Aeris sat near an open window listening as the Gerudo slowly began stirring and the first hints of orange and pink crept into the sky.

A small chill washed over her and she raised the steaming mug in her hands to her lips to chase away the lingering chill in the air. The tea that Amearu had given her was bitter but manageable when a heaping spoon of honey was added.

She settled the mug against her knee and hummed happily as Ganondorf joined her and ran his fingers through her hair. "You should come with me today," His voice carried weight even though it was barely more than a whisper against her ear. "Get out of this room and into the sunlight,"

"What's today again?" Her mind had been foggy these last few days, a side effect of the tea but perfectly normal according to Amearu.

"Nabooru and I are going to the gorge to observe the planning of the new marketplace," Aeris nodded softly as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

They had decided that along with the new trade agreements a new market would be built outside of the Fortress gates so that there would be no limits on who could trade with the Gerudo. Men and women alike would be welcome to show their wares and browse those of others.

"That sounds lovely," She smiled softly and finished the last of her tea. The last sip always made her crinkle her nose in disgust, but Amearu had made it very clear that every drop was vital to the tea working as it should.

"Starlight will be happy to see you," Ganondorf took the mug from her and helped her to her feet.

She nodded, unable to find the right words to respond with. It had been far too long since she had made her way to the stables to care for her companion. Gilt built up in her chest as she thought of the golden mare, she would have to stop by the kitchens and steal a handful of sugar cubes to give to the horse.

The pair lapsed into silence as they dressed for the day. Ganondorf silently helped Aeris into her skirt, a habit that had formed when she had been unable to get herself out of bed much less dress herself. She in turn tied the front of his robes and made sure that the collar of the fabric was straight and she smoothed any rumples that appeared.

Her fingers lingered on the hem of his collar, there was so much she wanted to say to him. So much that she needed to say, to try and make it up to him. The words she needed wouldn't come to her so she settled for a soft smile and the words that always came to her when she looked at him.

"I love you,"

He chuckled softly as she blushed. They had spoken at the same time, their words blended together creating a melody uniquely their own.

He kissed her softly happy to see her slowly returning to her usual self, returning to the woman he had fallen in love with.

She let him linger, reveling in his embrace. Soaking up every minute she could, trying to make up for lost time.

He hummed against her lips as his hand gripped her waist and pulled her closer to him. "We have a while before the sun rises," Another kiss was pressed against her lips before the last word was fully out of his mouth. "We could spend some time together,"

She laughed against his chest as his lips brushed against her ear. "What so we can be late and have Nabooru interrupt us?"

He nipped the tip of her ear gently. "She should know better by now,"

Honestly, the number of times that the woman had walked in on them in compromising situations was baffling.

"Okay, but we still have to walk all the way to the stables and tack the horses," She playfully shoved his face away from hers earning her a wicked look.

"That's what Seteli is for," She cackled as he buried his face against her throat.

"Oh, come on now," She lifted his face so she could look him in the eyes. "I say we go now, so we finish sooner and can have more time for the fun stuff later,"

Something in his eyes sparked as hefted her into his arms with a wicked grin plastered on his face. "I like the way you think,"

- - ┈┈∘┈༒┈∘┈┈ - -

A small smile crossed Aeris's face as the familiar smell of the stables filled her nose. The sound of the horses shuffling in their stalls mingled with the scent of hay creating a melody that put her at ease.

Seteli gave the pair a small wave and a smile as they entered but continued cleaning the stall she was in without speaking to them.

A soft whinny drew Aeris's attention and a large smile spread across her face as a familiar golden head popped out of the stall furthest down the corridor. The mare knickered softly as Aeris rushed to her side and pulled a handful of sugar cubes from the small pouch on her side. "Hey, girl,"

Starlight nudged Aeris's face and huffed as she took in the woman's scent. "I missed you too," Aeris chuckled as Starlight turned her attention from her owner's face to the sweets in her hand, the cubes were gone in seconds. "You want to go out today?"

The mare bumped her nose against Aeris's cheek and knickered softly. "Yeah, I miss going for rides too,"

Aeris slid the lock on the stall open and grabbed the leather halter around the mare's face and led her from the stall. The process of readying her companion for an outing was second nature to her and the process was over in minutes.

Starlight seemed to hold her head ever so slightly higher as Aeris led her down the row of stalls toward the stable door, showing off to the other horses no doubt. As they emerged into the sunlight Ganondorf and Nabooru were ready and waiting.

Ganondorf smiled softly as Starlight nudged Aeris and the woman stumbled slightly. Her laugh rang across the open area and sounded like music to his ears. She swung herself up into the saddle and moved Starlight to stand beside the two people waiting for her. "So, are we just observing or are we making plans today?"

