Chapter 21: Mixed Feelings
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Notes: A few species of tree are mentioned here - dragon blood trees and baobab trees. These trees really do exist, and really can be found in Breath of the Wild where I describe them in this chapter.
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It was to be, by far, the most uncomfortable journey Link had ever undertaken with the Princess of Hyrule.
She had reverted to treating him with silence, but it was clear that she wasn't ignoring him. Any glance directed at him was a watery glare, cold with contempt. Link told himself she was being childish, told himself it didn't hurt, but nonetheless - especially after what she had said to him - her gaze stung.
They set out a few hours after dawn, when the sunlight was just beginning to creep over the rim of Mount Rhoam in the northeast. The shadows cast by the dragon blood trees and ridges of limestone protruding from beneath lush carpets of grass were long and cold; the early autumn morning carried a bit of a bite. Just as the Princess' gaze did whenever she glanced back at her knight.
It would have been a beautiful ride if not for the tension between them. Ahead on the trail a flock of herons took flight, their bodies silhouetted against the rising sun. In the distance the tall spires of Hyrule Castle stood shadowed in the morning sunlight, proud and majestic behind the grand grove of dragon blood trees forming the Seres Scablands. Beyond even that hulked Death Mountain, lava rivers visible despite the stronger light of the sun. Crickets hopped through the grass and over the trail, leaping out of the way of the horses' hooves.
Link's heart leapt - with hope or dismay he could not tell - when he saw the wagon by the edge of the road that he'd passed by the day before. His spirits quickly fell when he noticed the old woman sitting on the grass, her head in her hands. With his charge no longer missing or in danger, Link didn't hesitate to guide Choice over to the side of the road.
"What are you doing?" the Princess demanded, sounding frustrated - but a bit curious.
Glancing at her somewhat tentatively, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds, he dismounted and jogged the last few paces to the old woman. "Y-your wagon…?"
Her head shot up and she stared at him. "You!" she exclaimed, familiarity gleaming in her dark eyes. "I thought - well, never mind all that. Yes, my wagon - the axle broke, and I… I don't quite know how to fix it. I have my entire life in here," she added sadly.
Link knelt down, stress building between his shoulder blades as he examined the damage. The wagon must have hit a large rock or suffered some sort of major impact, for the axle had snapped, the wood badly splintered. Link swallowed thickly. "Ma'am, I… don't know how to fix this," he admitted quietly, disappointed in himself. All I can do is hit things with a sword. "But… the Tabantha stable is half a day's walk from here, just down this trail. They have people there that can -"
"I can't leave the wagon!" the woman protested, eyes wide. "Didn't you listen? Everything I own is in here! I've been lucky so far that nothing's attacked me; I could never fend off…"
"Do you have any paint, or… or a dye of some kind?" Link asked, biting his lip as he scanned his memories.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "W-well, yes, I - I've been trying to dye my hair…" Wrinkled cheeks flushing with embarrassment, she hopped into the back of the wagon and rummaged around before pulling out a bottle filled with dark liquid. Link took it from her gently, opened it, and began to paint a symbol on the covered sides of the wagon.
"It warns of plague," he explained softly. "Not even a desperate thief would take anything from a wagon marked this way."
"And what of the people at the stable when I bring them here?" she demanded, tugging desperately at his arms as if to drag him away from her possessions. "Will they stay away too? What have you done?"
Wincing slightly, Link marked the other side of the wagon as well before handing the dye back to her. "You explain what happened, how you had to leave your wagon and didn't want anything to get stolen, so you marked it -"
"They won't believe me," the woman scoffed.
"They will," a smooth voice suddenly called, and Link jumped in surprise - he hadn't noticed the Princess approaching with her journal in hand.
The woman's eyes widened to the size of saucers before she dropped to her knees. "Y-Your Highness…" she whispered, bowing her head.
