"It really is all gone, isn't it?" Zelda mumbled to herself as she stared into the Sheikah Slate's screen. Her reflection stared back at her as she brought a hand to her forehead and began rubbing against her skin. "I really don't want it to show on my first day…"
"I told you, Zel," Link chuckled from the bed, watching the morning sunrise from the window. "It's gone. You don't have a rainbow on your forehead."
"I hope not. It took forever to wash off…" she said. Link snorted, causing her to look back at him before adding, "Hey! I helped you wash your hair!"
"You did, I'll give you that," he admitted, raising his fingers to the tips of his dirty blonde hair. "It was actually relaxing to have my hair washed by your hands. Would you mind doing it again sometime?"
"You're teasing me again…" Zelda muttered, turning off the camera rune to the slate before standing.
"I'm not, I promise," Link said, sitting up from the bed as he watched her move from the desk to the nightstand drawer. "It's relaxing, you have a gentle touch."
"Is it relaxing enough to help you sleep?" Zelda asked quietly, pulling her folded blue work outfit from out of the stand. Link's features became stern.
"What?" he asked, swinging his legs over the bed to face her properly. Zelda hesitated, gripping her clothes tightly in her hands before taking a deep breath.
"I've noticed you haven't been sleeping these past couple of days," she explained, looking down at Link with nervous eyes. "You've been awake before I have. Usually, you like to sleep in, at least when we aren't on the road. Whether you're not sleeping at all, or you're having trouble, I… I've noticed."
Link stared into her green orbs before slowly lowering his head. Doing her best to ignore the fact she was only wearing the Hylian Tunic she had been using as a nightgown, Zelda gently placed her outfit on the nightstand surface. Carefully, she stepped forward before lowering herself into his lap with her bosom only a few centimeters away from his nose. Though her face began to burn, Link hadn't reacted, keeping his gaze low. Taking a silent deep breath, she raised her hands before gliding her fingers through his hair.
"Is it because of the dreams?" she asked softly. "Do they still bother you?"
Link slowly nodded.
"They were getting in the way," he said quietly. "Not sleeping helped. We've had fun these past few days. You seem happy… But, I can't help but-"
"Still stay on guard," Zelda uttered. "I've noticed that too. Oh, Link…"
She pushed her fingers to the back of his head before pulling him in, pressing his face softly against her chest. Link, feeling the pleasuring warmth and softness, closed his eyes.
"I didn't think you'd notice so soon," he said tiredly.
"Well, you were somewhat grumpy yesterday," Zelda admitted, trying not to focus on his warm breaths against the revealing parts of her skin. "Sure, you had a reason to be… But, I know you."
"I thought you'd be angry," Link continued. She smiled sadly.
"I probably would have if it weren't for Purah…" Zelda said. "I was trying to rush your progress, but in the end, I only made you more anxious."
"It's my own fault," he said.
"It's not," Zelda corrected. "It's mine. I just… I want you to rest, but I've been trying to rush you. Seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?"
Link chuckled.
"You don't have time for this," he said quietly.
"But-" Zelda began, however, Link shook his head.
"You have to go to the inn."
"I'm sure the inn can wait," she countered, pressing his face against her with a bit more pressure. "Just a few short moments is okay, right?"
Link, after a pause and a sigh, wrapped his arms around the arch in her back. Zelda smiled, using a free hand to pet the top of his head. Suddenly, the pats began to slow down. He listened to the beating of her heart, listening as it became slower with every passing moment.
If she insists on a few moments, I might as well enjoy them to the fullest, Link admitted to himself as time slowed around him.
He wanted every ounce of her warmth to consume him, the notes of her heartbeat ringing through his body, and the feeling of her fingers through his hair forever. Yet it felt much too short as time began to return to normal and reluctantly he raised his head.
"You need to get dressed," he said. "I'll walk you to work."
"No, you need to stay here and sleep," Zelda pushed back.
"I promise to try and sleep if you let me walk you to work," he compromised. "Deal?"
Zelda furrowed her brow before sighing.
"I guess I don't have much of an argument against that," she said. "Fine, it's a deal."
Trying to hide the smile she had knowing that he would be walking her to work, Zelda climbed from his lap and took the clothes on the nightstand back into her hands.
"Will you meet me downstairs in a few minutes?" she asked.
After receiving a nod from her boyfriend, she hurried across the loft and down the stairs. The moment she disappeared, Link's face became stern once more. He looked back and glanced out the window.
The figure hasn't appeared since I've stopped sleeping… Link thought carefully. Was I just anxious? The only thing I've noticed since then was a few shaking leaves. Nothing to really take note of…
After a few more moments of thought, Link pushed himself onto his feet. After quickly putting on a hylian tunic he grabbed from the nightstand (one he knew was properly clean), he headed down the stairs where Zelda had been eagerly waiting for him by the door. He smiled at the sight of her sparkling eyes.
"Are we ready to go, then?" she asked cheerfully when Link neared the door.
"I believe so," he chuckled. "Do you want to ride or walk?"
"I think I'd like to walk," Zelda answered as he opened the door for her. With a nod, he followed her out into the snowy grass.
