Chapter 29: The Princess' Request
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Link had never known himself to have an issue with holding still. But that was a fact he found himself questioning with every day that passed after Captain Janin's furious lecture. He shifted his weight restlessly, wringing his hands while the Princess discussed the King's summons with Daruk in the privacy of his rocky home. What are they saying? What are they saying, and what does the Princess think of me, telling Daruk about all of this? What are they saying?
He felt sick to his stomach.
His nerves boiled over when the Princess stepped out of Daruk's home, looking grave. She smiled grimly when she saw him. "He's agreed to vouch for you," she said. Her grim demeanor quickly returned. "And, Sir Link… I believe I will ask to speak on your behalf as well. I feel responsible for putting you into several… impossible situations, and I… I believe no one else could have done better. I don't want you dismissed because of my immaturity."
Link felt a painful ache in his chest that had nothing to do with his cracked ribs. "You… would do that for me?" More evidence, he realized with a surge of hope, that her decision not to hate him seemed permanent.
Her cheeks flushed. "You deserve that much, at least," she murmured. "I've treated you horribly. Consider this part of my apology."
There's nothing to apologize for, Princess. I've brought this upon myself. He couldn't find the willpower to say the words out loud; instead he bowed his head and hoped his eyes could express his gratitude. Your support means more to me than you could know. "How did… Daruk react?" Link asked quietly, fighting the urge to tug at his fingertips. His 'brother' had greeted them both with enthusiastic, but extremely forceful and consequently painful, hugs when they first arrived. He had been confused when the Princess asked for a private audience with him later in the afternoon.
Now, with the generally jovial Goron Champion choosing to remain inside of his home instead of rejoining the village, Link couldn't help but feel worried.
"Do you even know what I'm meant to be telling them?" the Princess asked with an amused lift of her eyebrow. "I mean… your concern isn't too far off the mark, but…" She sighed heavily, pulling a folded piece of parchment from her satchel. "'The word of King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, eleventh month, twelfth day, year 10436 of the Age of the Calamity.
"'Champion Daruk, as a matter of the physical safety of my daughter, Zelda XIII, I hereby request your presence at Hyrule Castle on the last day of the current year, to speak what you will concerning the Hylian Champion and Appointed Knight to the Princess, Sir Link of Thyphlo. This man's worthiness, as well as his fitness for his duty, have been called into question. You have been asked to speak either for or against him as a result of both your status as Champion and your previous interactions with him. Should you choose to speak, you would greatly assist myself and my advisors in coming to a decision about this matter.'"
The Princess looked up from the parchment, her expression solemn. "He will be given your reports to look over upon arriving at the castle," she explained. "On the last day of the year, he will meet with my father, myself, General Hawkwood, Captain Janin, and Princess Mipha if she agrees. Together we will decide on a punishment for your actions, as well as whether or not you should be allowed to remain my Appointed Knight."
Link snorted and instantly regretted it. "I would've thought that decision was already made," he gasped, clutching his ribs.
"They cannot deny your skill," the Princess said with a sad, rueful smile. "And you have saved my life now on several occasions. It isn't hopeless." Guilt and uncertainty stole across her features, and she looked away from him. "If that's what you want, of course…"
"It is," Link assured her quickly. But I still feel completely sick thinking about all of this.
They walked in silence, only a few steps from each other, back to the Rollin' Inn - a far cry from the other places they had stayed on their previous journeys. It had absolutely no privacy and a single changing and bathing room, and mattresses as hard as rock, stinking of fireproof elixirs. The Princess walked inside and sat down on the bed near the back that she had been allotted, a heavy breath escaping her lips. "So… you're from Thyphlo?" she asked, a faint glimmer of curiosity igniting her gaze.
Link stiffened. "...Yes." He didn't want to give her any response that might lead to more questions.
"Fascinating," the Princess murmured, studying him as she might an interesting piece of Sheikah hardware. "I didn't know anyone lived there! I suppose you must be glad not to stay there anymore - I've heard such terrible rumors about the place…"
Link could feel his pulse quickening. He focused on his breathing, trying to keep himself calm. In, out. In, out. Slowly. In, out. "I… never want to go back."
"When was the last time you visited?" the Princess pressed on eagerly. "What was it like?"
She thought of it as some sort of ghost story come to life. He could see it in her eyes. Don't make me answer that. Please. "Dark." Please don't ask me anything more - can't you see I don't want to talk about it? Uncertainty squeezed at his heart - maybe she was doing this on purpose; maybe this was just her new way of expressing her dislike for him -
"Don't you want to find out who your parents were?" she asked, a little softer.
