," she hurried to say.

"If you want, I can show you the rest of the Eagle's Nest."

She nodded and I lit a lamp. I saw that Manroy had also filled all the oil lamps and placed new candles and torches everywhere, but they were unlit and that night we'd manage like this.

I showed her the kitchens and the little living room right next door, Mom loved that room. When I was a kid, we'd both stand on a carpet by the fire, and she'd read me stories. I didn't tell her this, she seemed so terrified that I wasn't sure what to tell her.

"No cellar?"

The question caught me by surprise.

"I think we have one, though I've never been there. It's in a basement, next to the horse sheds. If the weather gets better tomorrow, I'll show you the orchard, the greenhouse, the cellar and everything from the outside."

She nodded and we resumed our night route. I showed her the different quarters on the middle floor, medium-sized rooms with their own fireplace. She barely poked her nose out the door and didn't want to enter. We ascended the central tower one higher level. There was a private room my Dad always used for his writings and affairs.

"Is there no library?" She was surprised, seeing the simplicity of it: a large table, armchairs and little else.

"Yes, we have one, but it doesn't have many books. Everything in there is my mother's. The rest of the books are at Fort Hawk. Come on, I'll show you."

I took her to the next room, the library. She looked through the large window overlooking the forest and beyond. It was the room with the bigger window in the fortress. Then she almost snatched the lamp from my hand to examine for herself the shelves that had once belonged to my Mom.

"You can check everything here, now it's yours" I said, seeing her interest.

She got tired of snooping around, and we continued our way. That led us to the main quarters, that is, our quarters. They were at the top of the tower. When I opened the door, she froze on the threshold.

"Go ahead, don't be afraid," I said.

She moved just like a scared squirrel. She took a quick walk around the room and I took the opportunity to light the oil lamps and the fireplace. Then she stopped in front of the tub.

"How do you get the water up here? Is there a pulley system? With height no pipeline could bring water here."

Again, I was surprised by her question and her weird words, she was interested in unusual things. When I told Eve about those quarters, she asked me if they were cozy, warm, if there was a big bed. The bed, in fact, I had carved it myself. I made it out of pines from the Eagle Forest.

"Pip-pipeline? That bathtub is almost never used," I admitted. "There are some baths next to the greenhouse, with a system to heat the water. It was a gift from a goron from Hyrule, my father's friend."

"What about that door over there?"

"Oh, that one leads to the top of this tower."

"Can we go up?"

"Yes, but-

"It doesn't rain anymore. I'd like to see it."

I shrugged and grabbed one of the oil lamps. It was very cold outside; I felt my cheeks freezing as I peeked out.

"Be careful, the stairs are slippery from the rain," I warned.

We ascended to the top of the tower. The sky was starting to clear up and some stars could be seen. I could tell from her expression that she liked the place.

"It's too high!"

"That's why they call it the Eagle's Nest."

She peered (with the same recklessness she used for everything else) over the edge of the tower. The Nest wasn't fortified on its south face, where rock elevation protected it naturally. That's where she peeked out.

"I see a lake in the distance."

"Yes, there's a lake in that direction. Lake Gor."

"But you won't have visited it."

"Well, just because I can't swim doesn't mean I haven't been there. There is a trail to go horseback riding there, it's a nice walk if you like to ride."

It started to get really cold and when I saw that she shrank back, I proposed to go back inside. Once in our quarters, her state of nervousness returned. The image of her sleeping in a corner of her bed came to mind.

"That's it," I said, forcing a smile, "it's late and you haven't slept nearly anything all the way."

"Yes, true," she sat on the edge of the bed. I sat down next to her and she gave a startled jump that frightened me.

"Calm down, it's okay," I said, trying to reassure her.

"I know, it's that..."

"Tomorrow I'll ask Frea to make a good breakfast, you know where the living room and kitchens are, you can go whenever you want. And you can take a hot bath too. I'll leave very early for Nightfall, but I'll be back on the same day."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You mustn't be afraid of me, Zelda."

"I'm not afraid of you."

Her body tension said quite the opposite, she was even more tense than on our wedding day.

"I'm so sorry we're so far away from your family, but you are safe, really. And I hope you... kind of like all this."

"Yes... Thank you."

"Anyway," I stood up, "I feel tired, so I'm going to sleep. I'll settle into a room just below these quarters, you just need to go down one floor in case you need anything. Good night."

"Goddess... good night," she sighed.

I was sorry to see her relief when she knew I wouldn't sleep there with her. That was the source of her fear, no other, she thought that I would want to sleep with her again or who knows what ideas the people of Hyrule court had put in her head. The idea of being with her again wasn't in my plans at all. True, my body tingled pleasantly every time the wedding night flashed my mind, it was wrong, but at the same time I was a man of flesh and blood and had never been with a woman before. But it wasn't something I needed or wanted, let alone wanted to force on someone as terrified as she was.

I lay back on the bed, thinking that it would be best to leave her on her own. If she wanted servants, I could accept King Rhoam's offer and bring them to the Nest. Then she could live her way and I could live mine. And there would be no more reason for fear or mistrust.

Notes:

When I published this chapter in the past, my Spanish-speaking readers told me "this story is going slow!" It's true, I needed to build all the pieces step by step :)

By the way, while playing Breath of the Wild I always imagined that Link didn't know how to swim at all because he'd forgotten it too, that's why despite climbing waterfalls he's very clumsy... like a little doggo sticking his head in the water xD