Portraits were a strange thing.
Paintings had always filled Aeris with a strange sense of nostalgia, but there was something eerie about seeing her own face carefully copied onto the canvas that almost made her skin crawl. Unlike looking in a mirror, where she could pinpoint what she felt were the flaws of her face, the portrait blurred them away.
It was the painter's job after all to make those that they painted look nothing but their best.
Her hand rested gently on her ever-growing stomach, a motion that she found herself doing more often than not. Something pushed back against her hand, a tiny hand or foot, letting Aeris know that her touch was felt.
The child growing inside her was growing more and more active as the days passed, and had settled into a routine of sorts. Aeris could tell when the child slept (of course it was never when Aeris wanted to sleep) or when she was hungry or even when something made her happy or upset.
She was especially fond of her father's voice.
Another small bump pushed against Aeris's hand, and she found herself smiling. "Yes, I know it's nearly lunchtime isn't it?"
She cast one last glance at the portrait, and her own eyes gazed back down at her with disinterest.
She turned silently toward the kitchen to search for something to satisfy both of their hunger. The kitchen workers were more than happy to provide her with as much food as she could eat these days.
"Eat as much as you like, a fat child is a healthy child!" Ebisa always seemed to swell with pride whenever she found something that Aeris seemed to particularly enjoy, and it would soon find its way onto Aeris's plate more often.
The halls were silent as Aeris made her way toward the kitchen. Most of the Gerudo were outside, taking advantage of the thick cloud cover that the day had brought. Ganondorf had taken advantage of the cool breeze as well and was leading a survey of the surrounding wastes in search of a potential new water source, leaving Aeris alone and content to spend her day as relaxed as possible.
"Aeris!" Or so she thought.
She turned toward the guard that was quickly approaching her and sighed. So much for lunch, little one. "Yes?"
"There's someone at the gate, asking for you?" The guard slid to a halt as Aeris wrinkled her nose in confusion.
"For me?"
"Yes, he asked for you by name, and he carries a slip of parchment embossed with our crest," The guard barely had time to catch her breath before Aeris pushed past her in the direction she had come.
She heard the guard huff and call out after her, something about being careful not to fall, but Aeris couldn't have cared less. Her mind was a flurry of thoughts as she rushed toward the gates. Why was he here? Was he alright? What news did he have?
She had told him to seek her out if he ever needed her, but she had doubted he would actually act on it. Yet, here he was nearly a year and a half later on her doorstep.
She slowed her pace as she exited the Fortress, trying to draw as little attention to herself as she could. Her footsteps seemed to echo against the hardened ground, but thankfully she was paid little mind by those she passed, exercise was good for the baby after all.
She paused as the gate came into view, unsure of what she would say to him.
If it was truly him.
She huffed out a short breath and then continued forward. Her hand rested gently against her stomach as it often was and a bright smile on her face.
"I need to speak with Aeris," His voice was barely a whisper, and he sounded as if he hadn't spoken in days.
"Can you say anything else, boy?" Aeris winced as the harsh voice of the guard on duty cut through the air. "That's all you've said since you showed up,"
"I just need to talk to her," He sounded exhausted, like a boy pushed far beyond his limits.
"Nadia, that's enough," Her heart froze as the boy finally came into her view. He looked as tired as he sounded. Haggard almost beyond recognition, his familiar green tunic was travel worn and his face was dirty. He looked older, but also smaller as if he hadn't been eating nearly enough, his cheeks were hollow and there were dark bags under his eyes.
"Aeris!" The guard, Nadia, jumped into a salute. "My apologies, my queen," Aeris waved her hand, dismissing the woman without lifting her eyes from the boy's thin form. "Do you know this boy?"
He refused to meet her gaze as the foal he was leading behind him nudged the back of his head, nearly knocking his hat from its seat. He reached for it and pulled it from his head, revealing dirty golden locks.
"Link," He flinched at his name and rage bubbled through her chest. What had he been through to reduce him to this haggard state? "You look like you could use a good rest,"
Bright blue eyes shot up to hers as she extended her hand to him. His bottom lip waivered for a moment as he clutched his hat tighter to his chest, but he steeled himself as he replaced his hat and took her hand. He looked behind him to the chestnut filly, visibly questioning what to do with her.
