Scattering petals
Link & Zelda
Chapter 11: Wisdom and Courage
When the mythical couple cooperate on their way up Death Mountain
The change in temperature was noticeable. They had been traveling for two days amidst the wilderness of Hyrule, crossing all of its lands. Death Mountain stood proudly every time closer though the horizon seemed infinite whenever the heat lashed the Hylian troops. The horses were showing signs of being thirsty and the heavy garment of the troops were starting to heat up as they approached death's mountain feet. The sheikah slate before her indicated that the area was frequently suffering from bokoblin attacks aside from the complications of the terve. The princess frowned with worry, taking a moment to look back at her escorts, they were tired. Then she turned to see Link at her side, stoic as ever, not showing any sign of being human at all. The sticky hair on his forehead, however, showed that he was also sweating and noticing the unbearable temperatures of the Goron terve.
Luckily for them, the princess had been doing research about the Aldin region beforehand. She had learned about the existence of hot springs in Death Mountain not so far from their path. There was a particular natural space inside a small cave with natural sheltering from the scorching sunlight. It was the perfect spot to rest and spend the afternoon to avoid the warmest hours. Zelda had kept the secret of the location to herself in the Sheikah slate but she was planning to leave before the sun rose to avoid the intense heat during the ascension to the Goron Tribe. Moreover, princess Zelda was known for collecting species all over Hyrule and that particular spot had been known to have warm darner specimens, perfect for heating potions and other beverages with special properties. That last motivation was a secret, though. She didn't want to raise suspicion about her personal research on Hyrule's fauna.
The horses approached the first crossroad. The path that went straight up was the one that would bring them to the Goron Tribe to meet the third champion. It wasn't a piece of cake since the journey would be filled with monsters and was also known to be a long inclined path with rocks and lava. Midday was kicking in and the princess felt the need to compensate her troops for such services without any complaints. So, when Link led the way on the path upward, Zelda made Royal stop the rest of the troops.
"We're turning right, actually." Princess Zelda sentenced, taking the lead with an unusual excitement in her voice. She was glad to have some initiative and get to show her leadership skills. Her appointed knight followed her closely, frowning but not daring to question her particular choice. However, both he and the rest of the soldiers knew that surely the princess had used her ancient artifacts to find them someplace safe to rest. Nevertheless, that didn't mean that the way there was still safe.
"With all due respect, allow me to lead the way." Link offered from behind Zelda, but the proud princess was glad to be the one having secrets up her sleeves. She wasn't willing to give the pleasure of surprising her troops to her appointed knight. She knew how to follow directions on the sheikah slate's map.
"You don't know where we are going. I'll guide my own troops. Thank you." She assumed in a colder tone to not encourage more questioning about her good judgment.
But the hero wasn't willing to risk his highness' life even though the action seemed pretty innocent. Ganon's creatures lurked everywhere and Death Mountain could be a lethal threat. Besides, Link knew better than to allow princess Zelda to have some initiative. The king's orders had been clear before starting their journey. No slip-ups, avoid all trouble, and protect the princess at all costs. He commanded Epona to advance further so he could be beside the princess' horse once more. He could see her twitching brow from there, but he didn't care about her mood. He had a duty to honor.
"I'm here to ensure your safety. It's for the best." Link concluded and motioned for Epona to pace faster so he could be the first in the line. But Zelda wasn't willing to give up and she followed his steps, commanding the steed to move faster. They were side to side again, sharing a defiant glance. The troops were expecting some kind of argument like the ones they heard about before. Zelda was too stubborn to let a knight, a younger boy with no powers, make her feel useless. And Link was too noble and instructed to ignore the protocol of his appointed knight duties.
"I'd appreciate some faith in me. I personally made sure to sketch our journey through Death Mountain to be as safe as possible." Zelda replied and with a slight turn of her head showed that nobody could change her mind.
"It's not a matter of faith. The leader needs to face any danger and act quickly." Link had never spoken so much in his life since he had been blessed and chosen by the sword.
Zelda abruptly stopped, making both the troops and Link remain behind her as well. She descended from her mount and Link mimicked her actions. They stood facing each other, her arms crossed in her chest, not showing any sign to back off.