It hurt. Heavens above, although his suspicions about her motives were quelled for the moment, the agony in his soul exceeded anything he'd felt before; his eyes were stinging. His hands curled into fists and then he flexed his fingers outward again, and he felt cold in the last place in the kingdom he ever expected to feel cold. He shivered. "It's not my home," he croaked. "It's… not anyone's home. It's just where I was… found. It's the only place anyone knows has a connection to my past."
At last, at last, the Princess' eyes widened and her face drained of color as she stared at him harder. "Link, what happened?" she asked quietly. "Do you… want to talk about it?"
His hands balled into fists again. A tremor went through him as he fought to keep his nightmares at bay. His shoulders were stiff enough that it was difficult to draw breath, especially with his ribs in their current state. "I… can't."
"You've never told anyone else, have you?" she murmured, and in a moment that seemed to stretch into the eternities she reached out and let her hand fall consolingly over his own. His knees felt suddenly weak; in the space of a few seconds he recalled everything that had happened over the course of the past few months and instantly felt as if all energy had been completely drained from his blood, leaving him weakly clinging to an ideal image of who he wanted to be, an image that was swiftly slipping away.
And that would leave him with nothing.
He felt a gentle tug on his hand; the Princess pulled him down to sit next to her and he didn't resist, feeling as if he might topple over at any moment. Apparently the Princess hadn't failed to notice.
"No," he muttered. "I haven't told anyone else." Not even Choice, he realized. He fought back the urge to say more, knowing that if he started talking he wouldn't be able to stop until he spilled everything.
The Princess had other intentions. "I know that we haven't exactly gotten along in the past," she began hesitantly, "but I believe that was my fault. I… I would like to start over with you, and perhaps… perhaps we could eventually become friends…"
Why was it that at her words he suddenly felt close to weeping like a child? He clamped his teeth together firmly, fighting to stay in control of himself. That's exactly what I've hoped for since the beginning… and exactly what is forbidden. Why… why are you doing this?
"I'm not asking you to tell me everything all at once," she said with a nervous laugh. "I… I just want you to know that I would like to… to be a friend to you, and perhaps show you that I truly am sorry for how I treated you."
His heart throbbed faster. This is dangerous. If she really does want to befriend me, I might actually start believing more could be possible.
Just like in my dreams…
He inhaled shakily; the flare of pain in his ribs made him grimace, but helped him anchor his thoughts to the here and now.
"And I, er, I thought I'd start by sharing the evening meal with you," the Princess said, wringing her hands uncertainly. She offered a small smile. "I'm not entirely certain what Goron-cooked food will be like, seeing as they eat rocks, but it'll be an interesting experiment, I'm certain. They'll be bringing it here any minute."
Link drew in another breath and nodded slowly. "Thank you, Princess," he murmured. I shouldn't. I'm not supposed to.
But he was just so tired… He'd barely slept the night before, forcing himself to stay on guard as long as he could should a second force of monsters come up the trail towards them. He hadn't eaten, either. And the result - he didn't have the energy to muster up an excuse not to join the Princes for a meal.
Especially not when she looked at him with eyes so desperate for his approval.
They sat in hesitant silence for several moments more before the Princess took his right arm and examined it - namely the bandages over it - carefully. "You know… I don't believe I was thinking clearly when I treated these yesterday. And I only did your arms… I must insist you take the time to properly patch yourself up. I'd gladly help you myself, but…" Her cheeks flushed crimson.
Link nodded uncomfortably. But I would have to undress. A surprising flood of warmth gently encircled his heart, and he almost smiled. Thanks for not being like Mipha.
At once he felt guilty and ashamed by the thought. The Princess doesn't think of me like that at all, he reminded himself. Not even… not even in a good way, not like Mipha.
"I'll stay right here," the Princess promised. "But I would like you to do that right now. I don't want anything to get infected."
He glanced up at her, feeling a brief sting in his heart. Maybe she still doesn't want me around – maybe she's just trying a… nicer tactic.
He remembered her words back at the Ancient Columns - that he would never have friends. The burn in his heart cut deeper, and again he felt much too close to breaking. He stood up, too tired to fight back, and made his way to the bathing room in the back of the inn, heaving the stone door open and dragging himself inside.