The Princess' cheeks went pink. "Erm… I've written an explanation of what happened," she explained, tearing a page from her notebook and scanning it briefly. "It should be enough for them to believe you; I signed it and if you have any candles with you I can seal it, too…"
"Of c-course," the woman stammered, her eyes still impossibly wise as she scampered back to the front of her wagon and took down a lantern hanging from the jockey box. "H-here; the wax should still be melted - I only put this out a little while ago…"
Setting her paper down on the front of her journal, the Princess carefully poured the slowly-hardening wax from the lantern down onto the bottom of the page before pressing the crest ring on her left little finger into it for several seconds before pulling away. "There," she smiled grimly. "That should be more than enough to convince them of your honesty."
The woman's eyes watered with tears. "Thank you," she whispered, hesitantly taking the paper and holding it to her chest. "Th-thank you both."
They continued on in a slightly less-hostile silence, and Link chased his mind in circles thinking about what the Princess had done. We… actually worked together on that. Sort of.
He felt pleased by the way it had turned out, and immensely relieved that they had been able to help that old woman after all, but he couldn't help but wonder whether the Princess' feelings about him had changed. Maybe she doesn't hate me as much anymore?
He unconsciously halted Choice when they reached a fork in the road, one branch leading into the Breach of Demise - towards the castle - and the other south, eventually to Gerudo Desert. His heart hammered hard - We should turn back; we shouldn't go on -
"Is something the matter, hero?" the Princess scowled at him over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised.
Blushing, Link shook his head, nudging Choice's sides to follow the Princess once again. So… apparently nothing's changed between us, then.
Even so, the silence was nowhere near as uncomfortable as it had been before, whether because of their actions towards the old woman or because the world was wide awake, no longer sleepily quiet, and laced with the singing of birds and the humming of insects carried along by the rustling wind.
"Curious monoliths," the Princess noted around noon as they neared Jeddo Bridge. "An ancient ritual site, I wonder?"
On either side of the trail mysterious stone structures arose from the otherwise smooth stretch of grass rising on a gentle slope. Some seemed to be platforms, while others of various sizes bore holes right through the middle.
"I think I heard Filo sing about this place," the Princess continued softly. "Something about… arrows, and a bird…"
Link didn't reply, as usual, but he was delighted that she was speaking about their surroundings again, as she had done before Death Mountain - before he increased his vigilance. It was, he hoped, a sign that she was more tolerable of him than she'd been that morning.
Or… perhaps she's just that lonely.
They shared a brief meal a little while after noon at Sanidin Park. Link didn't have anything himself - he hadn't packed much food at all, expecting to have returned to the castle by then - so instead he leaned on the railing, enjoying the beautiful view of the kingdom. Such a wide world, he thought, awed. A flicker of hope, like a candle lit in darkness, brightened his soul. Surely, in a world this big, there will be somewhere for me to go when I'm discharged.
He winced. It seemed that with every day that passed, his hope for remaining a knight dwindled more and more. Now he all but expected that everything would be over when he and the Princess eventually returned from Gerudo City.
And that day was drawing ever nearer. The massive crimson cliffs of the Gerudo Highlands loomed tall on the not-so-distant horizon; they were rapidly approaching their destination.
Shrugging off the gloom that had descended over his soul, Link tried to find joy in their surroundings as they continued their journey, hoping to distract himself from his impending fate. Wide stretches of tall sunflowers coated the grassy hillside to the left of the trail, and to the right the mysterious Satori Mountain bulged from the ground, looking lumpy with its oblong limestone protrusions warping its surface, mottled here and there by groves of trees spattered with crimson and gold by the hints of encroaching autumn.
Maybe when I'm discharged I can explore the mountain. See if I can find the legendary beast or not.
It was late in the evening when they reached the Outskirt Stable, and icy rain had begun to fall a few hours before. Link gave the Princess his cloak when the first drops began to fall; her decision to leave for Gerudo City must have been made in the spur of the moment, and she hadn't brought any supplies whatsoever.
So when they reached the stable, Link was soaked to the skin and doing his best not to shiver. After purchasing a warm meal and a room for the Princess, and seeing her safely settled, he returned outside to tend to their horses. Choice was exhausted; he could see it in her dark eyes. The day's long ride, as well as her incredible efforts the day before in the rush to find the Princess, had certainly taken their toll.
