Chapter 34: Silent Princess
\-==/\==-/
Note: If you're ever looking for a crazy distraction, look up "screaming frogs" on YouTube. You'll understand why by the end of this chapter. (:
\-==/\==-/
Link waited in agony of suspense during the following days for Captain Janin's inevitable summons. Surely once he read the report he would have firm, angry words to say. Thinking about it made him feel nauseous, and each breath he drew was laced with dread anticipating the storm of fury to break.
He and the Princess fell into a routine, rising with the sun, readying their horses, and making their way to either the Hyrule Forest Park (on relatively warmer days) or the training paddocks near the stables (when it was so cold the air seemed to burn). After a morning of riding exercises, they retired to the library and huddled by a fireplace, thawing out their numb faces and fingers. Zelda spent the rest of the day either praying or studying or alternating between both; sometimes she delved into the caverns beneath the castle armed with her research diary and examined the excavations taking place. Link looked on, trying not to let his thoughts wander to the last day of the year, drawing ever closer.
Still he saw and heard nothing from Captain Janin.
Four days before the meeting that would decide his fate, Zelda received a message from Purah, asking for her presence at the Royal Ancient Lab barely half a day's ride away. They left that afternoon and arrived at the lab in time to share a hearty meal with the scientists there after stabling the horses.
The Royal Ancient Lab was a far more focused atmosphere than the Great Plateau research camp. It was a relatively recent building a little over a decade or so old, dedicated to the sole purpose of studying ancient technology - and attempting to replicate it. The table around which they ate was actually a worktable that was cleared each night for the evening meal; after the dirty dishes were cleared Sheikah researchers moved their notebooks and artifacts back into place and continued their work. Disemboweled guardians hung from the ceiling with their legs resting on desks or pinned to the walls; screws, gears, and strange spherical devices that had probably all come from the ancient machines were gathered at desks, grouped according to size and type. Diagrams, notes, and books cluttered the walls and even the floor in some corners.
"This is Robbie's home base more than mine," Purah explained as she led them to the back of the building, where the sleeping quarters stood. "It's where he made that spinning light-blade thingy that cuts through metal. But I have a few things to do here as well, mostly on the Sheikah Slate's functions and how it works and stuff. It's powered by several intricately detailed series of runes - I'm not entirely sure how they work or what gives them power, but I think I'm close to some sort of breakthrough."
"Is that why you've asked me here?" Zelda asked, her eyes gleaming with interest as they always did with discussions of ancient technology.
Purah's brow furrowed thoughtfully. They walked down a narrow corridor into a long hall filled with bunks. "Actually… well, I wanted to discuss our Great Plateau research with you. We've all prepared reports of our findings to get you up to speed with what's been happening. You're one of our best minds, Zelda! We want to give you every opportunity to help us out."
The Princess was practically glowing with excitement. "You - you mean it?"
"Of course!" Purah grinned. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't! Now, come on - we've prepared a nice private room for you; you should get lots of sleep so you're ready for tomorrow. We have so much planned for you!"
"Excellent!" Zelda beamed. "I can't wait!"
"Well, unfortunately you'll have to," Purah teased. "But only for one night." She stopped by a small door at the back of the hall and opened it with a flourish. "There you go! Sleep well!"
"And you as well," the Princess chuckled, walking inside. Purah waved a cheery good-bye before dashing back to join the others.
It wasn't a large room, but it was cozy, with a small fireplace already hosting a merrily crackling fire. The bed was broader than the bunks outside, covered in several thick woolen blankets and a patchwork quilt, with several fluffy pillows piled together. There was also a wardrobe; Link caught a glimpse of additional blankets on a shelf within when the Princess began hanging up the clothes she had brought.
"Did you get enough to eat?" she called over her shoulder, and Link gave a slight start, realizing that she was speaking to him.
"Er, yeah, I think so," he said, shuffling his feet awkwardly in the doorway. "Thanks."
"I'm glad - you don't seem to eat much when we're travelling, and that worries me," the Princess admitted, closing the wardrobe and joining him at the door, resting a gentle hand on his arm. She smiled lightly. "At any rate, I'm glad you got enough. I… I think I'll be getting to bed now…"
His ears burned with slight embarrassment and he nodded, quickly backing out of the room and closing the door behind him. This may be one of my last nights guarding her, he realized, leaning against the wall. His heart squeezed, and he bit his teeth tightly together, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. Can't think that way.
After a few hours the Sheikah scientists began to file into the hall, changing into nightclothes without much regard to their privacy and climbing into bed. It wasn't long before snores resounded through the chamber, and Link hoped with a slight wince that they didn't bother the Princess.
The night passed by in relative peace until the early hours of morning, when once again he heard the Princess' quiet sobs through the door. Another nightmare.
He knew by now that he couldn't keep himself from doing nothing. Softly he opened the door and walked inside, fetching a blanket from the wardrobe before moving closer to the Princess. She was curled up beneath her quilts and pressed against the wall, shivering, her face pale and shining with sweat. Link carefully sat down on the bed and reached out for her shoulder, lightly shaking her.
Zelda awakened with a start, her eyes wide and frightened. Her gaze settled on him and she whimpered softly, reaching up and curling her arms around him. Again that warm feeling blossoming up through his chest as he gently wrapped the blanket he'd brought around her shoulders and held her close.
