Scattering Petals
Zelda & Link
Chapter 6: Sacred Sanctuary
When hero and princess travel to unravel secrets of an ancient shrine
A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews. I'm finally regaining hope about this fandom. Let's get to the story, then!
The shrine welcomed them with pure obscurity. Unlike the pictures she had seen, the sheikah mechanisms weren't glowing in the majestic way she had imagined. Zelda could feel her escort's presence behind her, close. Purah, on the other hand, led the way with a stubborn light that couldn't stop flashing. The scientist's sudden slap made the lantern obey her commands, enlightening the central chamber. The tree-shaped structure remained untouched, reminding Zelda of the constant nightmares she had. This time no thorns tangled her in a painful grip, luckily. If something had never ever hurt her, it was precisely her research. Unconsciously, it became a compensation to her failed duty as sacred heiress. At least she felt useful while discovering the ancient secrets the predecessors abandoned after the mythic battle against Ganon 10,000 years ago.
"The power comes and goes, we have an issue with the source of energy somewhere." Purah explained methodically, the light indicating the pedestal that controlled the resurrection chamber. "Hold on, Your Highness. If I activate the buttons in the terminal through the sheikah slate maybe I could fix it."
The princess found the sheikah slate a mesmerizing artifact. Her sight couldn't abandon the device. She was so off-guard, along with a very focused Purah, that they didn't notice the presence of a slumbering body in the central chamber. That would remain a secret until the researchers managed to invocate the electricity needed to make the ancient system function properly. A startled Robbie suddenly woke up by the blinding light, the scare making him jump and in return managing to scare both the princess and the fellow scientist.
"Science wins, everybody!" He exclaimed with an eccentric pose, trying to hide the fact that he had been sleeping in his work. The sight before him was priceless as Purah and Zelda were still frozen before the surprising encounter. "What is it, Purah? Stole the 'Snap' out of your tongue?" Robbie mocked. It took her a few seconds to answer properly.
"This is why you shouldn't let your future heir fall from its cradle, Princess Zelda." Purah counterattacked, signaling for her partner to behave in front of their Highness. After all, she was still holding her breath from the scare. If someone hadn't fallen for it, it had been the hero, who remained as still as always. The scene, all in all, was a peculiar one. It even made the princess laugh, something unusual. The sound of her happiness was rare and everybody in the room could feel grateful to enjoy it.
"Calm down, please." Zelda begged while giggling. She ended up letting out a small cough as a result, suddenly worrying the researchers. "I'm alright. It's nothing." She insisted in a heavy sigh. Her lungs still felt numb from the cold.
Link stepped beside the princess, a hand on her shoulder. The smile on her lips disappeared all of sudden. The knight felt guilty but couldn't help and fulfill his duty. The room fell silent. It was noticeable that none other than Impa from the royal court had grown closer to him. People tended to treat him like some sort of ethereal entity since he had acquired the sword. It was hard to get used to the sensation.
"Let's return to the castle if you are not feeling alright-..." Link advised.
"I'm fine." Zelda sentenced harshly, the threatening glance cut all doubts. After that, Link also froze. Nevertheless, definitely not as a product of Robbie's attempt to scare them.
"So, Robbie, what can you tell me about the shrine?" The princess finally went straight to business, admiring the machinery that surrounded them. Her curious fingers caressed the terminal, where the sheikah slate was inserted. The blue glow of the stones hypnotized her somehow.
"This chamber is indeed the one mentioned in the legends, Your Highness. This technology was created as a backup 10,000 years ago in case the hero fell in the middle of the battle against the Calamity." Robbie explained with eccentric moves, walking up and down the room. He turned to the princess's appointed knight. After all, he was the user destined to use the sanctuary as the last resource if the plan failed. "No offense, hero. May Hylia spare you of all injuries."
Link shrugged as if the possibility had never crossed his mind. He didn't allow himself to fear his demise. He had been taught courage by his father from a young age and due to his lineage he had to uphold his honor. A knight will never complain. A knight will never cry. Allowing such doubts about his capabilities would be the worst wound they could inflict him. So he remained stoic and pretended he didn't hear the insinuation of him not being strong enough to defeat Calamity Ganon.
"Furthermore, princess, this will be useful to us as well. The machinery can still be activated, though we still have yet to figure out how exactly." Purah added.