Steam rose from one of Death Mountain's hot springs, filling the small room with sticky heat. Beginning to sweat, he removed the bandages the Princess had tied around his arms and pulled off his tunic, undershirt, and trousers, grimacing even in the poor orange lighting at the sight of his torso; somehow the sight of it made it all hurt worse.
There were hardly any patches of normal-colored skin on his chest; everything was black and blue and red and swollen. Almost directly in the center of his chest there were several broken ribs; many others were badly bruised. His left elbow was definitely broken somewhere. Biting his lip against the pain, he felt along the bone, trying to determine where. An involuntary gasp choked from his throat when he found the fracture and his vision swam for a moment; with a shaking hand he wrapped several bandages tightly around it, grinding his teeth.
He examined his hip next; it had been kicked by the last lynel and hadn't stopped throbbing ever since. There was a fracture there, as well; he forced back a whimper and quickly pulled his hand away, not knowing what to do. It'll need some sort of brace - which I don't have, he thought glumly.
There weren't any other broken bones that he could find, but nearly every inch of his body was bruised or damaged in one way or another. Dipping a strip of bandages in the hot water of the spring, he scrubbed roughly at the myriad of cuts and gashes littering his skin, grimacing at the sore sting before he tied cloth around them.
The three tears rent in his right arm by the lynel's claws were badly swollen and slightly discoloured, marking the beginnings of infection. Muttering a curse on his luck, he gouged at the injuries with his bloodied cloth, unable to bite back grunts of pain. With the wounds throbbing anew and oozing blood, he decided they were as clean as he could get them and clumsily wrapped a bandage around them with his left hand, trying not to move his arm any more than was necessary.
Feeling every bit of the pummeling he'd taken at the monster army's hands, he crawled back into his clothes and left the washroom, his head drooping in exhaustion. Although walking - and standing - had hurt all day, it seemed that once he acknowledged the injury to his hip, it became even more of a challenge. Blessed Goddesses… please let this journey be over quickly, so that I can sleep…
A wonderful smell withdrew him from his pain, and he opened his drooping eyelids a little wider as he neared the Princess. A little table had been set up beside her bed, piled with goblets of fireproof elixir and various steaming dishes - curry rice, crab stir-fry, spiced meat skewers…
The Princess smiled at him. "I hope you like it," she said. "I asked for a few various dishes known to be favorites among Hylian clients. In other words, I suppose, no rocks." She chuckled.
"Thank you, Princess," he said quietly, trying (and failing) to hold back a delighted grin. It had been ages since his last decent meal.
She patted the space next to her on her bed once again, and he sat down. After offering a prayer of thanks and a blessing over the meal, the Princess piled rice and stir-fry into her bowl and stirred them together. Link watched uncertainly, his heart pounding faster.
This is not part of my job - I need to be keeping watch, not keeping company.
But she went to all this effort, and it smells so good, and I haven't eaten, and I'd hurt her feelings - which would be stupid, considering she's the first person since Choice who's expressed any interest whatsoever in spending any time with me -
"Aren't you hungry?" she asked with a teasing smile, and Link's resolve crumpled.
He nodded, swallowing tightly, and hesitantly reached for a meat skewer.
It was one of the best meals he could ever remember having. The Princess didn't seem particularly hungry, but she kept insisting that he have more to eat; he wondered a little guiltily if she had noticed that he hadn't been feeding himself recently.
She didn't ask him any more questions about his past, for which he was grateful. Instead, she filled the silence with humorous tales of Dinraal's misbehavior, disgustingly hopeful suitors thrice her age, Purah and Robbie's relationship ("They're just friends, but they like to hear gossip about themselves, so they flirt incessantly," she explained with a smirk), and her hunt for hot-footed frogs two springs ago, which ended in, so she claimed, at least a hundred frogs that she almost caught, and one ballgown indefinitely ruined by mud.
"You went hunting for frogs in a ballgown?" Link couldn't help but ask, grinning widely.
The Princess blushed, but the smile on her face was one of the truest he'd ever seen on her. "I felt it was a far more productive use of my time than listening to nobles brag about themselves and their children all night long," she laughed. "But that's not even the worst of it! Guess what I would have done with the frog if I caught one!"
Link chuckled. "Study it?"
The Princess' grin widened. "The thought did cross my mind - but it wasn't quite as tempting as trying to launch the frog right into the face of one of the ladies!" She laughed out loud, clutching her stomach in her mirth. "It was horribly childish, but Lady Minda deserved it, I think - always showing off her expensive and borderline scandalous new gowns to the poor court poet - you know, Filo! It was absurd!"