Stable hands had already removed her tack, fed her, and rubbed her down, but Link wanted to do more, as he hadn't done in far too long. He thoroughly groomed her coat, trying to make her feel as clean and comfortable as possible. Along with the Princess' meal he had purchased a few sugar cubes and a carrot, and he gave those to Choice as he brushed her coat and combed out the tangles in her mane.
"I hope you can forgive me," he murmured sadly as he slung his bedroll over his damp shoulders, turning and leaving the stall.
The rain was still pouring down when he went outside, and it wasn't long before he was freshly soaked and shivering violently from the cold. Trudging to the door just outside of the Princess' room, he worked his numb arms free from his sopping tunic and undershirt, pulling out one of the blankets from his bedroll and vigorously rubbing it through his hair and over his chest and arms, struggling to warm himself up.
The door creaked open. "I do hope that - oh!"
Link squawked in surprise, leaping backwards and accidentally losing his grip on the blanket. With an embarrassed sort of whimper he snatched it back up and pulled it close.
The Princess stared at him. "P-perhaps you ought to buy another cloak, if - if possible," she stammered, her cheeks coloring. "Then you can have yours back and this situation could be circumvented for the future. I, er - I was going to say, I do hope your horse is, erm, quite well. She seemed a bit tired today and tomorrow's ride is the longest yet."
Link nodded rapidly, his face burning, and the Princess was quick to retreat into the warm candlelight of her room. Link slapped a hand to his face, cursing himself. Fantastic. Now the Princess has seen me half-naked. I could probably be beheaded for that.
With a heavy sigh, he stretched out his tunic and undershirt flat on the wooden-panelled floor. His trousers were just as drenched as the rest of him, but he didn't dare remove those as well; instead he tried to squeeze as much water from them as he could with the blanket before wrapping it tightly around his torso.
Thoughts of getting beheaded had reminded him of yet another thing he'd failed to do. Stifling a frustrated growl, he left the Princess' door once again and made his way to the stable master's desk, announcing himself with a slight cough.
The man looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Well, aren't you a confident one," he sighed. "What is it?"
Link blushed, adjusting the blanket around himself. "I need a message delivered to Hyrule Castle," he explained. "To Captain Janin of the Royal Guard." He held out the small scroll of parchment upon which he'd explained that the Princess was safe and heading to Gerudo City.
The stable master chuckled dryly. "You want a message delivered to the Royal Guard," he scoffed. "Is this a prank, boy?"
Annoyed, Link pulled the Master Sword from its sheath - which he'd moved from his back to his belt while drying off - and showed it to the man. "I'm not joking, alright? Please - I need this message sent."
"Fine, then," the man huffed, holding his hand out. "That'll be fifty rupees, then. I apologize, Chosen One."
Link forced himself not to wince, pulling a violet gemstone from the wallet at his belt. Eager to escape, he sheathed his blade and hurried back to the Princess' room.
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When morning came, he brought a meal to the Princess' door before briefly leaving her side to purchase supplies. He had left the castle so quickly that Captain Janin had failed to provide him with the usual extra wallet for the Princess' expenses, so he had to depend entirely on the small stash of rupees in his own wallet. And with the possibility of getting discharged hanging over his head like a storm cloud, he couldn't help but think that these were rupees he needed to hang on to.
A seed of anger towards the Princess sprouted in his heart - she just had to go on this journey, didn't she? Without any warning, out of the blue, just leave for the desert and expect Link to provide everything and protect her and bear her hostility without complaint.
He bought a spare cloak and plenty of food, fastening the cloak around his shoulders before packing the food in with the rest of his supplies on Choice's saddle. Then, after telling the stable hands to ready their horses, he returned to the Princess' room just as she was walking out. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him, but she walked past without a word, her shoulders tensing at the dull thud of his footsteps as he followed her.
She stopped once her feet touched the damp mud just outside and, with a sigh, trudged over to her horse, saddled and waiting.