"Maybe I can help." Zelda replied, eager to contribute to the cause. She wasn't asking a question, the research journal she carried was already open in her hands. A sketch of the mechanism had been drawn previously with details and notes all around.
"If the king allows it, of course." Robbie added with uncertainty. It wouldn't have been the first time the princess's non-authorized implications had affected the finantiation of their lab. King Rhoam had the researchers hanging by a string. If Zelda strayed from her spiritual path, their investigation would be over. The princess couldn't blame them.
Zelda glanced at her escort with disdain. If her father discovered she was putting her nose in ancient research again, it would be thanks to Link. The eagle-eyed knight looked away, showing the lack of intentions he had to intervene. If he had to report the journey to the king, however… It was a detail he couldn't forget mentioning. Alternatively, it wasn't like the princess would beg him to uncover her secret. She preferred arguing with her father over asking something to Hyrule's hero.
"My father knows about this 'visit'." She told the truth. Her eyes focused on the floor as she continued confessing: "I think he feels guilty for pushing me too hard with prayers in the spring."
Robbie and Purah shared a look full of understanding towards their highness. They immediately figured out that Link's presence had a hidden reason: to keep the king informed of his daughter's daily actions. And Zelda, no matter her status, wouldn't allow such a report.
"You are dismissed." The princess sentenced with severity, not even turning to face him. The sudden order made the knight confused for a moment before realizing that she was referring to him. He bowed and made his way out of the chamber, leaving the scientists to their research. Either way, he stood on the entrance, making it a provisional posting. There was no other way to access the sanctuary, so the princess's safety was guaranteed.
Link snapped out of his trance when the sunset painted the horizon. He knew that it was time to return to the castle or else. However, the princess remained inside the shrine. She hadn't bothered to eat nor rest, he had been hearing the echoes of her voice mumbling theories all day. Even Purah and Robbie had retired to the temporal camp, or that was what they called it. Actually, it was just a pair of tents and a fireplace, but it was enough to call it 'home' while they still had technology nearby.
He even joined them around the fire, offering his own food reserve for dinner. Surprisingly, as much as Robbie was a great scientist, he couldn't manage to cook a mushroom without burning it. Purah had to take over and extinguish the fire, scolding him as if he were a child. The duo had a comic dynamic rare to find around Hyrule. It made Link feel comfortable in their company despite not knowing each other. Just small talk, food, and a fire to sit around and rest. The knight was a simple man.
"Is the princess still working there?" Purah asked in a motherly tone. Later Link learned that she and Impa were sisters, explaining why her voice and appearance sounded familiar to him. She even dared to share embarrassing stories about her younger sheikah sister, making the knight feel nostalgic about his own sister. He wondered how Arryll was doing. Then his mind returned to his duty and the princess's well-being.
"I will go fetch her." The escort announced, getting up from the grass and returning inside the sanctuary.
A dim light indicated Zelda's whereabouts on the bottom of the structure, still investing. She didn't even notice his steps as he walked through the puddles of the cave. She was sitting alone, immersed in her own thoughts while she explored the surroundings of the sheikah slate. The flash of a sudden snap indicated that she just took a picture of the wall, where strange inscriptions were carved in stone. Unfortunately, those were written in an ancient sheikah language and she would need assistance from Impa to decode its meaning.
"This should be enough evidence to discover more about the chamber's healing properties." Zelda theorized and thinking she was alone, more coughing escaped her lips. She could barely breathe properly. Despite this, as soon as she noticed her knight behind her, she stood proud and contained the coughing. "What is it?" She asked as if he had disturbed her.
"The sun is setting. We should return to the castle." Link informed.
Honestly, the knight expected a grunt or some angry expression. However, the princess just consulted the sheikah slate, surprised by the hour.
"Seems I lost track of time." She confessed with embarrassment. Zelda was so passionate about sheikah technology that it made her mood snap, like Purah would say. Overall it made her existence more bearable. Once her body had no distraction around, the symptoms of her sickness reappeared. A sudden cold invaded her body, she held with futility the tremble of her fingers.
"Did-... did you take the medicine already?" Link dared to ask, overstepping his boundaries. He was pushing his luck.