"What danger could there possibly be, Link? We've been pacing around for days and nothing crossed our paths." She defiantly replied and then looked over at the troops. "We are all tired and I'm leading you to a safe place to rest from this heat."
"That's for me to determine if it's safe." The escort objected.
"You can also do that behind me." Link scoffed loud enough for Zelda to listen. "And you will also be following my orders. Two tasks at once, even better."
The argument went on and while the troops were distracted seeing the hot temper of their princess and the abundant speech coming out of Link's mouth nobody was vigilant enough to see the machinery of a forgotten guardian hidden between the rocks. One of its mechanical legs started making its way out of the earth, the sound of it revolving being almost insignificant compared to the heated discussion between hero and princess. It wasn't until the ancient lights of the system turned on that the ground shook hard enough for the hylians to notice. A lethal ray of blue light was ready to strike the princess, a red dot appearing on her forehead immediately. Link was the first to notice, immediately pushing himself in the way, his shield ready to block the strike.
When Zelda processed what had just happened, the blow had already exploded, creating curtains of smoke and dirt around them. Link had managed to return the hit to the moving guardian but it wasn't enough to defeat it. The ancient machine turned its engines and moved the extendible legs around trying to recover stability. It was the perfect moment for Link to grab Zelda's wrist and get them moving away from the threat. The troops readied their weapons while fleeing, but soon enough the guardian managed to stalk them. Sloppily hitting the rocks around and charging more energy, preparing for the next attack.
"Something has triggered the guardian's engines against us." Zelda pointed out, watching how the ancient sword was emitting a dim blue glow. However, none of the soldiers with them seemed to notice except Link, who was busy enough trying to defend themselves.
"We need to turn them back off." Link commanded the rest of the knights. Zelda was clearly the target and it wasn't willing to lose her. Its laser lit up in a reddish shade, a sign that the next firing attack was close. The beeping sound of it scanning the surroundings was useful in order to detect whenever the damage on the machine was useless.
"The eye, Link! It's the weakest point."
Zelda's information was relevant to the others. For Link, however, who had once defended his fellow knights with a cooking pot, it wasn't new. Sometimes that kind of ancient machinery snapped out of its slumber and was randomly activated in his way. He had a theory about the sealing sword being connected to the technology, but that was something that Zelda had to confirm yet. Whenever those guardians were controlled by traces of Ganon's past influence, they were hard to defeat. It could end several lives with just its fatal laser. Luckily for the hylians, the appointed knight had mastered the art of returning the laser shot back at the guardian to slowly weaken its attack. Nevertheless, the tactic seemed not as efficient as always since the princess was also involved on the battlefield and it would take some time to take the machine down. He just couldn't risk her well-being. And even less now that the guardian had selected her as its target. Surely there was some kind of energy inside the royal heiress that had been significant enough for the guardian to choose her.
"Stay close." He warned, letting go of Zelda's hand so he could dispose of more liberty for movements.
The guardian wasn't in its prime condition, so it was easy to predict the next laser. Link felt his shield shake as he managed to deflect the ray of energy towards the enemy. However, this time he couldn't aim straight at its eye and the hit merely did something to the guardian. Behind Link, Zelda was using the sheikah slate to examine information about the enemy, finding one of its legs being almost disconnected from the rotating body. In her mind, Princess Zelda had a clear strategy as she was the personification of wisdom. And Link, on the other hand, was the one with the almighty sword and enough courage to defeat anything in their way.
"Aim for the legs. If it loses mobility, it will be easier to defeat." Zelda commanded and the troops were really impressed by her wise strategy.
"We'll bait him." Link sentenced, taking a sudden hold of Zelda's hand and moving quickly in the opposite direction so the other knights could strike the mechanical legs.
The stalker guardian did as they had predicted, rotating its core to follow a protected Zelda's movements. The appointed knight kept her close and never lowered his shield. This time Link had to adapt his combat technique since Princess Zelda was also on the battlefield. Even though he was glad the royal heiress was useful in the resolve of the fight by coming up with a defensive strategy.
"I need you to move out of the way once you deflect the next laser." Link saw how Zelda lifted the sheikah slate from the corner of his eye. She seemed confident in her words though the price to pay if anything went wrong was too high to risk it. She noticed the hesitation in the stoic face of her escort. "Trust me. I can help."
