The King was certainly far from happy when they both returned to the castle. He'd summoned the two of them up to the sanctum, Link couldn't help but feel nervous. He knew this could only end badly for them. With a sigh he stepped into the large, open room after Zelda, kneeling down on one knee and bowing his head in respect for the King. "Zelda, what in the name of Hylia were you doing?!" He was clearly angry, but Link also picked up concern in the King's voice. "Father, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over-" "Quiet Zelda, I do not wish for an excuse!" He sighed and placed one of his fingers on the top of his nose, closing his eyes. "Zelda, without you we cannot succeed in ridding this land of Calamity Ganon. You must be dedicating every moment to your training, it is crucial that you unlock it! And furthermore, running off carelessly, threatening your own knight.. I cannot believe you would do something so careless. You will finish this task I have given you and after that every single waking moment of your life will be spent praying to the Goddess, am I understood?" Link couldn't see Zelda, but he could hear a soft sniffle. "Yes Father.." She replied softly, her voice shy and timid, Link hadn't heard it ike this. "Both of you, you are dismissed." The King ordered and Link slowly got to his feet. As Zelda passed him by he could see that she was crying. He felt a strong tug at his heart, he didn't like seeing her that way. She'd been so happy the day before after researching. Silently, he followed her out as she made her way to her room. After they were in a fairly empty hallway Link spoke up. "Zelda, I'm sorry.. that was too harsh-" "Save it, Link. I know.. I just- I need some time alone. I promise you I won't go running off, I just need sleep." She huffed and Link put some more distance between them. They made it to their rooms not long after, Zelda stormed in to hers without another word. Link sighed, seeing a knight walking over to guard her room. He slowly walked in to his own room and began to change his clothing, they were certainly in need of a wash. They'd done so much walking and the sun had been quite hot, Link reckoned they were 95% sweat now. He stripped himself down and started running a bath. Link was impressed by the waterworks. Apparently, water from the moat was brought into the castle using a turbine of sorts, it was then filtered by hand in another room and could then be distributed anywhere in the castle. Link had found it a very fancy feature upon first discovering it. He climbed in to the hot tub and sighed with relief as he laid down, resting his head and hands on the edges. He began reflecting on the events of the last few days. Things had improved between them somewhat, but Zelda was still cold at times. He wanted to figure out whatever it was that was bugging her so much about him, and he was determined to find out. However he smiled fondly at how excited she had been upon researching the shrines. 'And the way she asked me to call her Zelda..' He felt a rush of heat in his cheeks as his smile grew. A few minutes later after he had washed himself he got out and wrapped a towel around his body, he walked out to grab his clothes in order to wash them before hearing a knock on the door before he opened it. He saw Zelda standing there, still seeming upset. "I didn't get a chance to say this to you earlier so- Goodnight, Link." She smiled softly, not paying much attention it seemed to the fact that he was in a towel. He smiled back and nodded. "Goodnight, Zelda." He replied, they stood there looking at each other for a moment, Link wondered what she was thinking, but before he could try to read her eyes she closed the door. He sighed softly and picked up his clothes. That was unexpected, but also quite nice.
--
They left early the next morning. Zelda couldn't lie, she'd been a bit flustered after seeing Link in a towel yesterday. His hair was down again and some of his shoulders were exposed, they looked so strong.. she shook her head, she wasn't supposed to think like that. And the way he says my name- stop it Zelda..' she sighed and sat down on her bed. This was torture. They were both starting to warm up to each other a little bit it seemed, but they still both had many walls up. Today they were headed to Gerudo Town, Zelda was glad. She needed a break from Link still, and she hadn't exactly gotten it. But in the walls of the Town he couldn't come anywhere close to her, she smiled at the thought. Free once again. 'Won't it be strange? He was always there to listen..' Zelda sighed, her thoughts towards him were so frustratingly complicated. One minute she would practically want to kill him.. and the next.. 'Oh my god Zelda you're unbelievable! He's a knight for goddess sake! Even if you wanted anything more with him it's completely forbidden!' She began packing her things, attempting to distract herself, but to no avail.
