Link sped on his horse up the hill past the ruins of what seemed to be stone pillars. How had the Princess gotten away from him this time? He was her appointed knight! How in Hyrule had she taken the Sheikah Slate and disappeared? At this rate, the Princess would be given another knight. He wasn't sure why, but the thought filled him with anxiety. She had a habit of taking her frustrations out on him, yes, but in this time of rising tension, would she truly be safe with another knight? Link could not let himself be replaced. After all, who else was able to defeat adults in combat by the age of four? He needed to shape up and be more vigilant.
He suspected the Princess would have taken a sharp turn to evade him, so he had backtracked until he found a fork in the road. As he went, he spotted the top of what looked to be a shrine ahead. Perhaps the Princess had gone to study it. That seemed like a logical conclusion, as she showed a deep interest in all things related to ancient Sheikah technology.
Blessedly, as he crested the hill, he caught sight of a pure white horse, then the Princess herself. He let out a silent sigh of relief. She was safe and well.
The Princess turned to glare at him as he dropped from his mount and rushed to join her. "I thought I made it clear that I am not in need of an escort," she said, stepping down from the shrine pedestal. When Link remained silent as usual, she sighed and continued. "It seems I'm the only one with a mind of my own. I, the person in question, am fine, regardless of the king's orders."
Princess, he thought. It was his duty to protect her. Didn't she realize how many dangers she could stumble upon if she went galavanting off on her own? Monsters crawled nearly every inch of Hyrule these days. Bokoblins, chuchus, even hulking moblins. He didn't want to think of what could happen if she were to be spotted by a lynel. He shivered at the idea.
"Return to the castle," she ordered, "and tell that to my father, please." She started toward her horse.
He followed behind her, ready to join her wherever she would run off to next.
She stopped and turned to face him again. "And stop following me!" she snapped.
He blinked but refused to let his face portray the hurt surprise he felt inside. This kind of anger coming from her made him feel like he'd done something wrong. But then again, he had. He hung his head for a moment as a silent apology. He would be accompanying her wherever she went, whether she liked it or not.