Meanwhile, the arrows of the soldiers tried to scratch the surface of the mechanical legs. However, that didn't seem to make much impact on the guardian, which managed to load another charge with its laser. The appointed knight stabilized himself on the ground, shield before both of them to deflect the ray. By the feeling of it, the shield wouldn't resist another attack, so they had to think of a quick way to defeat the machinery.
Princess Zelda didn't really know if her escort was willing to follow her indications. Nevertheless, she was willing to fight too and earn some respect from the fighters of her kingdom. Her father after all had appointed Link at her service for her to learn something, didn't he? She felt the rush of her own blood once Link resisted the laser of the guardian with some struggle, the metal of the protection starting to get thinner and thinner due to its potency. Zelda readied the slate, willing to try the new functions Purah and Robbie had managed to activate back at the royal lab. It had to work for her sake.
Link's shield got destroyed and several pieces got scattered in the hot rocks at their feet. Zelda took a few steps forward and got a good frame of the guardian with the sheikah slate.
The hero could see how she activated a rune, something called Cryonis in the slate. It instantly made the guardian freeze its movements. The soldiers were in awe and Zelda smiled proudly. But her strategy was more concrete than just winning some time for her hylian forces.
"The sword, Link. Use it to destroy the legs."
The order was well received by Link. He readied the mythical sword, vibing in his hands with energy. It was lit up in a dim blue glow that on other occasions granted him some extra strength on his attacks. He sprinted towards the guardian and jumped before it to use his own weight for the strike at one of its frontal legs. The metal got split in two with a single hit from the legendary sword and despite being just a fragment of the ancient guardian, it tumbled down, losing its equilibrium but at the same time breaking the cryonis of the sheikah slate. From behind the guardian, a couple of soldiers also managed to break the wires of another of the legs with their regular swords. There were only three of them left to destroy and Zelda was just starting to feel comfortable on the battlefield.
"Don't stop now. I've got you covered." And with another functionality of her slate, Zelda activated some strange chains that restricted the guardian in its place, making it easier for the fighters to approach it without being harmed.
Link charged against it and made a spin to the left, aiming for the leg beside the one he had already managed to disconnect from the guardian. A mystical glow amazed the ones looking from the distance. The sword after all seemed to be perfectly capable of sealing the darkness and Link was surely the only one that could handle it with mastery. The hint of jealousy deep down in Zelda went unnoticed as she celebrated another of the legs destroyed, thinking that she would collect the stray parts of ancient technology to distract herself in research later in the camp. With her help and the sheikah slate functionality, the stalker guardian now was a mere obstacle not even worthy of the troubles the hylian soldiers had faced before.
It only took two more movements from the hero to deattach the rest of the frontal legs. The knights gained motivation and destroyed the remaining one from behind as Link jumped forward just to nail the edge of the sword right at the guardian's eye.
Traces of electricity sparkled around the machinery as the guardian's system was beaten. Its glowing eye slowly lost its light and the engines suddenly exhaled all of the remaining darkness that had possessed it. Link's sword absorbed the dark cloud of Ganon's malice, the source of energy that the guardian had been using to attack them. Zelda tried to remember herself later to write to the royal lab with all the updates on her fieldwork with the sheikah slate.
The silence was broken by the sudden cheers from the troop, who clapped and yelled energetically despite the effort in combat. The princess looked around and saw how for once the admiration was destined towards her and not Link. The feeling was unknown to her but she quickly welcomed it and smiled in return to the knights. She could get used to the praise and the warmth that awoke in her chest in response. So that was what Link felt whenever he displayed heroic acts. Now that the princess got the taste of it, she wouldn't stay behind.
"Let's move forward. I know a place to rest for today." The princess announced with a melodic tone in her sweet voice, not leaving any doubt in the other knights that immediately followed her.
Link, on the other hand, didn't seem as happy as his fellow knights. He was deeply concerned by the boost of confidence of the princess, who continued her journey without even minding him. He had to hurry and collect Epona to follow the trail to the nearby thermal springs Zelda has been keeping a secret. The reaction of the troop was almost as enthusiastic as the previous one since the Goron pond was the perfect cavity for them to use as a shelter and recover from the implacable heat.
