Scattering petals

Link & Zelda

Chapter 13: Petals and stones

When an unexpected demand stops their travels through Hyrule


Author's Note: New cover image made by me! It has to be cropped because Fanfiction doesn't allow wider images. Luckily, I have the greatest Zelink drawing on the horizon. If you want to stay tuned, make sure to check my profile for the linktree with all my social media: /StellaPrim


Not only she had proven to be worthy on the field but the princess also undoubtedly was resourceful with Vah Rudania's improvements. Two days ago, Zelda had earned her knights' respect by aiding on the battlefield with the sheikah slate against a stray guardian. Now she was the center of attention around a modest fireplace in the southern mine as she spoke of fireproof lizards that could be found in the area. The goron were watching her carefully, taking each of her words in as she displayed her share of wisdom about Hyrule's fauna. The fact that she was holding a reptile in the bare palm of her hand was also a thing to admire since the mine-dwelling tribe had a certain tendency to fear smaller animals. Even a Hylian miner was witnessing the scene, impressed by the princess' speech skills.

From all of Hyrule's corners, the goron was maybe the most strong civilization. They were masters of metallurgy and possessed abilities that no other species could have. With their qualities, from time to time became the resilient tribe that was known nowadays. Every pro, however, has its con. As powerful as the goron could result in battle, knowledge wasn't a priority to them. So as soon as Hyrule`s princess began her investigation about unexistent flora and fireproof fauna, everyone around the mine gathered to watch her use the sheikah slate. Only a few minutes later, she had become the object of their admiration as she gladly explained her scientific projects to the clueless goron.

As Zelda shared her studies about reptiles, Link watched from a distance. She gave him a glance from time to time, making sure her escort was also a witness of her unique abilities as Hylia's descendant and scholar. She was passively proving her point to him, showing that by doing things her way she could accomplish much more than they did until then. Prayer was an essential part of her spiritual pilgrimage, of course, but she wasn't an ethereal being. She belonged to the earth and as a consequence needed to be an informed creature, a bridge between her world and the godly realms. The king seemed to not understand that, but she hoped that after proving her worth before Link and the troops, some good words hopefully reached her father's ears. So while Zelda built courage by showing off, she thought of how small Link seemed compared to her. Yes, he possessed the Master Sword, but he was silent and without a foe near, he wasn't relevant. Before everybody's eyes, the princess was much more interesting than him.

As the princess enjoyed the sensation of experiencing the feeling of belonging, Link was captivated by the flow of her refined words. He was aware of her intentions to be independent and strong on her own outside Hyrule's Castle. He had also been allowing her to grow fond of the advantages of being a hero in the eyes of another. Link, however, knew the personal motivations she held against him. If he became less relevant, she would gain more protagonism. But little did Zelda know that the knight wasn't interested in dueling for their honor's sake against each other to show who was less useless to face the calamity. All he wanted was to earn her trust and somehow work their way together for him to improve his connection with the almighty sword and for her to awaken her sealing powers once and for all. Together they would have more chances to be successful in battle, but the princess had been so burdened with her duties that all expectations had been redirected to the legendary hero Link represented.

"The princess is all brains," Daruk said in awe. "though her temper may be quite challenging for you, am I right, tiny hero?"

Link almost let out a goofy snort because of the comment but it would have interrupted their Highness' lesson. Daruk laughed out loud, patting with brutal strength the knight's back. His feet darted a few steps forward due to the third champion's force.

"Sweat it off, little guy." Link figured that the first phrase was a local expression of some sort. "Now that Rudania is at its best form, we will surely defeat Ganon once he decides to appear. Together, eh?"

Daruk's optimistic thoughts were refreshing indeed. Knowing that held high hopes for him comforted Link since Zelda had been especially cold and uncommunicative lately. At least with him, because everybody else gladly enjoyed her warming company.

"Rocks are a common hideout for these reptiles, surely some of them are awaiting for you to discover their home." Zelda was cheerfully speaking to the youngest goron, teaching them to not fear the reptile she was holding. The kids seemed to like her and one even dared to pet the fireproof lizard in her hand. The princess grinned widely at the result of her efforts.

"Lizards are spying on us!" The youngest of the group exclaimed as a revelation.

"Nobody sneaks around goron's terve, it is impossible." Another one replied.