"Always playing the role of the self-sacrificing hero," she muttered, her features growing slack with sadness. "It was so simple for you, wasn't it? Draw a sword and then you're done. Apparently the Goddesses see something in you that no one else does."
With a huff, she swung herself up into the saddle. Choice looked at Link dolefully as he strode to her side, pulled himself into the saddle, and guided her after the Princess.
She wasn't angry there, right at the end - just sad. Why?
It was a mystery to him. The words she had spoken and the tone she'd used to speak them did not connect at all, which had defused the sting of them. Is she jealous? Does she think that just because I've drawn the Master Sword I've mastered my part in all of this? Is that what Urbosa meant, that I remind her of her failures?
He frowned, angered and slightly offended by the thought. She had to know how much everyone hated him, and she hated him as well. He found himself constantly struggling to prove himself to everyone, to give the multitude of eyes upon him what they demanded and expected of him. He faced failure every day, now more so than ever.
Which is so similar to what she's going through.
And that meant that she should be able to understand better than anyone, right? Why couldn't she see that it had never been simple for him, that he certainly didn't see himself as any kind of hero, that his task was far, far from over?
Perhaps her hatred blinds her, he thought, anger burning hotter in his soul, but it was quickly overcome by guilt and shame.
What makes you think you have any right to be understood? You're a knight, a man, after all, not some scared little boy who doesn't know what he's doing.
Aren't you?
Uncertainty wavered in his soul; fighting it, Link sat straighter in the saddle, rearranging his features to form a cold, solemn glare like the General's. I am a knight, he schooled himself.
"And a knight is a master of himself," he remembered Captain Janin teaching him. "A knight might be afraid, but he shows no fear. A knight is chivalrous and generous, always putting the needs of others before himself, no matter the cost.
"Most of all, Link, a knight is courageous, always doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing, no matter the opposition. Remember the words that have been passed down through this order for millenia: A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage."
Link inhaled deeply, feeling his spirit begin to calm. Whether or not I'm alone is of no consequence - what matters is that I fulfill my duty as the Princess' Appointed Knight.
The right thing for me to do here… is to not be angry with the Princess, and… try to help her feel a little better, perhaps?
And how do I do that?
He grimaced. Trying to help the Princess had already caused him so much trouble.
Rain started to fall as they began crossing the massive Digdogg Suspension Bridge. Link pulled his hood over his head, thankful at least for the Princess' suggestion that he get another cloak so that they could both be a bit warmer.
Upon reaching the first natural pillar connecting the different parts of the bridge together, the sky growled and a flash of lightning flared across the sky in the distance. Link winced, eyeing the massive lake below and remembering that their horses' shoes were made of metal. Fantastic.
"Stay closer to me, Princess," he called out, squeezing Choice's sides to quicken her pace and bring her alongside his charge's white stallion. "It's better not to have too much space between us." I think.
The Princess turned and glared at him, but a sudden deafening crash interrupted whatever she was about to say as lightning pierced down only a few yards away. She screamed, and her horse squealed in terror, lunging forward with abrupt speed, sending the Princess tumbling backwards over his rump. Link leapt from the saddle, his heart hammering. "Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside her and reaching out.
The Princess sat up and slapped his hand away, her chest heaving with panicked breath. "S-stupid horse," she stammered, visibly trembling from fear.
"Do you feel any pain?" Link pressed anxiously, studying her eyes intently. Both pupils were the same size, that was good -
"I'm f-fine," the Princess huffed, scowling dangerously as she pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled, and a moment later her knees buckled, but Link caught her before she could fall. Her eyes narrowed, and she yanked herself free of him. "I'm fine! Just leave me alone, alright? And go get my horse, for goodness sake!"
Only after I make sure you're safe. Merciful Din, this journey is a disaster! "Please sit down, Princess. You just collapsed; I need to check your ankles and knees."
Glaring at him with unmasked hate, she slowly sat down again and stretched her legs out. Swallowing thickly, Link crouched beside her and gently removed her boots, feeling around her ankles. Not swollen - yet. That's good. "Does this hurt?"