"How are you feeling?" Link asked as they began their journey across the bridge.
"Still a bit nervous, if I'm being completely honest," Zelda said, looking down at her boots. "I hope I can keep up with whatever it is Prima has me doing…"
"You'll be fine, I'm sure of it," Link comforted, yet Zelda's gaze remained downcast.
Suddenly, she shuddered in surprise. She looked down to see Link entwining his fingers around her own. With a slight blush, she looked up to try and match his gaze, yet her partner was looking away.
"Have more faith in yourself," he said as they began walking through the village paths. Zelda nodded with a simple hum in agreement, returning the pressure as a smile formed on her lips. Though she wished she could hold his hand all day, it wasn't long before the two arrived at the inn's staircase.
"Okay, this is it," Link said, releasing her hand as she stepped onto the stair's first step. "Good luck today. Remember, you'll do just fine."
"Yes, yes alright," Zelda affirmed, taking a deep breath. "I'll see you when I get home?"
"Of course," he said with a small smile. After returning the smile, Zelda hurried up the stairs and disappeared behind the large wooden doors.
Immediately, Link's smile faded as he turned his back to the inn.
I guess I have to try sleeping now, he thought to himself as he began heading back home. All I can hope is for those hallucinations to stay gone. If they were hallucinations at all…
...
The innkeeper looked up from her work at the front desk the moment she heard the doors close. There in front of the doorway stood Zelda, nervously standing at attention. Prima smiled.
"Bright and early, just like I asked of you," she said kindly. "Starting off on a strong foot, are we?"
"Y-yes!" Zelda answered at attention. "I-I'm ready to start when you are!"
"Still so stiff," she said with a chuckle. "Relax, Zelda. I told you before that I wouldn't bite. There's no need to be so formal."
"S-sorry," Zelda replied, standing even straighter than she already had been. Prima shook her head.
"We'll work on it," she mumbled under her breath before stepping from behind the counter. "You look good in the dress! It really suits you."
"Y-you think so?" Zelda asked, looking down at the light blue dress Prima had donated to her.
"I do!" she answered cheerfully. "Did Link have any comments on it?"
"N-not really," Zelda said, "but to be fair, he did have a reason not to say much at the time…"
"Questions for later. Alright then!" Prima said with a clap, ignoring her peaked interest. "Let's get started. I'm going to give you a proper tour of the inn so you know the environment you'll be working in. Go ahead and follow me."
"O-okay," Zelda said, following as Prima began towards the dining area.
As Zelda expected, the inn seemed much bigger once she was taken around every nook and cranny of the building. The dining area was what she expected. There was one table with four chairs in the center, the door that led out to the front patio of the inn was against the back wall, and against the opposite was the cooking stove for breakfast and dinner. What decorated the walls, however, were an assortment of different necessities. Shelves and hooks were stocked with a variety of pots, pans, and canisters. Ingredient-wise, different wines, spices, and other sorts of cooking oils lined cupboards and desks. Zelda couldn't help but feel Link would have a great time cooking with them if he had permission.
The upstairs was a bit simpler than the dining hall. The beds were lined up on each side of the room, with one of the walls decorated with a writing desk near the staircase. Most of the beds had nightstands next to them, while one of them had a small table used for drinking. Lining these walls were bins for the used bed sheets and comforters, along with a few dressers here and there with storage boxes on top of their surfaces.
Below, next to the kitchen, was a small bedroom consisting of only two beds. Zelda assumed this was Prima's personal quarters, yet the only thing the innkeeper had actually made note of was the large cabinet that held not only spare clothes, but a majority of the cleaning supplies. Once finished with the bedroom, the two made their way back to the main lobby where Prima explained the organization of books for the multiple shelves and then a basic rundown of the counter.
"You won't be learning the check-in counter for a while," Prima said, finishing her tour of the place. "I'll keep that in line. What I want you to focus on is everything else."
"Everything else?" Zelda asked.
She felt a sweat drop fall from her face. She couldn't lie to herself: it was a lot to take in. Everything had a place and a purpose. While the inn was nowhere near as large as her castle, this was different. In the castle, she didn't need to memorize every nook and cranny along with the tools that kept it in check. There were usually people for that. Her head was starting to spin with all the information that was just given to her, and apparently, it hadn't gone unnoticed by Prima.
"Calm down, Zelda," she said calmly. "You've only been here for about an hour. You're not going to remember everything immediately. It was just a tour. It'll take a few days before you know where everything is off memory."
"O-oh. That makes me feel a bit better," Zelda breathed with a sigh of relief.
"We'll start small for today," Prima continued. "You remember where the broom is, right?"
"I believe that was… in your bedroom in the cabinet, yes," Zelda recalled. Prima nodded.
"Good. I want you to go grab that. Today, you'll be sweeping," she said as she walked back around the desk. Zelda blinked.
"Sweeping?" she repeated.
"Yes, is that a problem?" Prima asked, pulling out a few papers from under the check-in desk shelves.
"N-no, it's just, I'm sure I could handle a bit more than just sweeping," Zelda explained. Prima simply grinned.