The lizard in Zelda's hands got freed and the kids, as brave as they wanted to resemble, started whimpering around and yelling in a mix of fear and laughter. The innocent persecution game ended with Zelda being surrounded by a group of kids running around her. Her most childish aspect was highlighted along with her lips and white teeth as the princess grinned with the children. She felt welcomed, wanted, and unpressured. Whatever it was, the unconditional feeling of being appreciated made her chest flutter with relief. That well-being was reflected in the gleam of her emerald eyes, Link could notice. The sight even managed to catch Daruk off his guard, shutting his loose lips for once. While the third champion was merely glad to see harmony ruling over his tribe, the knight was quite melancholic and mesmerized by the sight. The frustrated side of him was jealous, just like he had experienced with the court poet, Irel, a few weeks ago. Why couldn't Princess Zelda be always like this with him as well? Why did she despise him so much?

"Your Highness!" A fidgeting goron approached the royal heiress with an envelope in its hands. "A letter just arrived from Hyrule castle."

Zelda's smile slowly faded into a tormented expression. The kids wandered off to play in the mines as she sat on a rock to carefully open the envelope. With the sharpness of her cared nails, the wax with the royal emblem of Hyrule was split in two, revealing the content inside. The princess felt the unceasing drum of her heartbeat as she took a deep breath before unfolding the letter.

"My beloved daughter Zelda,

Your absence in Hyrule's castle is becoming a reason for whispering among the hallways. Despite the comprehension from the court's tribunal, the reason for your delay is not enough to compensate for the lack of prayer during your travels. Heading to Zora's domain next is out of the question for now.

Return to the castle as soon as this letter reaches you."

Zelda's fingers tightened the paper she was holding, forming some wrinkles as a result of the accumulated tension. Her father didn't specify his authority, but his command was an actual order for her to follow along with the troops that had been accompanying her.

The princess had to admit that she had decided to stay a little longer than scheduled in Death Mountain to fix some of Vah Rudania's adjustments. However, the brief visit to the Rito Tribe had been shorter than expected. In conclusion, she had just delayed her plans a day more before heading to Zora's domain to meet Mipha, the fourth champion. Something deep down in Zelda knew that there was a hidden intention under the urgent letter from her father. She had everything under control and no friend nor foe had troubled her journey. She remained praying at night, though more briefly she had to confess, and at dawn was ready to continue traveling all of Hyrule's extension. Something definitely was escaping her comprehension since the order wasn't logical if she tried to think with a cold mind as her father did. Why would he delay the trip to the two remaining kingdoms if their priority was to recruit the champions for them to prepare against war? Prayer and duty weren't incompatible during the trip. What was it, then, that she was missing?

"What's wrong, Princess?" Daruk dared to approach the princess and even his heavy steps were deaf before Zelda's deep thoughts. She raised her glance to meet both the goron leader and Link beside him. Any trace of the joy she had been experiencing before was gone.

"The king has ordered our immediate return to Hyrule Castle."

The revelation even managed to provoke a confused expression from the usually stoic master of the sword. Daruk, however, was an open book. He didn't mind sharing his thoughts out loud, be it with the princess before him or with a random citizen.

"What? Why?" Zelda just shook her head and slightly shrugged with indifference at Daruk's question. "I even sent some goron to cook prime rock roast for tonight's feast."

In other circumstances, Link's stomach would have loudly roared with hunger. The mysterious message on the letter had replaced his appetite. The knight approached the princess' side and silently held out his hand as a way to ask for her to share the content in the envelope. Zelda didn't even bulge and quietly obliged, defeated and anxious.

"No! We want the princess to stay!" The children almost cried at Daruk's feet, begging for her to continue spending her days at the goron tribe. "She is as small as us!" This last comment drew a smile on her pink lips.

The hero finished reading the message of the king and between the lines identified a strict tone with some repressing connotations. Link didn't need to think much about it because Zelda's face had worry written all over it. Her will to compete and show some dominance over him completely disappeared and now instead of isolating herself, she had the intention to share some of her thoughts on her father's letter. Whatever it was, she knew better than anyone else that the way the king used the formal vocabulary and mentioned the court's tribunal was because of the larger strides he had to take as ruler of Hyrule. Probably the old sages in the court thought that being gone for so long wouldn't please Hylia, whatever they could know about myths and goddesses. Either way, she disliked the sages' opinions about her routines. Everyone seemed to have a clear idea of how to awaken her sealing powers except for her. They were clueless, of course. Nobody else than her or Link could know how it felt to be connected to the mystical energy of their legend. Judging her tasks, routines, meditations and prayers were simply hypocritical since the court didn't possess enough knowledge on the topic as the princess herself did.