She was still laughing, but Link suddenly felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. "You… like him, don't you." He tried to keep his smile in place.
The Princess' grin shrank just a bit, and her cheeks reddened. "He's an old friend," she said haltingly, chuckling hesitantly. "Many of the noblewomen fancy him - Minda did, which is why I wanted to toss a frog at her face."
Link forced a laugh, praying earnestly that she wouldn't notice the dreary tendrils of discouragement curling around his soul. Filo. The court bard. An old friend. A Sheikah - probably of noble birth.
I could never compare, even if through some madness the Princess ever… ever felt…
He wasn't hungry anymore, although there was still one meat skewer left. He scoured his mind, searching for something to say, something to do, that would allow him to escape from this. I'm such an idiot! These - these feelings for the Princess need to end, right now!
It was too late, and he knew it; he had dug himself into a hole too deep to climb back out. It had been hopeless for him to escape from the moment he bought that necklace for her.
The necklace, he realized with a jolt, that now hung from her neck.
"Sir Link, I must ask," the Princess said, her smile disappearing entirely. "You're not at all… well, you've changed since you were first assigned to me. You're less… strict with yourself in my presence. Why wouldn't you speak to me those first weeks? Why… why are you so silent?"
Link wet his lips, avoiding her gaze. "It's my duty - I'm under orders not to speak with you unless absolutely necessary." And here I am, going against that, right in front of you. He grimaced.
The Princess frowned. "How strange," she murmured. "That doesn't make much sense at all. Why?"
He felt a peculiar constricting feeling within himself, as if his soul were trying to hide. More questions about myself. This is not good. She had already demonstrated an uncanny ability to strip away his mental barriers with barely a word and a glance. How easy would it be, then, for her to wound him like no one else?
But answering this wouldn't be that bad, would it? He swallowed tightly. No, definitely not. Especially when… well, she's probably come to that conclusion already. He remembered staring at himself in the mirror, realizing that he couldn't have been able to hide his struggles from anyone.
Slowly he dragged his gaze upwards to meet the Princess'. "It's… a way for me to hide," he answered, swallowing nervously. "I… they… I'm expected to be a hero. A beacon of hope. Someone without… without failings, or struggles. But that's not me, not at all. With so many people watching me, so many expectations on my shoulders, I… I can't speak. It would… betray the truth. I can't show any weakness; I have to at least pretend to be strong, or… it'll all just… fail. They - the King and the General and Captain Janin - they know that. That's why they ordered me not to… not to say anything unless it was absolutely necessary." His shoulders drooped, and once again he felt unfathomable exhaustion; he wanted nothing more than to drop unconscious at the Princess' feet and become dead to the world.
"It… seems we're the same, you and I," the Princess murmured. "There is certainly a discrepancy between who I am and who I am expected to be, and - and in front of most people, I don't dare drop the… facade. I have to give them what they want to see."
Link nodded, his gaze fixed on his empty plate as he tried to focus on staying awake and in control of his emotions.
"Sir Link, I've enjoyed seeing this side of you," the Princess admitted, a small smile twisting her lips upwards. "This more… sincere version of you. You're… really quite pleasant to be around."
Link's heart spasmed, and he felt his cheeks growing warm as he looked up at her sharply. Really? You actually like being… being with me? Happiness blossomed through his soul. "When you smile, and you're truly happy, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said before he could stop the words. Instantly the flames in his cheeks burned hotter, and he gulped, mild horror permeating his soul. Nayru preserve me!
People didn't just spout things like that out loud! Not in front of someone they felt that way about! Not in front of the Princess!
When he at last dared look at her, she was smiling, her lips slightly parted in astonishment. Her face had gone slightly pink, and her eyes were wide and round. "Thank you," she murmured, shyly ducking her head. "And… in that case, I… I have a proposition for you. Perhaps, when it's just the two of us like it is now, and no one else is around… perhaps then we could drop these… these masks we hide behind, and just be us. Zelda and Link, not Princess and Knight. Would you… would you be willing to join me in that?"
Link's heart hammered in his throat. This was dangerous, very dangerous - it was exactly what he wanted, hoped for, dreamed of… I'm already in over my head as it is with the feelings I have for her. Doing this will not keep those dreams at bay, or keep them as just that - dreams, nothing more.