The fog around her mind was slowly ebbing away the higher the sun rose into the sky and her thoughts were becoming clearer.

"We'll see, it depends on how much progress is being made," Ganondorf sighed, and motioned for the group to move forward.

"Nice to see you out and about, yeah," Nabooru moved her bay mare closer to Aeris and Starlight. Her lips were painted a pale orange today and were split into a bright wide grin.

"Yeah," Aeris ran her fingers over the leather reins. "It's nice to be out,"

"The market is coming along nicely," Nabooru looked forward and smiled wistfully. "It's going to be amazing when it's done, nothing like the few rickey stalls we had when we were kids,"

Aeris smiled softly as she remembered the first time she had joined her mother on her monthly trip to the fortress to trade. A trip that had changed her life in more ways than one. "It was smart to build it outside the walls," The area around the gorge was open and the perfect place for a market of some kind. "Opens up more trade opportunities,"

"Men and women alike can come to ply their trade and sell their wares," Ganondorf sounded oddly happy as he spoke. "It will be good for morale and relations with Hyrule,"

They passed through the gates of the fortress and into the open area just before the gorge that cut the entrance to the desert down the middle. A group of squat Hylian men were working to build several wooden stalls while an older man with a large greying mustache watched from nearby with crossed arms and a sour look on his face.

The older man turned at the sound of approaching horses, the sour look on his face faltered and was replaced by a smile. "I hate to say this, but take ten boys!" The carpenters let out a collective sigh of relief and bustled as a group over to a tent set up near the canyon wall. The sour look returned to the older man's face. "Ten minutes do you understand me you lazy sacks of-"

The man was cut short by Ganondorf clearing his voice as he dismounted his horse. "How are things coming along?"

Nabooru detached from the group and moved to inspect what looked to be a few repairs to the bridge that spanned the gorge. Aeris stuck close to Ganondorf's side eager to hear what plans were being made.

"Rather nicely, uh," The man rubbed his mustache and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry I'm still not quite sure what to call you,"

"Ganondorf is fine," The Hylian man bowed slightly and nodded at the clarification. "I see the vendor's stalls are coming along nicely,"

"Very nicely," The old man let out a boisterous laugh as he nodded again. "Should be done by the end of the week, then it's on to a few basic repairs and structural supports," The man's head moved almost comically as he spoke.

Aeris drifted from the conversation toward the area around them. She could almost imagine vast crowds gathering to buy and trade goods, children running between skirts and legs, laughter and chatter echoing on the canyon walls.

There was something that bothered her though, there was no support rail along the gorge. Someone could easily fall over the edge and down into the river below. That could be potentially disastrous for all parties involved.

"Excuse me," She turned back to the two men.

The two turned to her, the Hylian seemed surprised as if he had just noticed that she was standing there. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

Ganondorf's eyebrow quirked just enough for Aeris to notice but went undetected by the man in front of them. "This is my wife," His hand drifted to her waist and brought her closer to his side. "Aeris this is-"

The man jolted as quickly ducked his head into a low bow. "Mutoh, my apologies ma'am,"

Aeris lifted her hand to her mouth and giggled softly. "Please, don't call me ma'am," It felt strange for a man that was old enough to be her father, her grandfather even to address her as ma'am.

"My apologies," He bowed again, unsure of what exactly to do with himself.

"You wanted to say something, love?" She looked up to Ganondorf and smiled softly.

"Is anything being done for safety measures around the gorge?" The men followed her gaze to the ravine. "Rails, anything like that?"

Mutoh scratched the back of his bald head and made a soft noise. "Hadn't thought of that,"

"Excellent observation dear," He was pouring on the charm in front of this Hylian for some ungodly reason, but she would play along.

"Why, thank you, darling," She laughed loudly as she was swept up into his arms.

"Draft some plans for rails along the bridge and have them ready by tomorrow morning," Mutoh followed behind them as Ganondorf moved to put a still giggling Aeris up into her saddle.

"Tomorrow morning?" Red was slowly creeping up the Hylian's neck and ears. "But, what about the vendor's stalls?"

Ganondorf swung himself up into his saddle and turned his horse to head back toward the fortress. "Safety first,"

"I'll have some drafts ready for you to look at tomorrow," The man shook his head but ultimately decided that this job was too important to lose over him losing his temper.

"Not me," Aeris and Mutoh both turned to look at the Gerudo king. "Her," He motioned toward Aeris with his head and spurred the black stallion he was riding into a gallop toward the Fortress gates.

"Wait what?" Aeris blinked slowly as her brain tried to comprehend what had just happened before she slowly turned toward Mutoh whose face was completely red and gave the man a quick apology before following Ganondorf's retreating form.