"If we leave now, we should arrive before dawn." Link advised, calculating that with the horses and the descent of Death Mountain it would be faster than the way they did going up.

Zelda motioned for him to leave and prepare their mounts as she got up and dusted off her traveling clothes. Her days of feeling useful were arriving at their end. If her suspicions were right, she would spend the next day talking to a giant-shaped rock. And she wasn't referring to the goron precisely.

"I'm afraid this is my turn to say goodbye." The princess maintained her proper form but the expression on her face said that she was upset for having to leave the goron tribe sooner than she expected.

"Cheer up, princess." Daruk quickly tried to comfort her, a joke on the edge of his tongue prepared. "I'll be struggling again with Rudania's controls soon and you will be sent here before you even notice."

The last sentence made Zelda smirk with sincerity. It was true, for now, Daruk was the pilot who was having more difficulties while piloting Vah Rudania. She surely would have to return soon to adjust the settings on the terminal. After all, even the sheikah scientists in the royal lab didn't possess the same dominion over the Divine Beasts' machinery as Zelda did. In that aspect, nobody could replace her.

"I expect it to be true." She replied with a gentle smile.

Link appeared right from the corner with the rest of the troops and both Royal and Epona were ready and equipped to begin their journey back to the castle. The princess said her farewells with the rest of the mining gorons that had been accompanying them until now, making sure to promise that she would be back one day or another to continue where she left and see the updates of Daruk's process piloting the Divine Beast. While she saved all of her remaining belongings, which were mainly stray guardian pieces, allowed Link and the knights to say their goodbyes as well. Carefully, Zelda inserted the envelope inside the lateral pocket of her fanny pack not before staring at the blank paper with resentment. Dealing with royal protocols had always been an obligation she bored with some time. Sometimes dealing with the court was also complicated. Her intense days of traveling would be questioned uncountable times, she expected.

A callous hand was placed on Zelda's shoulder. She only needed to look once at the worn-out leather glove to figure out it was Link who had snapped her out of the trance.

"Ready?" The princess nodded in response.


Hyrule Castle could be discerned in the distance just where horizon and land met. Its flags billowed proudly in the twilight sky, the torches of the towers guiding them. The switch of temperatures had been clearly noticeable. The sweat still layering Zelda's forehead caused chills up her spine in contact with the breeze. She could also feel her hands starting to shake, sticky at the touch with Royal's leathery equipment. Despite everything, the princess tried to focus on the nocturne sky, trying to locate some shooting star to wish her worries would wash away. None of that happened. At some point of their journey, Link advised to leave stay behind to camp until dawn rose, but Zelda didn't allow it. Instead, she proposed the rest of the troops remain in a nearby Inn until the sun rose. That way, the princess and her escort were swifter since they left the men on foot at the building to spend the night.

Link and Epona led the way as Zelda and Royal followed closely behind. Due to the darkness surrounding them, the princess' appointed knight had his hand firmly gripping the Master Sword in case a foe appeared out of nowhere. Her eyes trailed his arm, descending until she saw a hint of the veins that went from his wrist to his tightened fist. He had removed his gloves a while ago to caress his mount and the view of his strong hands had been distracting Zelda from the imminent arrival at the castle. Link was fit, though not as muscular as other knights yet. Though that never seemed to stop his heroic acts and courageous fights. Despite all this, he was just a teenager like herself, developing into young adults. Zelda tried to imagine his silhouette and sizings to begin with her craft as soon as possible. After all, the champions would need a uniform with Hyrule's royal blue clothing. It was logical to start with Link before anyone else's. A tunic would fit him but she would have to eventually take measurements. The thought of his bare torso made Zelda swallow a handful of saliva down her throat.

Suddenly, Royal let out a neigh, shaking its platinum mane. The princess gripped the reins to not fall, managing to remain balanced on the mount despite the horse's movements. The metallic sound of the royal gear alerted her escort.

"Horses can sense its rider's emotions." Link calmly informed her with Epona completely under his control as he approached Royal to try and tame the animal.

"I can't help it. I'm intrigued by father's command." While Zelda was about to explode, she achieved to remain under control. Though Royal was mirroring her inner turmoil and there was no use trying to hide it. With an easy grip from Link's firm hand, Royal calmed down immediately.

"Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount. That's the only way it will know how you truly feel." He replied before the princess could ask about his secret to taming animals.

To be honest, even she didn't know what she was feeling. The truth was that her relationship with her father had grown colder since her mother's passing away. His duties as King of Hyrule became a priority with a sole throne to command all of the kingdoms on his own. Besides, the lack of spiritual guidance for Zelda had been the most common worry that had concerned Rhoam. All in all resulted in a strict fathership, a scheduled daily routine to educate the heiress to the throne, and an unexistent bond between father and daughter. Sometimes, Princess Zelda thought she knew her father well. However, time had proven that she was wrong. Recognizing her father among icy words and dry commands was an impossible task. He barely saw his daughter outside the throne room as Calamity Ganon was near to unleashing. Rhoam's last order about forbidding sheikah technology use for the princess had unsettled Zelda. The weight of the sheikah slate in her pocket made her wonder if the letter was related to some sort of anonymous tip about her use of technology during their travels. If her father found out, she was doomed.

"I don't want to return." Zelda confessed, betraying her judgment and will. The words just flew out of her mouth for her knight to listen. She expected not to have to regret her sincerity later. "

Link made a slight expression of concern, Zelda had begun to be able to detect those microexpressions on him. The hint of worry awoke some hope in the princess' heart since she knew that above all else, Link was her appointed knight and her partner to defeat the calamity with the Master Sword. He had to show support to her. But the king…

"If you are tired, we can try to postpone our presence before the king until tomorrow."

The princess nodded slowly, agreeing with him. She was tired and felt dirty from all of the traveling. Maybe meeting the king in that state would be detrimental as there was no hint of royalty in her current aspect. Nevertheless, the content and the express command in the letter were very specific and it made her suspect that her father would like to be notified of her immediate return to the castle. She could say whatever she wanted to the guards posted on the door; if the king had ordered being informed of her return, she would have to present herself to him immediately. If she wanted to avoid the situation until the next day, they couldn't get through the main gates of the castle. It would be of no use.

"I will use the docks entrance to remain unnoticed," Zelda informed Link with courage in her tone. "you don't need to accompany me if you want to respect your vows. I'll carry the burden myself."

But despite her efforts, Zelda would have to take some risks in order to remain unnoticed by the royal guard. She was aware of the secret passages that the castle possessed. On other occasions, those had been useful to sneak out for some time alone if she pleased. But that had been a long time ago, much before Link was assigned as her appointed knight. With him as her shadow, she could no longer keep the secret to herself. The decision, nevertheless, was his. He could turn a blind eye and let the princess sneak by or he could be the accomplice to help her get passed the royal guard.

Princess Zelda was indeed an independent individual. Her childhood in the court made her realize how shallow people really were. To that existed some exceptions, Impa for example, who she allowed to be near her. Despite her dislike towards her appointed knight, Zelda still hadn't been able to detect whether he was a reliable ally or another of the king's pawns. Social status, duty, race, gender, and age were irrelevant as time had taught her how to classify people in two different columns: the ones that merely followed orders and the ones that had a mind of their own. Link, due to his silent manners, was an unsolved mystery yet.

The distant light of the torches in the battlement of Hyrule's castle flickered in Link's blue sky eyes as he considered his choice.

"I'm your knight, I'll stay beside you." And despite the lack of formality, he made his affirmation sound as if he was making sacred vows to Princess Zelda.

A treacherous heartbeat pierced the princess' heart with a glimpse of relief. He didn't specify the priorities of his loyalty toward her or for the benefit of her father, but the sentence was explicit enough for Zelda to decide to trust him.

"I'll go to the stall with the horses." The hero spoke with decision. "Stay hidden until I'm back."

Without any other word, Link set off with both Epona and Royal to the main gate of Hyrule's castle. The Princess couldn't quite figure out what kind of reason would he give the posted guards at the entrance to justify his lone comeback with both horses. She just couldn't imagine him lying to get his way even though she practically asked him to do it for her sake. Deep down, Zelda felt a spark of guilt in her chest. Despite everything, Link was her knight, her pawn to some extent. Yes, he could have ignored her to remain loyal to the king and afterward inform him of their immediate return, but he decided not to do it. Link, the hero of Hyrule, was somehow tied to her destiny. He just wasn't a regular escort that followed her around, he was the master of the mythic sword and somehow he also possessed some king of sacred birthright that made him be chosen by the spirits to fight against the calamity. Zelda's powers were something inherited, she was destined to claim her sealing powers someday. Link, however, wasn't chosen by royal heritage or social status, he proved himself to be the embodiment of courage and Hylia chose him in consequence. Their circumstances were quite the opposite though the fate of Hyrule was in their hands. Maybe that fact was the one that made Link become more than just a pawn of the royal guard. Maybe he was trusting her in hopes of becoming closer in his own silent way, to prove himself worthy towards her. After how coldly she had acted around him, Zelda couldn't blame him if those were his intentions.