"No," the Princess growled.
Link moved his hands to her knees. "How about this?"
"No! I'm fine, alright?"
"Is there pain when you breathe in or out?" he asked.
"Of course not!"
"Do you feel any pain at all?"
The Princess bit her lip. "M-my tailbone is a bit sore, but I'm not about to allow you to feel for any sort of broken bone right there!"
Link's cheeks burned. "Of – of course not. But if that weakness in your legs keeps up or it feels numb, we need to see someone about it as soon as possible - it could be broken."
The Princess rolled her eyes. "Thank you for your protection," she grumbled, and Link recoiled, unable to keep surprise and hurt from his expression.
"I… can't control the weather, Princess," he reminded her, getting to his feet and offering her his hand - which, again, she refused. "You may ride Choice; I'll go get your horse back. What's his name again?"
She sighed heavily, striding confidently to his horse and wiping rainwater from the saddle with her sleeve before hopping up. "Dinraal," she told him. "My father's horse is Farosh, and my mother's… was Naydra." She grimaced faintly before shaking her head and nudging Choice's sides. "Dinraal is the son of them both, and apparently did not inherit their gentler natures."
Link tilted his head, curious. Named after the dragons supposedly watching over our land… How fitting for the horses of royalty.
He wondered, as he jogged forwards towards Dinraal waiting on the next pillar with ears laid back and head lowered, why the Princess had felt the need to tell him all that instead of just giving him the name. Her mother died with her horse in a Yiga attack years ago - everyone knows that. Why would she want to bring that up?
She's so fascinated by ancient civilizations and the legends that went with them - perhaps she just really likes the way their horses were named but doesn't get the chance to tell people about it very often.
It was a reasonable explanation, he thought. She had often shared various interesting tidbits of ancient history and folklore during their travels; the only difference here was that she had told it to him directly instead of just speaking to fill the silence.
But he dimly remembered her telling someone else her horse's name - that boy Thrangus and his family in Tabantha Village. And she hadn't said anything about his heritage then.
Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance once again and Dinraal scraped at the ground with his hoof, moving his head slowly from side to side. Link walked calmly towards him, holding his head high but keeping his shoulders loose and relaxed, approaching from the side so that the frightened horse could see him properly.
"Hey, Dinraal," he called out gently over the driving rain. "It's alright. We're going to get out of this, okay?" Continuing with soft words, he slowly raised his hand, reaching out for the horse's sturdy white shoulder. He could feel a tremor go through him as his fingers made contact but didn't remove his hand, instead slowly stroking his coat. "Good boy," he murmured, meeting the stallion's anxious gaze and blinking slowly. Then he held out his other hand, bringing it close to Dinraal's large nose to allow him to get his scent.
He felt the tension in Dinraal's shoulder slowly fade away, and with a deep exhale he turned away from Link, expressing that he was no longer worried about his presence. Relieved, Link took his bridle and began to lead him towards the Princess, who had halted Choice and stared at him with frustration and distaste.
"I can't believe it," she said, her shoulders sagging. "I - I just…" She sighed heavily, bowing her head in despair and sliding from Choice's saddle, returning to Dinraal. Shaking her head, she spurred him onwards across the next bridge, and Link quickly mounted his own horse and sent her after them.
I made her feel bad about herself again, I think, he mused, eyes narrowed as he thought. She struggles so much with that horse… What can I do now? I haven't made her feel better in the slightest - just the opposite, actually. Nayru, guide me - what do I do to help her?
The storm had petered away, replaced by bright, searing sunlight, when they reached the Gerudo Canyon Pass. Link kept the hood of his cloak up, if only to protect himself from the harsh rays of the sun.
As noon approached and he spotted the unusual dark shape of an ancient Sheikah shrine just off the road ahead of them, the solution to the Princess' foul mood came to him. A small smile tweaked his lips as a plan began to form in his mind.
"We might as well stop for lunch here," he said, breaking the tense silence between them when they reached the shrine. "We've really pushed the horses these past few days - they would appreciate the break."