The princess quickly managed to make herself at home. She started bonding with the guards, aiding in the preparation of a campfire to cook some food for everyone. As some men refreshed themselves with the springs, the ones that preferred to make dinner stayed with Zelda, who displayed the charcoal she had been collecting during their trip to compensate for the lack of wood in the Eldin region. All of her shyness and insecurity faded away after the victory she commanded against the stalker guardian. Her knights treated her differently and it only took some minutes for them to change their perception of the royal heiress. She gifted them with consecutive smiles and they obliged her suggestions, managing to create a pretty decent camp as the sun was setting down on Death Mountain.
After half an hour, the cooking pot was filled with tasty ingredients, including vegetables, meat, and condiments. Its delicious smell made everyone hungry and the princess was eager to serve the rations of food to the knights as thanks for their previous trust in her. If only she could feel the same way back in the castle… She didn't want to blame her father, but if he could only comprehend her way of doing things, everything would be easier inside the palace walls. For once her intuition had accomplished good results, Zelda believed in her good judgment. She knew that despite praying, being helpful with the sheikah technology was also somehow a piece of her duties as a princess. The feeling of being helpful filled her chest with gracious tingles of happiness and the people surrounding her were also feeling more positive about the situation. Why couldn't it always feel the same way?
"Thank you, Your Highness." The last knight said, enjoying the stuffed meat on the plate.
The horses safely tied on the entrance, the guards eating and laughing, the campfire burning with luminous flames, the protection of the cave, the fresh nocturne air…The journey had been a complete success. There was still an issue the princess had to attend to yet. But she believed that after bonding with the knights accompanying her, there would be no objections to her last petition.
Zelda stood in front of the fire where the cooking pot had been previously. She cleared her throat and used a fork to make some noise with the metallic cup she had been using to drink fresh water. The knights shushed each other and waited for their Highness to speak. The princess made sure she had caught everybody's attention and then proceeded.
"I wanted to thank all of you for today's efforts. Death Mountain certainly honors its name, but together we managed to surpass the strife on our way. That's why I need your trust from now on and ask you one last favor." Zelda saw the cooperation in her knights' eyes. Link, however, stood by the entrance of the pond, still on his guard. His eyes were locked with the horizon, not seeming to care much about his princess' speech. The royal heiress decided to continue despite her appointed knight's ignorance. "As you all may know, King Rhoam has forbidden me to use any of the Sheikah technology during the course of my duties as Princess of Hyrule. However, thanks to the Sheikah Slate we avoided a stray guardian, guaranteeing our common safety. Not only am I asking for your complicity but I'm leaving the responsibility of my freedom outside the castle in your hands."
The troops reacted better than Zelda expected. Despite serving Hyrule, she knew that her father always assigned the same knights for her formal trips to other regions, so they were more familiarized with being under the princess' orders. The weight on her shoulders got lighter as they nodded and showed their cooperation towards Zelda's petition. In general, the princess no longer had to worry about using the Sheikah slate in public during the rest of the journey.
In spite of the words of affirmation, there was someone isolated that worried Zelda. Link was standing still, posted with the horses outside their camp. Her escort hadn't even eaten, something very rare in his usual behavior. After making sure everybody else was distracted, the heiress to the throne went outside to sneakily stand beside Link. He was focused on his task, absorbed by the surroundings, and ready to defend the spot if any threat approached them. Zelda, however, knew that he was more than aware of her presence.
"Link, won't you come and eat too?" She asked in a sweet tone, not wanting to end the day with another argument with her escort. He, however, didn't seem to be cooperative like the others. "What's wrong?"
The hero took his sweet time coming up with a clear answer but Zelda was willing to wait for as long as he needed to finally speak his mind freely.
"I can't allow you to act so recklessly during our trips." He finally sentenced out loud, locking his eyes with Zelda's emerald iris. The intensity of the glance made some shivers run down the princess' spine. Apart from his look, she focused on his reasons to find a proper answer and with some luck regain some authority with him.