They travelled on horseback to the Gerudo Desert Gateway. Link suggested they board their horses at the Gerudo Canyon Stable nearby. He had done just that before buying some more revolting elixirs. Zelda scoffed in disgust at the sight of them. He had two different colours, blue, and red. "How come they're different?" She inquired softly, looking down at the bottles in his hands. One is for the freezing cold in the dead of night.. and the other is for the scorching heat in the day." Link explained. She always walked through it in the early mornings or the late afternoons. She would make it to Kara Kara Bazaar before the weather got any worse and then she'd make her way to Gerudo Town the next time the sun was low. "Right then, let's be off!" She exclaimed, turning on her heel before beginning to walk. They hadn't made it far before Zelda began to shiver, the cold of night really was freezing. Link handed her one of the red bottles and she fumbled with opening the cork. Eventually she pried it open and thrust the liquid into her mouth. It tasted disgusting, like they all did. However within minutes Zelda was warm again. She wanted to make it to the Desert in one continuous journey, and she wanted to extend that journey to Gerudo Town, the sooner she got to meet Urbosa, the better. "As agreed, you will stay in Kara Kara Bazaar and I will continue on to Gerudo Desert. No-one will attack me, no-one expects to see me this late. I will be fine." She heard an audible sigh from behind her. "Yes Princ- Zelda.." She smiled softly, it was cute when he struggled like that, his old habit of calling her exclusively Princess was one that was hard to shake it seemed. Soon they made it to the Bazaar, and, as agreed, Link stayed behind. Or so she thought..
--
Link couldn't just let Zelda walk through the Desert herself, he had to protect her if any danger showed itself. And so, he had agreed to let her go by herself, making her assume she wouldn't be followed, but in reality he followed her the whole day from a distance, she didn't even look back once. She had made it to the Town with no setbacks, but Link had to be sure. He turned and headed back for the little oasis after that, just glad that Zelda was safe. He was unsure how long he'd be waiting for her to return. He knew it would feel strange, he had become so accustomed to hearing her talk about anything out loud, he had become used to her scent which radiated off of her, he had become comfortable with her. Well, more comfortable than he had been. He supposed he could hold some conversations for a a bit, as long as the topic wasn't political or to do with they destinies. However, he knew that he also couldn't hold enough conversations to the point where they became anything more than a Princess and a knight. Even if he wanted to be her friend, or more.. he sighed softly. Lately he had felt.. something for her, he couldn't tell what it was, but he enjoyed her presence much more now. He felt a comforting warmth everytime her elegant green eyes met his, he felt his heart stop whenever she smiled, whether it be at someone else or something.. but when she smiled at him… and the way she said his name.. oh wow. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. Why did he crave more when he knew he could not have it? He'd never been attracted to anyone, not even Mipha, but yet, when he met a girl, who hated his guts and who he had a platonic relationship with, his mind began to want more, whether it was friendship or beyond. Or maybe it wasn't his mind which desired that.. maybe it was his heart..
--
Zelda planned on staying in Gerudo Town for two days and returning to Link on the third, a part of her missed his presence. The first day had been brilliant. She spent the whole day with Urbosa, who introduced her to all sorts of people. Urbosa was like a mother to Zelda, so kind and caring and understanding. Urbosa and her mother had been good friends in the past, Zelda was happy that her and Urbosa could now share that bond. However, Urbosa showed Zelda something new that day. She'd taken her to the Noble Canteen and gave her a sip of something called Noble Pursuit. It had tasted sweet and left a bubbly feeling in her stomach, it was quite pleasant but Urbosa wouldn't allow her to have much more than a few sips. "It's alcohol, you're too young to have a full cup of it just yet." Urbosa had explained, Zelda was glad that Urbosa had let her try it though. The second day Zelda felt like something was missing.. it surprised her when she realised what it was that she was missing, or rather, who. She missed Link's silent presence, despite how much it annoyed her at times, but deep down, she knew she didn't hate him. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt toward him, she'd never felt such a strong connection to anyone before this. However the day brightened as Urbosa had suggested surveying the desert, she knew how much Zelda enjoyed researching, so Zelda nodded vigorously when the offer was made. Urbosa and Zelda spent hours travelling all across the desert, Urbosa explained the history of some of the ruins in the area which Zelda took down in a notebook. Eventually, Zelda asked Urbosa a question. "Urbosa, would it be alright if I took a look at Vah Naboris? I haven't properly gotten a chance to research one of these Divine Beasts, perhaps you could show me its features?" Zelda hoped that Urbosa would show her around, she desperately wanted to learn more about these Ancient Machines.