The Princess half-turned to glance back at him. Dinraal, he noticed, was not happy - his ears were flattened against his skull, and as Link watched, he swished his tail rapidly and lowered his head, snaking it slowly from side to side.
Then he noticed the Princess' gaze land on the shrine so close to them, and her features softened. "Very well," she murmured, hopping down from the saddle and taking her stallion's reins, leading him to a patch of sun-baked golden grass.
Feeling hopeful, Link slid to the ground and guided Choice to the Princess' horse, taking both reins and guiding them over to the shade beneath a tall baobab tree, removing their bridles for their comfort. He knew that Choice would keep Dinraal from wandering too far.
"What are you doing?" the Princess asked, her tone slightly annoyed as she rested her hands on her hips. "We just so happen to need them to come with us, you know!"
"They won't wander far," Link assured her, removing the bag of food he'd purchased from Choice's saddle. "And if they do, I can catch them."
The Princess rolled her eyes. "Of course you can," she muttered, turning away to examine the shrine. "Right. How could I forget."
Link quickly jogged ahead of her, biting back a wince. "It's a bit dusty over here - let's go this way," he said, taking large strides towards the shrine - specifically the flat ledge it rested upon. He climbed up the side easily with the aid of several level slabs of stones forming a sort of natural ramp to the top of the ledge; he reached his hand out to help the Princess up as well, but she brushed him away for the third time that day with an annoyed look.
Well… not exactly going as I'd hoped, but… still…
He set out their meal, consisting of a few biscuits, two apples, and several strips of dried, salted meat. The last item he pulled out was a pastry he'd made that morning and wrapped up for her for later; suddenly nervous, he held it out to her. "I… thought you might be tired of just the usual trail food," he said, his voice so soft and hesitant that he didn't know if she even heard. She took the pastry and one of the apples with a sigh, resolutely facing away from the shrine.
Link chewed his lip, studying her anxiously. Definitely not going according to plan - I've got to think of something else.
He took the other apple for himself - he was starving, after not eating the day before or having breakfast that morning. And he'd bought plenty of food, and there would be more at the next stable and at the Kara Kara Bazaar.
And… Gerudo City.
Oh, no - I don't think she brought any rupees with her, did she? And I won't be able to get inside -
His heart sank as two crushing realities occurred to him. One - he would have to give her practically every remaining rupee he carried so that she could get food and board for however long she planned to stay there, which meant they might not have any money left for the way back and he would have to hunt for their meals, and the Princess would have to spend a few nights out in the open.
Two - no men were allowed inside of Gerudo City.
He was a man.
Hence she was very effectively entirely ridding herself of his presence for however long she wanted to stay. Each day she spent in Gerudo City would be another day he failed to keep the oath he had taken and fulfill the orders he'd been given.
Fantastic.
At that point, he felt there was no use doubting or hoping anymore - he would be saying goodbye to everything he'd ever known as soon as the King received his report.
Feeling suddenly not hungry anymore, he almost put the apple back with the rest of his supplies, but knowing he needed to keep his strength up, he took a bite and tried to savor the crisp - if slightly bruised - flavor.
The Princess finished eating much quicker than he had planned and was soon getting to her feet to leave.
"Wait!" he blurted, shooting to his feet. "I - uh, I… I need to check on the horses before we continue. The trail was a bit stony."
She rolled her eyes at him but sat down again. "Fine."
Relieved, he headed back down off of the ledge and returned to the horses, leading them a bit closer to the shrine so that he could still keep an eye on the Princess. He took as much time as he could examining Choice's hooves, cleaning them out more thoroughly than he ever had before.
And when he next straightened his back and looked towards the ledge, his spirit lifted - the Princess was at the shrine, just as he'd hoped, doing something with the Sheikah Slate. Good. Hopefully some ancient technology research will brighten her spirits.
Pleased with his efforts, he returned to grooming the horses, and when he was finished with that, he poured water from his waterskin into his hands again and again and let them lap up as much as they wanted. Trying to think of something else to give the Princess as much time as she wanted, he had just finished braiding Dinraal's tail when he heard a frustrated sigh and approaching footsteps crunching over dry grass.