"Your friend is welcome to come as well,"
His breath shuddered in his chest, relived by her words. "Epona come,"
She would have missed it if she hadn't been listening for it. His voice was so small, he sounded so unsure.
She led him slowly through the Fortress ignoring the strange look the Gerudo were giving her. He was an outsider just as she once had been, but he was also a boy, an added disadvantage in this place.
They walked in silence toward the stables where they were greeted by Seteli, she was smiling with a brushing of dirt across her nose. "Aeris, who's your friend here?"
The question that was burning through the fortress that only she had been brave enough to ask. "This is Link," She brought her free hand to the back of the boy's neck but moved it to his shoulder as the boy tensed under her touch. "Is there room for his companion?"
Epona let out a shrill whinny as one of the Gerudo mustangs reached over the fence toward her. The chestnut filly bobbed her head as she danced in place and the older horse blew a gust of air through its nose. "There's always room for strong animal's here,"
Seteli seemed thoughtfull as she looked from Epona to Link. "I have one question though, young one," Link stood his ground as the older woman leaned toward him. "Where did you get that horse?"
"A friend," His eyes were on his feet as he shuffled lightly. "Malon,"
"Malon?" Seteli sighed wistfully. "She sounds like a lovely friend to have given you such a strong filly," Link nodded softly, still shuffling from foot to foot. "Well, your friend will be well cared for while you're here,"
Aeris and Seteli shared a look as the older woman straightened, an unspoken concern for the boy and what he had seen. Link silently handed over Epona's reins and gave the filly a goodbye pat before looking back up to Aeris.
He looked so tired. Aeris wanted to wrap him in her arms and never let him go. "Now, how about something to eat?"
Link nodded softly and took her hand again, really only holding her fingers, but it was enough. She squeezed his hand as she turned back toward the fortress, hoping he could feel the comfort she poured into the touch.
She watched through the corner of her eye as Link scanned each face they passed, as if he was searching for someone, a familiar face in a sea of strangers.
"He isn't here," He turned toward her with wide blue eyes. "He won't be back until later this evening," He blinked away from her face, embarrassed that he had been caught. "If that's who you were looking for,"
She knew that seeing Ganondorf again would be a lot for the boy, it had been for her.
"Sorry," He pulled his hand away and she let him, not wanting to make him feel caged.
"Don't be," She gave him a soft smile. "You're feelings are valid Link," She stopped and turned to face him. She cupped his face suddenly serious as she looked into his eyes. "Don't you ever let anyone tell you differently, do you understand me?"
He nodded and she patted his cheek, frowning when she felt nothing but bone under her touch. Boy's his age should still have a healthy layer of baby face under their cheeks.
The rest of their journey to the kitchen was silent. Link needed a lot of things, a bath and sleep namely, but food was first. The boy needed a good meal more than anything.
"Aeris, I was wondering why we hadn't seen you yet!" Ebisa was full of vibrant energy as always as they entered the kitchen. She was a large woman as all Gerudo were, but she had a softness to her from years of kitchen work. "Oh, who's this?"
Link took a step behind Aeris and blinked up at her with wide eyes. "This is Link, he'll be staying with us for a while,"
They both looked at her, startled by the news. The kitchen fell silent as the other workers took notice of the small boy. "Back to work!" Link flinched as Ebisa barked out the order.
The older woman took note of the movement and softened her features as she leaned to be closer to his height. "Let me get a look at you," Link stepped carefully from behind Aeris and loosened as she felt her hands on his shoulders. "A handsome boy you are," Red flared into the tips of his ears. "But far too skinny,"
Ebisa made an unhappy noise in the back of her throat as she looked back toward Aeris, clearly unimpressed with Link's condition, but so was Aeris. "We can fix that though can't we?"
"Of course we can, Link you can have anything in this kitchen you want," Link's eyes widened as Ebisa rose to her fell height and crossed her arms. "Just tell one of the girls and they will get it for you,"
"I," Link faltered as he looked up at Aeris. "I wouldn't want to be a burden,"
Anger turned to rage as Aeirs watched him look down at his toes. "Nonsense, this is a kitchen, it's our job to feed the hungry. Are you hungry?" Link nodded and Ebisa smiled. "Then go and tell one of the girls over there to fix you as big of a plate you want,"
Link cracked a small smile before darting across the room to one of the kinder looking kitchen staff. Ebia's smile fell as soon as the boy was gone and she turned to Aeris. "Are all Hylian children that scrawny?"