As she lurked in the shadows of the entrance to the docks, Zelda embraced the sheikah slate between her arms. She should apologize and offer Link a new opportunity, to begin with the right foot. After all, he was also dealing with the burden of carrying the legendary sword on his back. Maybe their struggles were more similar than they seemed. Maybe he would be the only one to finally gift her with some comprehension. If he thought lowly of her, he wouldn't be accompanying her through her sneaky schemes for their return to the palace.

In conclusion, Zelda was conscious of her faults: she had been too strict with her escort. They were the mythic pair, after all. Hyrule's fate was in their hands and they should cooperate in order to succeed in defeating the calamity. It made no sense for nobody to continue treating the situation as if it were a competition about who was more blessed than who. Thinking it straight, it was logical that if somehow Hylia was watching over them, she would prefer them to cooperate and make their way together than grow apart with each conflict that got in their way. If so was Hylia's desire, maybe her father had been right all along, maybe Link's presence accompanying her would be some kind of divine inspiration.

Speaking of which, a medium shadow crawled around the rocks. A dusty old coat was covering his slim figure and the small torch in his hand was the only source of light. Princess Zelda activated the sheikah slate to have some source of light on her own and got up from her hard seat. She was received by her knight with the uncomfortable embrace of another old rag used as a coat.

"For camouflage." He simply clarified.

Zelda got chills due to the strong scent of the stalls. Wherever that coat had been, it certainly didn't smell good. She preferred not to ask.

"Follow me. I know my ways." She ordered, feeling once more the spark of usefulness she cherished so much.

The pair entered the docks by the sidewalk that was just entering the cave. Being such a forgotten way to enter and exit the palace, the docks didn't have guards posted at night. To be honest, ships weren't the main strength of Hyrule's castle forces. Lake Hylia was the closest amount of water and peace always ruled over such terrain. The boats they kept were mainly useful for repairing the walls that naturally protected rivers of cold water in the surroundings of the castle.

After ascending through a couple of groups of stairs, Zelda motioned for Link to notice a secret passage that went upstairs, hidden behind some enormous wooden boxes full of arrows and weapons as a supply for the royal guard. On another occasion, the princess would have used the sheikah slate function to move them away, but discretion was only assured if they left everything as it was. So both Zelda and Link sneaked through the boxes into the secret passageway. Link, who thought he knew the castle grounds as good as the palm of his hand, was kinda surprised about how easily two outsiders had managed to make their way inside the fortification.

"We need better security." The knight said in a mutter though loud enough for Zelda to hear.

"I thought you wouldn't tell anyone." The princess scolded him as if he were a little child. Somehow, sneaking through those walls made Zelda feel less of a princess and closer to her inner child. She tried to recover her formal tone. "I mean, this hallway is a secret for a reason. Only a few know about its existence."

Link slightly smirked while staring at the princess. He wondered how many times she had used that passageway to sneak away from the castle.

"Not that I use it very often." That made Link wonder for a second if she had read his mind.

The light of their torch was dim enough to allow some vision of the immediate surroundings of their path. The pair continued pacing among the nocturne darkness until they reached a dead-end hallway. The wall, however, wasn't made of regular stones as the rest of the ones they saw along the way. The end was somehow an item of metallic furniture, heavy enough for it to not move by just pushing from the other side. Link gave Zelda a confused glance though she already had a solution: the sheikah slate.

"Move aside, if you will."

After taking a few steps backward, the sheikah slate showed a rune of a magnet on its screen. Red lasers scanned the area and turned the furniture yellow once the metal was detected. Then, a pair of invisible magnets made of light started moving the shelving of the now revealed royal library. So the passageway from the docs upstairs was directly related to a secret entrance in the library… That fact would be convenient for the guards to know, but as the princess said, he would have to keep the secret. Link had seen the king's private study behind a shelf at the bottom of the library, but he would have never guessed other secret routes exist among the palace walls. And much less little did he know that a small square made of stone could control such gates without even touching them. The sheikah technology was fascinating indeed, too much for his head to process or even fathom to understand its functioning.