Urbosa and Zelda made their way over to the Divine Beast and entered it after Urbosa willed it to kneel down. It stayed like that as they ventured inside, Urbosa showed Zelda the different terminals as well as the main terminal. Zelda was fascinated by them, it seemed like they were control units, exclusively activated by the Sheikah Slate. It had been in Purah's possession at that time, she had activated these large mechanical machines. If only shrines were as easy to operate. A little while later they found themselves sitting down looking out over the Desert. Zelda was exhausted after the long day, but she strived to stay awake. She leaned against Urbosa for a bit. 'If I just close my eyes for a minute..' She soon fell fast asleep.
--
The days were long and quite boring. Link had spent most of his time training, practicing his skills with his sword. He had gotten used to itsweight now, and was able to easily swing it with grace. However he could only train for so long. The rest of the time he had spent either relaxing in the pool of water in the centre of the area or sleeping in the inn. He cooked some food for himself too, he enjoyed experimenting with different flavours, some meals tasted terrible, others were delicious. Either way, he couldn't deny the fact that he missed Zelda dearly. He hadn't realised how much he enjoyed following her around until she was gone. He never felt so empty without anyone before. He missed the sound of her voice, the way she got aggravated at him, the way she was so determined, and the way her eyes lit up when she was researching. It was a strange feeling, and he didn't like it, but when he thought of her, for a moment, just for a moment, that empty void was filled. He didn't think all that similarly when she went missing because he was too worried about her to think of anything else. As he was going to sleep on the second day away from her, a Gerudo Vai showed up to the inn and was looking for him. "Is there a Link here?" She had called out, he walked out of the inn to see what she wanted. "Lady Urbosa requested that you meet her on Vah Naboris, something to do with the Princess. You'd best hurry, she doesn't like waiting." The Gerudo Vai explained. Link thanked her before setting off. Now, he wasn't far from the Divine Beast, and he wondered what Urbosa wanted, but he knew he would soon find out. He made his way up the Divine Beast, Urbosa turned her head as he walked over to them, Zelda seemed to be asleep. "Ah, well.. you certainly got here fast. I should have expected as much, from the Princess's own appointed knight." 'That is kind of my job..' Link thought, of course he got here fast. "She was out on a survey all day today, still as the sands now.." She was looking down at Zelda. "So..?" She turned to look at Link "Spill it, boy, have the two of you been getting along all right?" Link froze, unsure of how to respond to that. He wasn't entirely sure, it was complicated, at times, yes it was okay but other times it wasn't.. complicated was the word which best described it. "It's OK.. I know." He wondered what exactly she knew. "Your silence speaks volumes. She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back." 'She what?' "It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny." 'I had no idea.. Wait, she's failing her own destiny?..' He froze again. If she wasn't able to help him combat Ganon, what chances did they have? "Don't worry, it's not like you carry blame in any of this. It's unfortunate, she's put in more than enough time. Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication.." Link couldn't help but admire her determination, even though she constantly was failing, she wasn't giving up. "She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this sealing power." Link felt a sadness wash over him. She was so devoted to this and yet- "And she has nothing to show for it.." Link couldn't have put it better himself. "That's the motivation driving her research. I'd be doing the same thing. She really is quite.." Urbosa ran her hand over Zelda's hair, tucking away some loose strands "..Special. You be sure to protect her with your life. It's quite the honour." She was looking at him again. She then turned away, seemingly in thought. "The night brings a chill.. it's probably time we take her in.." Link nodded softly, that was probably for the best. "Or.." Link raised an eyebrow in confusion. 'Or??' Urbosa raised her hand slightly, pointing it out in front of her before snapping her fingers. Link tilted his head slightly before a flash of lightning filled the sky. He jumped in fright, before settling back down. The whole place shook and Zelda suddenly jolted awake. "Urbosa! What was that?! Did you feel that?!" Zelda stopped suddenly, her head slowly rotating around to meet Link's eyes. "Wait, what- how did you- what are doing here?!" Urbosa began to laugh, and Link couldn't help but crack a smile at Zelda's confused response, it seemed she didn't even recall falling asleep. "Wh-what's so funny?" She asked, Urbosa continued to laugh. "Nothing at all my Little Bird." Link found Urbosa's name for Zelda quite cute. However the smile he held died down. If she didn't have her powers.. What were they going to do..?