But his tongue wouldn't listen to reason. "Yes, Princess."
She smiled at him, all traces of worry and despair wiped from her face in that one moment. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed at her, and he knew he would never be able to refuse her anything. Even if it ended only in pain for him. I… I love you, Princess.
When she readied herself for bed just a little while later, she insisted he get some real sleep as well. "There aren't exactly private rooms here - you'd only be a few feet away from me should anything happen," she pointed out, gesturing to the rock-solid bed across from hers. "And you didn't sleep last night after that battle, did you? No, I thought not. So you must get some real rest tonight; it's the only way your body will recover!"
He gave in at last, and fell asleep almost the instant his head touched the pillow. For all the stiffness of the mattress, it nonetheless seemed at that moment like the most comfortable bed he'd ever slept in.
He was awakened much later that night to a soft whisper. "Sir Link?"
He dragged his heavy eyelids apart. The inn was pitch black; a few lone sparks drifted through the volcanic air, and he could see them reflected in the Princess' eyes mere feet from him. "Hrmmm?" he mumbled groggily.
She was silent for long enough that he began to think he had dreamed her voice entirely. "What are you afraid of?" she asked at last, and her voice shook.
She… had another nightmare, he realized, raising his head slightly. He let out a heavy sigh, and with it two words. "The dark."
The Princess was quiet again for many moments. "Me too," she whispered. Another several moments passed. Link didn't try falling back asleep; concern for his charge encircled his heart, keeping him awake. Eventually she murmured, "I… I'm sorry for waking you."
He shook his head, although he knew she couldn't see it. "Don't be. I… have nightmares, too."
"You… do?"
"They're about… something that happened a long time ago," he went on, not entirely sure why he felt the need to tell her. Nonetheless, it felt incredibly freeing to finally admit to someone that there were monsters that plagued him. Even if he didn't go into detail.
"Mine too," the Princess whispered. "I… I hate them."
Link grunted in agreement, suppressing a yawn. Though his mind and heart were awake and focusing on the Princess' words, his body was urging him to go back to sleep.
"I wonder if the ancient Sheikah had a way to stop dreams," she murmured, some of the fear leaving her voice.
Link smiled. "If anyone could find out if they did or not, it'd be you," he mumbled, letting his eyes slip closed for just a moment.
"You really think so?" There was hope in her voice, and a note of gratitude.
He nodded, his thoughts growing murky. The Princess, he could tell, was no longer in danger. He felt himself relaxing. "You're not a failure. Never were."
She was quiet again for a long stretch of time; Link's thoughts drifted slowly away, so that he barely heard her when she finally responded.
"Thank you."
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He felt fine, for just a moment, when he awakened in the morning. Then the pain set in and he grunted, shutting his eyes tightly, baring his teeth in a grimace. His body had gone stiff during the night - so stiff that he could barely move without a burn of pain either from his various cuts and bruises and broken bones, or from his overworked muscles.
So this is what happens if you spend half a day in battle.
He'd thought he was prepared for something like this. I guess not.
Link glanced to the side, noting that the Princess wasn't awake yet. His heart gave a slight lurch as he studied her for a moment, the peace in her sleeping face, the way her golden hair was strewn messily all across her pillow… He felt a warm surge of tenderness, flowing through his blood with all the comfort of a loving embrace; he wanted to personally ensure that she felt such peace for the rest of her life.
She stirred slightly, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and Link tore his gaze away from her, his heart hammering as his cheeks flushed red. Idiot. Can't feel such things about the Princess, he scolded himself for the umpteenth time, but he couldn't quite convince himself to try and change.
He turned his attention to his battered body. His skin felt abnormally sensitive and sore almost everywhere, it seemed, due to the bruises. Boko clubs aside, he'd been hurled against stone more times than he cared to count during that battle. Miraculous that I don't seem to have a concussion, he thought with a frown, leaning on his right arm and slowly pushing himself into a sitting position, wincing even at that simple movement.
Well… it'll be a challenge today; that's for sure.
He tilted his eyes upwards, imagining a map of the kingdom, thinking about how long they would have to go to reach Zora's Domain. His heart sank. We'd make it in five days under ideal conditions. And the first two days, and the last two days, are all on foot!
His broken hip twinged as if in response to the thought, and he sighed heavily. Let's get this over with, then.