In the darkness, the royal library wasn't as comfortable as Link used to remember. The source of light coming from the huge windows on the upper floor illuminated the central area and left the rest in total obscurity. Their torch was the light that broke the pitch-dark blackness around the princess and the knight's way. Zelda managed to place the shelving as it was, camouflaging any sign of a secret passageway that could be seen in plain view. The capabilities of the sheikah slate were absolutely amazing as the tool was useful for a variety of things, either on the battlefield or around domestic issues. Now the princess' escort understood the obsession she and the goons of the royal lab had towards the stone. Both sheikah ancient guardians and divine beasts had been proved a great ally in the future war. The sheikah slate wasn't an exception since it had shown a great potential to solve problems or avoid obstacles out in the wild.

Link and Zelda were about to set their feet on the first stair that led to the upper floor when some metallic steps echoed. The knight was familiar with the sound as he had worn that kind of boots before: they were part of the royal guard gear. The patrol was heading downstairs. He couldn't let them discover the princess sneaking into her room after midnight or everything they had been through to enter unnoticed would be for nothing.

"Careful." Link warned her and extinguished the fire in their torch, drowning their figures in the dark. "We need to hide."

"There." Zelda had the lucky capability to think fast and soon detected some rags that were used someday as curtains. The cloth, however, was attached to the furniture and Zelda was incapable of tugging enough material to cover both Link and herself before the guard's eyes.

"Don't say anything." Link finally sentenced, seeing the figures of the knights turning around the corner.

Link held Zelda down, letting her back slide to the floor. She was about to protest by the sudden roughness of his hands but thought twice before opening her mouth. The knight used his coating to cover them both along with the old curtains. The princess tried to make a ball of herself and allow her escort to scootch closer. Link ended kneeling before Zelda, one hand on the wall beside her and the other occupied covering their bodies. The princess got a hold of the other edge of the coat and placed it above their heads so there was no inch of their bodies uncovered.

"Yesterday one of those things almost got me." One of the guards conversed with the other. "The king shouldn't allow the scientists to perform their experiments around Castletown."

Zelda guessed that they were talking about the field study of the sheikah guardians. Nevertheless, she couldn't quite concentrate with Link's breath caressing her cheek and collarbone. His corporal heat was overwhelming and ended blinding her senses, making her wish the awkward situation was over soon. She had never experienced such proximity with another person, not even with her family. Seeing such an angle from the floor of Link's jawline was making the princess feel dizzy and trapped. She had to swear she wasn't liking the warmth of Link's proximity over her. He, however, didn't seem to mind her presence so near. She theorized that the training among the knights of the royal guard must have him gotten used to physical touch due to combat training.

"I won't go near those machines, I'm telling you beforehand." The other guard commented with a slight giggle.

Link shook his head in disappointment and used the corner of his eye to spy on the patrol. Meanwhile, the princess tried to count the seconds they were spending hiding under the rags. She lost count eventually, the situation was too surrealist to handle for her logical brain. She just couldn't put into known words what was going on through her body. When Link's glance met her emerald eyes, a shock of electricity ran up her spine. The crook of Link's neck was dangerously close to the princess' pointy nose. The heat of her own body rose to her cheeks and she prayed to Hylia for the reddish shade not to be noticeable on her face.

Zelda, in moments like those, begrudged the capacity of her knight to remain calm under every circumstance. His tanned skin had an olive undertone that shone even with the moonlight beams and despite that, there was no trace of weariness nor embarrassment. In fact, now that she looked closely at his face, he looked rather effortless even though they had been traveling for a week. His dirty blonde locks framed his sharp jawline in a loose way that looked natural instead of messy. The sun on Death Mountain and the coldness of the Rito tundra had gifted him with a glimpse of a healthy sunkissed nose and cheekbones in the right amount. And his hands were manly and calloused but maintained the spark of youth that corresponded to his age despite the hours of training and the struggles of fighting during their travels. After witnessing his attributes, Zelda had no doubt: Hylia might have blessed him with all of the gifts she lacked. Youth, talent, vitality, skills…

The steps of the royal guards slowly faded into the night. When Link had reassured nobody could spot them hidden, he let go of the coating that covered them both. A silky hand, however, was still holding up the cloth. The knight frowned at the princess, who had been immersed in her own thoughts and hadn't even noticed the troops were long gone. His switching positions made the princess snap out of the trance and return to self-consciousness. When Zelda recovered her notion of the present time, she found his hand held out before her in order to aid her. Only because it was late and she was tired, Zelda granted him the pleasure of helping her get up from the floor. The minutes they had spent kneeling on the floor made her legs ache with a funny prickly feeling. The fresh air in their faces, however, helped them both collect the energy to ascend to the tower.