"I proved myself worthy of some trust. The other knights don't dare to doubt me. Why can't you accept I am not as helpless as my father thinks?" She negotiated within the limits of his duties as her escort. "I earned myself some respect from the other knights, why won't you accept that too?"
"I honor my duty." He sighed out loud, deeply frustrated. Zelda was surprised by the sudden change of emotion. "Above all else, the king's orders are my priority."
"You aren't willing to cover me for using sheikah technology?" The princess tried to figure out the object of his concern. Yes, she had asked the others that her orders were priority against the ones king Rhoam dictated, at least during their time outside the castle. But Link had previously covered her back when she got ill during the trip to the Shrine of Resurrection, for example. Zelda couldn't quite figure out where all of this was coming from.
"That's not what I meant." Link finally confessed. "Forget about it, Your Highness."
Zelda didn't quite like the use of her title. She knew there was something the knight wasn't telling her as always. She had grown tired of his silent habits. She never knew what he was thinking and with his eyes on her at all moments the feeling was unbearable. She had several theories in her diary about Link's thoughts on her. Maybe he saw her as insignificant due to her failure in awakening her powers. Maybe he was the only one that desired the pleasure of being treated like a savior. Her demonstration of courage today had eclipsed his usual heroic acts. There was only one feeling left among Zelda's theories to confirm.
"Your hunger for admiration really is insatiable, isn't it?" The princess accused, making Link frown. "Why can't you just let me thrive in the wilderness? Is it because of jealousy?"
The emphasis on the last word seemed to have a certain effect on Link.
"You think so lowly of me?" His voice showed that he had been deeply hurt by Zelda's assumption. "If I allow you to be careless, my services won't be required anymore."
The princess remained silent, realizing her mistake. He didn't know Link as much as she wanted to be aware of his motivations behind his compromise to Hyrule: money, status, vocation… But whatever that was, there was something that burdened him, she could tell by the blue oasis in his eyes. Zelda relaxed her expression and used her body language to show that she was there if he wanted to talk about it. She didn't want to pressure him, but the issue had to be solved or they wouldn't get along. The lack of communication had been the main reason why they didn't end up getting quite along.
"I just don't know who I am without the sword." He finally confessed.
That sentence left Zelda speechless. Their roles were suddenly inverted. For once, the princess could see Link under his layers of strength and silence. He was also vulnerable though his mastery in fighting with the sword was more developed than Zelda's connection with her sealing powers. The princess could have never imagined the charming hero was filled with inner turmoils that were unknown to the rest of the beings. Either way, she felt frustrated because of his lack of communication.
"Why didn't you speak up sooner?"
"I don't need to cast the same burdens I bear to others." He simply explained.
"I'm not any other person. We are supposed to work together to save Hyrule." The princess argumented.
"I know."
His last reply made Zelda feel a certain level of offense. He wasn't willing to trust her and without mutual trust, they wouldn't manage to solve their differences. Maybe he just needed time due to his introversion. Maybe he was just tired. Anyway, it was best to let this one go and return to the topic later on.
"It's alright. Do whatever you want, Link. I won't pressure you to keep secrets from my father anymore." The princess concluded. "But please, eat something and rest." She pleaded, returning to the inside of the cave. Deep down she wanted to believe that her appointed knight would cover her like sometimes he did in the past. After all, she was worried about him, not that she cared deeply but she wouldn't like seeing him struggle.
The amount of energy that she had used during the day started to make Princess Zelda feel tired. She had also run out of social energy after her talk with Link, so she decided to retire for the day and surround herself with the only thing that made her feel better in situations like this: ancient tech. Inside her tent, the pieces and engines of the defeated guardian awaited for the scholar to study them. Princess Zelda sat down and opened her investigation journal to continue with her research. As she tried to sketch out the basic structure of the guardian's core, her eyes unconsciously darted back to Link. As much as she tried to suppress herself from caring, the princess didn't rest well until a pair of knights offered to switch watches with Link so he could go have dinner and rest.
As I promised, there is some good Zelink interaction since the last chapters were mainly focused on Revali's recruitment. Furthermore, it's not difficult to guess who will be coming up in the next chapter, is it?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If there is someone reading this please, say "aye" in the reviews. Some nice words would be rewarding too.
Read you soon.