Carefully he pulled his legs over the edge of the bed and stuffed his feet into his boots with his unbroken arm, biting back pained grunts with even the slightest accidental movement of his left arm. Groaning, he stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily on his left leg, resisting the urge to touch his right in any way. Blessed Din, it didn't hurt this much yesterday, did it?
Perhaps he had just been too numb with exhaustion to truly feel the pain. I thought sleeping was supposed to help, not make it worse. Grumbling to himself, he carefully bent down and lifted up their bag of medical supplies, pulling out a roll of bandages and limping back to the bathing room at the back of the inn. Glancing down at himself, he had no idea how he'd managed to undress himself the day before; it had required the use of both arms, he was sure, and now he couldn't move his left one at all.
He managed to push his trousers down far enough to wind bandages around his waist and right leg, hoping it would be enough to keep his hip supported while they travelled. Then, clumsily using his teeth with his right hand, he managed to wrap up his left forearm and elbow as well, finishing by looping one end of the cloth around the back of his neck and tying it back around his arm, fashioning a sling. Next time we set out across the kingdom - if there is a next time - I'll definitely bring a shield.
The Princess was awake and rubbing the sleep from her eyes when he emerged, and she frowned when she saw his arm. "What happened there?" she asked anxiously, meeting his gaze with palpable concern.
He stared at her for a moment, trying to think of a way to explain that wouldn't make it sound as bad as it was. He couldn't come up with anything. "I, er… I broke my elbow in the battle."
The Princess' eyes went wide. "And you didn't do anything about it before?" she demanded. "What else have you been hiding?" Seeing his hesitance, she quickly added angrily, "And don't bother lying - I command you to tell me everything!"
He licked his lips uncomfortably. "Erm… I've got a couple cracked ribs." He couldn't meet her gaze; he was supposed to protect her, to be tough and unbreakable, and yet here she was yet again stripping away the walls he had put up, demanding to know just how breakable he was.
If there was one person he didn't want to know about that, it was her. He wanted her to see him as a knight - a man - not a boy. And yet it was in front of her that he found himself at his weakest.
He sighed heavily. And because of that, I suppose there's no need to try and hide it. She knows, more than anyone else, how thoroughly I fail at being who I'm supposed to be. She must.
"I've… also cracked part of my hip," he muttered. "Beyond that, well… there's just a lot of bruises and cuts. That's it."
The Princess inhaled shakily and bit her lip, gazing at him with an anxious, furrowed brow. Slowly she shook her head. "Why did you - why didn't you say something?" she whispered.
"I… uh… don't…"
"After all the walking and climbing we did to get to the city yesterday…" She was still shaking her head, but there was a distant look in her eyes, as if her thoughts were far away. "We can't move on; we need to stay here until you recover -"
"I would like that," he interrupted, "for more reasons than one. But I doubt your father would let us wait that long, and anyway, it's fine. I can still walk; it just… maybe… hurts a little." A lot.
The Princess frowned. "Sir Link, I don't like that idea at all. Most people with broken limbs stay in bed for a few days at least - and that's not counting those who happen to break part of their leg! You'll only do yourself more harm if you don't take time to recover!"
He bit back a smile. Her voice was angry, but her gaze burned with genuine concern for him. It made his heart feel soft and fuzzy, and threatened his eyes again with tears. He couldn't remember even Choice ever looking at him with such care.
Nayru's love above, to be cared about by someone - and by this particular someone… The contentment settling over him caught him entirely off guard.
"Although… I suppose we are headed to Zora's Domain," the Princess mused. "If you could just make it there, Princess Mipha would then be able to heal everything in the blink of an eye…"
The little bubble of happiness cuddling his soul popped in an instant. "Wh-what? No! She - she can't heal me -"
She'd had to touch him when she healed him last. And if one of his worst injuries at the moment was on his hip, well…
His face burned with embarrassment.
The Princess looked confused for a moment; then she smirked. "Ah," she said with a knowing nod. "She likes you - is that it?"
"More or less," Link murmured, looking away.
"Then I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help you," the Princess grinned teasingly. "Very well; you've convinced me. We'll leave now. The sooner we reach Zora's Domain, the sooner she can heal your wounds."
Link opened his mouth to protest but couldn't think of anything logical to say. She terrifies me wasn't a plausible excuse at all. And he couldn't deny the appeal in having the pain that pulsed through him with each moment magically fade away.
With a grudging nod, he shouldered their supplies and followed the Princess (who was still smirking) out into the stifling open air.
But she really does terrify me…
Updated 7/8