"Shall we continue?" Link had been forced to speak since Zelda didn't seem to notice that her fist was still gripping his coat. At the sudden realization, the princess let go of the clothing with swiftness.

Zelda hummed a low 'yes' to initiate once more their trip upstairs. They went through the main staircase at the bottom of the library, right where the guards had been a few minutes ago. The carpet on the floor muffled their steps and Zelda motioned for Link to continue the main way since the wood on some hallways creaked and the sound could be noticed from the lower floors. In the upper pathways, they didn't have the same struggle since stone was the only material used for construction in the castle towers such as Zelda's study or her personnel quarters. Luckily, as everybody thought her highness was still out in the fields, there were no guards posted on the west wing. With Zelda's absence, the gigantic windows were not even open, not leaving an opportunity for intruders to enter the princess area of the castle. The musty smell of closed walls within days and days of lifeless activity was hard to ignore. Internally, she thanked the rare sight of a silent and quiet hallway at her chamber's doors. Almost as quiet as her escort once they reached the entrance to her tower.

The weight of her farewell was heavy on their shoulders. As Link stood solemnly, Zelda wondered how to put into words her gratitude. She didn't want to overdo the expression though she couldn't leave any words unspoken. The lack of time left poor maneuver over her speech. Working against pressure was not a strong point of her capabilities. And eventually, the presence of the silence made both of them remain to wait with expectation.

"Link." The sound of his name on Zelda's lips seemed as if she reminded herself of who she was speaking to. "Tonight's journey is something I couldn't have done with any other knight."

The warrior looked into her eyes thoughtfully, The princess swore she had never seen such a powerful glance posed into her own. His expression was slightly confused though he made an effort to understand her point. Zelda felt the need to explain further:

"You've shown that a real knight now only made his vows to the crown but also swore to respect its lord's, well-.. lady's decree above everything else." She corrected, nevertheless she was quite proud of her outer reflection. "All else said, you can retire. Rest well."

Almost in a blink of an eye, the princess entered her bedroom and locked the doors. Link swore he felt the wood being slammed in his face for an instant along with the cold breeze behind Zelda. Only after a few steps back, the knight was finally reassured that her highness was safe inside her quarter's walls. Time to return to his own room and sleep tightly until the next day.

On the other hand, Zelda hurried past her bedroom, ignoring her seductive bed with fresh bedsheets. She had to take advantage of her supposed absence to sneak into the forbidden area: her lab. She tried to be as stealthy as possible in her royal gear through the exterior corridor until she reached the tower. The doors were still shut, though nothing could stop the princess in the middle of the night. Bending down, she snuck through the crack in the door. Luckily, the guards in charge of locking the entrance hadn't been very perfectionists while doing their task. Zelda guessed that the king must have trusted her enough for them not to take too seriously their duty and for her to respect her father's rules.

A gentle push was all it took to enter the now-forgotten research study. Gropingly, the princess found one of the lanterns hanging on the side of the entrance. It still had enough oil for it to be set on fire. The flame was enough to witness the tracks of her involuntary negligence in the chamber.

The charcoal she used to sketch the sheikah mechanisms had faded with the wind's erosion. The small reptiles in the terrarium and the aquarium were uneasy, hungry surely after days and days of not receiving sustenance. The whole place seemed haunted as if a curse had been bestowed upon the tower. Zelda didn't have that much time before sunrise stroked Hyrule's fields, so she hurried and fed her specimens. Then she left the sheikah slate right where it was supposed to be: shut down and on the shelves. It was when she looked around that she finally noticed her greatest loss.

The Silent Princess specimen in the flowerpot had wilted.


This chapter was very long to write! It doesn't include a lot of action though it is extense in character development. Let's rewind for a moment and analyze what just happened in this chapter.

Zelda finally acknowledged how handsome Link is, -our pretty boy-, though the upcoming conflicts will likely get in the way… No spoilers, you'll have to wait to read what happens next.

Sincerely,

Stella