"I did. But now that you mention it…" Zelda took the bottle of pills from the pouch attached to her hips. She had two of them remaining. "Hand me the water." She demanded.
The knight took a small bottle of water he always kept refilling during his travels. Nevertheless, Link denied the princess's petition as she motioned for him with insistence. It was simple math. The bottle of pills Impa had given the princess was now empty. That meant she had been taking them throughout the day. And despite that, she still felt ill.
"You will exceed the recommended dose." He warned cautiously. Zelda sighed with annoyance.
"Give me the bottle." The princess ordered with stubbornness, holding her hand out to him. When he didn't obey, she stepped towards him and tried to get a hold on the water. Link hid the bottle behind his back with defiance. They locked glances, exhausted expressions. "What do you expect me to do, then?" Zelda asked.
"Let the recovery follow its course."
"As if you haven't noticed yet, I don't have the luxury of wasting my time like that." Was her rough answer. Of course, someone so simple as him would give her such silly advice.
So, instead of arguing with her, Link took his hylian hood off. Carefully, he wrapped it around a shivery princess, who was so surprised that he even managed to catch her off-guard and take the pills from her. Zelda noticed his manly scent on the cloth, a mix of sandal and wood. The action was intimate enough to leave her speechless, not used to such care in her routine. The knight thanked Hylia for making the princess suddenly mute as he didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of the night. Without further hesitation, he took her hand and dragged the princess out of the cave. Such sudden daring actions prevented Zelda from questioning him.
"Finally! We thought you had teleported somewhere." Robbie joked, holding a burning stick up in the air. The mushroom impaled in it had disappeared with the overwhelming fire. Purah had to blow it to avoid a bad burn.
"I will try and decipher the writings on the wall. I captured them with the sheikah slate so I can study it later." Zelda announced proudly. She took the sheikah slate out from her belt, looking at it with sorrow. "I guess I should return this to you."
"No, you keep the sheikah slate." Purah's sentence made the princess's eyes lit up like the Death Mountain lava. Robbie looked at his fellow scientist with disappointment but before he could say anything else, she kicked him discreetly. "Just write a letter to inform me of the updates, princess." She asked in return.
"Sure thing." Zelda promised.
Link insisted on riding the same horse. The lack of sun made the princess feel weak and tired, as she should be in her condition. Due to her sickness, she felt no energy to argue and just nodded. Her knight aided her to jump on the mount and afterwards joined her, leading the way. While Epona carried both of them, Zelda's horse had its reins tied along so they all could return safely to the castle.
The knight could feel the princess's debile grasp on his waist, fingers tickling him as she shivered. After a day outside of bed, her illness obviously got worse. However, Link wasn't willing to say no more about what he thought, enough scolding he had back at the sanctuary. Situations like that reminded him of why his duty was a silent one. Knights didn't have an opinion. Knights just obeyed.
"It's so late." The princess's lament was carried away by the wind. Link could feel her uneasiness and made her tighten her grasp on his waist. He felt like she could just slip away from the mount any second now. "Father will have our heads, you know that, right?"
Link didn't bother to answer the desperate wish for conversation the princess felt. The first lights of the castle began to shine at the horizon, indicating that they weren't trapped in an endless loop of time. He spurred Epona to accelerate even though night had already fallen. At this point, respecting the curfew was impossible. That didn't mean Link would stop trying, fighting against the ticking of time.
The princess clutched her escort's waist with her hands, seeking for more warmth. She was having fever again, the cold sweat running down her spine made it obvious. However, Link's hood aided her, keeping the small amount of corporal heat in her system. She ended leaning into her knight's back as he didn't seem to care. His fast heartbeats reminded her of the royal troops marching. Somehow, it was comforting and it made Zelda close her eyes and fade away for a while. The blood of a true hero ran through his veins. She, instead…
"The princess is back! Open the gates!" The guards at the wall were awaiting, a sign that King Rhoam was obviously impatient for their report at the throne hall.
Link helped Zelda get off their mount, almost stumbling upon him due to her weary state. He made her stay straight as the personal guards of the king approached. Trouble was manifesting in the form of a knight, who kneeled down before Zelda.
"Your Majesty is expecting both of you."