Surprised, he turned to find the Princess returning with a heavy frown twisting her lips downwards. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she asked, her voice flat.
Link gulped and nodded slowly.
The Princess slapped him across the cheek and he recoiled, startled, hand flying to his face. "I didn't know cruelty was one of your personality traits," she growled, her eyes cold. "You heard how frustrated I was at the Ancient Columns, didn't you? And then to rub salt into the wound you bring me here, to another shrine, knowing full well that I cannot gain access to them, letting me get my hopes up and then crushed all over again!" Her voice wobbled, and tears glistened in her eyes, sadness pooling in their green depths. "You're d-despicable, you know that? Everyone you meet, you just have to remind them how th-they're a f-f-failure at - at everything they try and you're not; you just have to rub it in!"
A tear dripped down her cheek and she whipped it away with her sleeve before turning away from him. "Ready my horse this instant," she demanded, her voice quivering and miserable.
Feeling numb, Link retrieved Dinraal's fancy violet bridle and walked carefully past the Princess, hearing her mumble under her breath, "...can't awaken the sealing powers, now I can't even do anything to help with the research…"
His cheek stung where she had hit him, and the apple he'd eaten for lunch turned to acid inside of him, making him feel nauseous. I messed up again. Worse than ever.
Why do I always make things worse?
The instant Dinraal's bridle was in place, the Princess swung herself into the saddle and dug her knees into his side, sending him into a swift gallop. Link stared in shock for a moment before recovering his wits and slinging Choice's bridle over his shoulder, leaping into the saddle and urging his mare after the runaway Princess at a swift gallop.
"I'm sorry, girl," he murmured, patting her neck as she ran before holding tight to her mane. Riding without reins wasn't an issue for him and hadn't been for years; it didn't take long at all to catch up with his charge. He left a significant distance between them, though, feeling it would be best to let her have her space. His cheek throbbed in agreement.
After barely another minute had passed, Dinraal's pace slowed but Link maintained the distance separating them throughout the rest of the afternoon until the sky high above their heads, visible as only a winding, narrow strip between the towering sides of Gerudo Canyon, began to darken. At that point, worried that the deepening shadows would inhibit his ability to watch over her, he nudged Choice into a swift canter until he was directly behind the Princess.
She glanced back at him with grim, hopeless eyes but quickly faced forwards again, her head solemnly bowed. A stab of shame and guilt pierced his gut, and Link shifted uncomfortably, cursing himself for his incapability to help her.
It was much later when they reached the stable that night, and not a word was spoken between them as Link bought her room and her meal before once again finding Choice's stall and thoroughly grooming her coat.
"Second time today," he teased her with a half-hearted smile. "Aren't you a lucky girl."
Choice rubbed her head against his chest, nearly knocking him over, and he chuckled lightly, but tears soon stung in his eyes as he realized that there was no way he could think of to keep himself from getting discharged. He'd messed up so many times on this one journey alone, and they hadn't even reached their destination yet.
Come on, get a hold of yourself, he thought, closing his eyes tightly and resting his forehead against Choice's neck, putting his arms around her, breathing in her warm, comforting scent. His breath caught, and his features tightened as he struggled to keep the tears away. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her dark brown coat. "I'm so sorry… I'm not good enough."
He left the stable only once he was certain Choice was as comfortable as she was going to get, and then he made his way to the stable manager's desk.
"I have a message for Chief Urbosa," he said, forcing emotion from his voice.
He would be entirely incapable of protecting the Princess while she was in Gerudo City. Urbosa, as chief of the Gerudo, an experienced warrior, one of the Champions, and the Princess' surrogate mother, was sure to have a suitable way to protect her. Link's message asked her to meet them at the Kara Kara Bazaar so that he could discuss with her his own suggestions for her protection.
And maybe it would brighten the Princess' spirits if she were to… to see her friend sooner rather than later.
Updated 7/8