"We'll see if you'll be singing that tune after the first go around," she said. "Just do as I say for now. I want the upstairs, downstairs, patio, and the outside steps completely swept. Oh, and the staircase inside here as well. Understand?"
"Yes!" Zelda called, standing at attention at the sudden sternness in Prima's voice. With an awkward bow, she hurried off to the bedroom, where the innkeeper grinned even more with a raised eyebrow before returning to her work.
Taking the broom from the large cabinet, Zelda hurried out of the bedroom and back into the lobby. She looked at Prima, who hadn't looked up at her reappearance. With a tighter grip on the broom, she furrowed her brow and began thinking carefully.
I can't just sit here and expect her to tell me everything, she thought. She looked around the building before her eyes landed on the dining room doorway. That room has to have the dirtiest floor. I'll start there.
It wasn't long before she felt as though she had a flow going. If sweeping was all she had to do for the day, then she felt as if she didn't have much to worry about. She had gotten used to sweeping around her and Link's house, and she couldn't imagine this task wasn't much different. She quickly swept around the kitchen perimeter before moving the chairs out the way to sweep under the table. Before long, the entire floor had been swept not only once, but twice. Zelda examined her work from the doorway before smiling to herself. With a humming tune, she then turned and headed up the stairs, choosing to do the guest area next.
Before long, the entire floor of the establishment had been completely swept. Just as she had done in the dining area, each spot had been swept over twice as a measure to ensure every piece of dust had been properly collected off the floorboards. Finishing off the lobby, Zelda proudly stood and looked around the building before turning towards the front door, ready to sweep the snow off the outside stairs.
"Hold on there, Zelda," Prima suddenly called from the desk.
Zelda turned, slightly jumping at the sound of her name. Prima had been so quiet that she had almost forgotten that she had been there the entire time. Setting her quill down, the innkeeper looked up at her with a smile.
"Did you already sweep everything inside?" she asked gently. Zelda nodded.
"Yes! From the dining room to the upstairs," she answered energetically.
Prima again raised an eyebrow before moving from behind the counter. Zelda blinked as she closed in on her, holding out her hand. Hesitantly, she handed over the broom to the innkeeper, who now began walking to the dining area. Unsure of what else to do, Zelda followed.
Stopping at the door, Prima looked around, leaning on the broom for support as Zelda stood nervously behind her. After a pause, she stepped forward and gave a few gentle sweeps. Noticing dust hadn't come up from the floor she bent down and checked under the table with another few sweeps. Still, no dust had risen.
"Pretty good," Prima said, picking herself back up from the ground. Zelda gave a sigh of relief. "But…"
Zelda felt her heart stop.
"B-but?" she repeated as Prima walked over to a corner in the room. She placed the broom's bristles against the floor and the baseboard and gave a single sweep. To Zelda's horror, a cloud of dust shot into the air.
"You didn't get the edges," Prima explained as she walked around the room. "Dust builds up there quickly because no one pays attention to it. Did you move all of the bins and anything on the floor that was against the walls?"
"I-I… No," Zelda said as her cheeks began to go red.
"And when you swept upstairs, did you move the nightstands out the way, or sweep under the beds?"
"N-no…"
"And behind the dressers?"
"No… I'm sorry…" Zelda answered with her eyes downcast. "I-I've never considered sweeping any of those places."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Prima said, walking back over to the dining room doorway. "They aren't usual places that would be swept, maybe even in other inns. But I take my job here seriously, and I expect to be the best inn in Hyrule, even with our low population."
"I understand…" Zelda nodded disheartened. "But, if I may ask, it seems as though you knew I'd make those exact mistakes."
"I did," Prima said, handing her the broom.
"Why didn't you warn me beforehand?" Zelda asked, slightly hurt now that she knew her failure could have been avoided. "It couldn't have taken that long to explain."
"Because if I just told you, then later on it's more likely that you'd forget a few details," the innkeeper explained. "If you make a mistake and are punished for it, you're more likely to remember without me having to constantly keep an eye on you. Training is going to be a bit difficult, Zelda. You're going to make mistakes, but I need to have you in top shape if you're going to help out around here, especially during weekends."
"Weekends?" Zelda repeated, but Prima shook her head.
"I'll explain that later. For now, I need you to sweep everything again, and I mean everything," she said.
"Everything?" Zelda asked. "Why not just the parts I missed?"
"Two reasons," Prima said, holding up two fingers. "First, for punishment reasons. I doubt I need to go over that again. Second, because you missed the edges and corners, dust will fly back into areas you already swept. Again, training is going to be a bit challenging. Are you sure you're up for this?"
Zelda looked down at the broom that had been returned to her. With a squeeze of the handle, she looked back up with determined eyes.
"Yes! I'll do it all again!" she answered confidently. Prima grinned.
"Great," she said. "I'll keep having you redo things until I feel you've done it perfectly, is that understood?"
"Yes!" Zelda answered.
"Then get to it," Prima answered, patting her on the shoulder before heading back to the front desk. Zelda watched her walk away before looking back at the dining room.
Well… Let's do it again.