Princess and escort shared a glance and quickly headed inside the castle. They made their way in silence, the guards observing their every step. Zelda wasn't used to so much darkness surrounding the palace walls. Along with the moonlight, it created creepy obscure silhouettes moving through the hallways. So disturbing was the night that she even questioned her sanity, checking if maybe fever could be the cause of such hallucinations. But the fire kept burning in the torches, illuminating the silent path they followed until reaching the throne room.
Link kneeled and looked down out of respect. Zelda, instead, had to stand tall and face her father. His huge shadow towered above the princess. Words evaded her trembling lips. She didn't even know where to start explaining the reason for her delay. Honestly, she had no excuse to justify the timing of her trip. She just had a lot of fun and all of her dedication back in the Great Plateau had distracted her from respecting the curfew. But none of that would be a valid point against her father.
Due to the lack of words from his daughter, King Rhoam took the initiative in the conversation.
"From now on, all matters related to ancient technology are terminally forbidden for you, Princess Zelda." She tried to protest but his father silenced her words. "What you have done today is a mere whim not worthy of the heiress to the throne. This attitude of yours shows how immature and spoiled you've grown and I admit my fault as your father."
"Father, please, I just try to help." Zelda begged using all of her remaining voice to make herself heard. "The Shrine of Resurrection is meant to help us during the Calamity. This could be our last resource in case we fall in battle."
"If we don't succeed, it will be because of your lack of devotion." That sentence was like a bucket filled with ice. Her eyes began to blur because of tears. "You, Princess Zelda, are the only one who isn't fulfilling her duties."
The princess felt a wave of dizziness piercing her chest. She watched in slow motion how the first tear escaped her eyes. Then another followed and from then a river started flowing from Zelda's eyes. She tried to fight her emotions back, be the rigid princess her father wanted her to be. But it was futile. She could no longer hide the sadness inside her. She was tired of praying to no avail. She was tired of repressing her true passion for ancient technology. She was tired of being useless.
Her knees felt weak and weary. The symptoms of her sickness only made everything worse. When she was about to pass out of exhaustion, a brave confession was made:
"It was my fault." Link's voice lied and suddenly interrupted the dramatic scene. She turned to face her escort, who also couldn't hold his true expression. He was deeply concerned for her. Zelda couldn't believe her own ears. "I fell asleep by the campfire and neglected my duty with Princess Zelda."
"Link…" Zelda whispered, shaking her head. She motioned for him to stop covering her, but the knight was already involved. He returned his sight to the King. "If I shall take a punishment for my faults, I gladly will, Your Majesty."
The princess was stunned by her knight's words. She had treated him unfairly, yelled for no reason. They didn't even get to know each other to create such a bond of loyalty between them. And there he was, lying to the king to protect her from the scolding she deserved so much. What he was doing could have severe consequences, it could even be treason to the throne. The execution was the main punishment in those cases. Was he so reckless to risk her life to avoid spilling his princess's tears?
"We all know that isn't true. There's nobody else to blame other than my own daughter." The King, obviously, had detected the lie. Link kneeled down once more. "But remember my words: the next time I detect the slightless sign of lie, I won't show sympathy towards you. My warning also applies to you, Princess Zelda."
If showing sympathy was talking to his own daughter like that, Zelda didn't even want to imagine how he could treat her in a real argument.
"You are dismissed." King Rhoam announced, she let out a sigh. Both princess and knight made their way to the quarters, however, the king spoke again. "You stay, Sir Link. I need a word with you alone."
The princess glanced with worry back at her knight. Link, however, nodded for her to leave and go rest. The lack of emotion in his expression made the situation less difficult for Zelda, who disappeared behind the gates in complete silence.
Once she was alone in the hallway, Zelda searched for her lucky necklace. She always rubbed the gold of the triforce sign carved on it whenever she needed aid from the goddess. Her hands, however, found an obstacle in the way: Link's hood. Watching it closely, it was more a dirty rag than a proper piece of clothing. It still made its function, after all the hood sheltered her from the cold. Nevertheless, Zelda thought that suck cloak wasn't fit for her appointed knight.
Once she reached her room, the first thing she did was fetch the royal blue fabric Link had gifted her. The sheikah slate was left in her bed, forgotten.
I think we all know what Zelda is going to craft with the piece of fabric. Any lucky guess?
Yours, Stella