"No, no they're not," She had no idea what he had been through since she had last seen him, but whatever it was was hanging over his head like a black cloud. "Treat him like family Ebisa, he might as well be,"
"Of course, I won't question anymore," Ebisa smiled down at Aeris. "Now let's get some food for you too. A fat…"
"Child is a healthy child," The two women laughed as Ebisa linked her arm through Aeris's and led her further into the kitchen.
- - ༒ - -
After they were both stuffed nearly to bursting Aeris brought Link to bathe and gave him a change of clothes more suited for the desert climate. The vest and small top fit him nicely, but his pants were a tad loose in the hips, something Aeris could fix later.
Link let out a loud yawn as the sun began to set low in the sky, casting a lovely orange glow across the sand. "Tired?"
It had been a long day in a series of long days for the boy, and now all he needed was a soft place to lay his head. He nodded and took Aeris's hand again, expecting her to lead him somewhere safe for the night.
"I know just the place," She would have to talk to Urora in the morning about a more permanent place for the boy to stay, but for tonight she felt he would rather be near her, for conforts sake.
Ganondorf would just have to understand.
Aeris paused, wondering what she would say to Ganondorf. What story could she possibly spin to make any of this make sense to him?
She would think of something.
She had to.
They walked in silence until they reached her bedroom. "You can stay here tonight," She pushed open the door and ushered Link into the room.
He froze. "Aeris I.."
"I won't hear it, Link," His mouth closed slowly and he nodded knowing better than to argue with her at this point. "Now come here,"
He complied and stayed silent as she helped him out of the vest she had given him. "Thank you,"
"You're welcome," She turned to pull the thick blanket back and motioned for him to crawl into the bed. "Now get in here and get some rest, you've earned it,"
She waited for him to get comfortable before pulling the blanket over him and settling on the edge of the bed. He looked up at her obviously fighting the heavy sleep that was hanging over him. "Will you close the window, please?" She followed his gaze as it moved past her toward the window.
It was rarely closed, the moon was clearly visible through it and she loved the view but something in Link's eyes made her stand and pull the shutters closed. "Is that better?"
Her only response was a soft snore.
Link looked more peaceful than he had all day, he looked like a boy again and it made her heart happy.
She quickly scrawled a note and placed it where he could clearly see it when he woke just as the door to the room swung open. Ganondorf froze mid stride still in his leather armor and clearly exhausted. "What?"
"Out!" Aeris hissed through her teeth as she pushed him back through the door, ignoring the string of questions that flowed from him.
Once the door was firmly shut, she huffed and let him speak. "Why is there a Hylian child in our bed?"
"Do you want the long version or the short one?" Ganondorf looked from her face to the door then back again, mulling over his options.
"I'm going to regret this but the long version," He ran a hand down his face and through his beard.
"Do you remember the boy from Castle Town?" How could he not? He nodded, remaining silent knowing it was best to let her finish first. "He was in the market today and Ganon he was so skinny and dirty, I,"
"You don't need to finish, I understand," He bent to kiss her and she was glad that she hadn't needed to finish. "He'll be safe here for as long as he needs,"
"This is why I love you," She kissed him again, reveling in the softness of his lips. "I guess we'll stay at Urora's for tonight,"
Ganondorf groaned deep in his chest. "I was really looking forward to my pillows,"
"Oh, I know big guy, but I think you've earned a bath and a massage before we go," She purred as she wrapped her arms around his waist, nestling her stomach against him.
"Bath and a massage you say?" He groaned as she dug her palms into the muscle above his hips, he always got so tense there.
"To make up for you having to sleep on Urora's couch," She laughed as he deflated. "There's no way we're both going to fit in my old bed and I doubt Nabooru would appreciate us trying,"
"You're lucky you're pretty," She chuckled and took his hand.
"I"m more than pretty," She cried out as he suddenly swept her into his arms and pressed a kiss against her hair.
Maybe there would be more waiting for him in the bath.
Just maybe.