Neither spoke a word. Link held her until her tears ceased; he held her until her breathing evened out and her eyelids slipped closed in sleep. Then, carefully, he laid her back beneath the quilts and pulled the blankets up to her chin, his hand lingering a moment on her peaceful face before he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
It was a surprise to everyone to see the sun shining brightly the next morning, and to find the windows clear of frost and the ground moist with dew instead of glittering with specks of frozen water. A few of the Sheikah scientists expressed concern; usually snow had already fallen by this time of year. Everyone else - Purah and Zelda included - was delighted by the warmer temperatures, and began making plans for outdoor picnics or little walks later in the day. A few people even opened up windows to enjoy the fresh, temperate breeze.
The morning was spent attending presentations given by the various Sheikah scientists about their work and the progress they had made. Link hardly understood a word they uttered; they seemed to be simple, everyday words, but they had been mixed and mashed together in utterly bizarre ways. Things like 'soft-ware,' or 'hard-drive.' It was complete nonsense.
But Zelda loved it, soaking up every word with enthusiasm and excitement gleaming in her eyes. She jotted down careful notes in her own research notebook, clinging to every word.
Link couldn't find it in himself to pay as close attention. However, when Purah began to speak, his interest was piqued and he tried harder to focus. She was describing the Great Plateau shrine that she and the Princess had worked on months ago.
"It's referred to as the Shrine of Resurrection," Purah explained, her voice uncharacteristically grave. "That's what the Sheikah text on the inside told us. And that name alone hints at incredible power - so much more than we initially thought."
Zelda's lips twitched in what was almost a concerned frown. "Do we… do we have any data…?"
"We have some," Purah nodded eagerly. "After we got access to the inside of the shrine we sent out word to each of the settlements - if anyone had a small animal near death, there's a chance we can save it. So someone brought us their hunting falcon; it had gotten accidentally shot with an arrow through its wing. We put it in the Shrine of Resurrection and it's there still - almost completely healed."
Zelda's brow creased. "It's… it's been… months…"
Purah's smile was solemn. "Right. We'll continue our tests; our goal is to slowly increase the size of the animals we heal and gather more detail. Is there a correlation between the size of the creature and the time it takes? Or do other factors determine the time required, like intelligence or the severity of the wound?" She shook her head. "We've had people inside monitoring the progress day in and day out. We just… don't have a whole lot of information yet."
The Princess chewed her lip thoughtfully. "So… it takes a long time, but… would you say that its capabilities make up for that?"
"I… I don't know," Purah admitted. "The records - as you know - spoke of incredible accomplishments. People brought back from the brink of death - just as the name implies. I think I remember reading from one of the few remaining Zonai scripts, claiming that the ancient hero of 10,000 years ago was saved following some sort of accident or battle or something. But… I never heard anything about how long it takes."
"Hmmm…" Zelda blinked several times. "Then… I suppose we had better hope that the Calamity doesn't strike until we have more information."
Purah nodded, agreeing, and their conversation progressed to other topics - the Sheikah Slate, and the runes it was rumored to possess.
As the sun reached its apex, the Princess was finally allowed time to herself. She leaned against a wall, bathed in golden light drifting in through a window, as the other scientists filed outdoors, eager to follow through on their ideas about an afternoon picnic. Her brow was creased and her eyes were vacant; she was lost in thought. Link stood at her side, studying her intently, wondering what she was contemplating.
All at once she gave a slight start and turned to him with a small smile. "I believe I've had quite enough of worried thoughts for one day," she said, reaching out and letting her fingers brush against his wrist. "What would you say to a little ride up to Irch Plain? There's a lovely little pond, and… well, I would like to spend more time with Dinraal."
Link grinned. "I'd say yes," he assured her, following her out through the nearest tall oaken door and out into the crisp - but not cold - afternoon. Their horses were stabled in a small barn off to the side of the lab, with four or five open-air stalls and a small closet for tack. Choice stretched her head over her stall door and whinnied in greeting; Link was delighted when Dinraal thrust his head out as well. He's finally coming around!
They saddled and bridled the horses quickly, mounted up, and headed northward up a gentle slope. The pale, brittle blades of long wild grass fluttered lazily in the slight breeze, gleaming golden beneath the sun. Caught among the rugged strands were dry, brown leaves, shed from the nearby young cottonwood trees. The air smelled musty and crisp, with just the faintest hint of woodsmoke from the chimneys protruding from the Royal Ancient Lab. A few birds sang, their high-pitched, nasally calls punctured here and there by the harsh squawk of a raven or a jay.
Halfway up the hill was a small, muddy pool. Dry, cracked mud surrounded it on all sides, showing how it had only recently receded dramatically. Although the Hebra, Lanayru, Necluda, and even Akkala regions had received their first snow, or at the very least cold rain, Central Hyrule had yet to receive any sort of water. Link was careful to guide Choice, and Zelda and Dinraal, far away from the edge of the pool. Although it appeared solid from the surface, there was probably softer, moist mud beneath; if a heavy animal or even just a human were to walk over it, the surface would buckle beneath their weight and trap them.
At the top of the hill there was a second pond, much larger and filled with reeds and algae. Its shore was comprised of pebbles, not bare earth, and it was encircled by a scattering of young oak trees, shading it from the sun. The pond itself curled around a pale stone ledge blanketed in grass jutting out from the ground; crowning it was a tall, gnarled walnut tree surrounded by its fallen golden leaves.
"My mother and I used to come here quite often," Zelda said with a sad smile, slipping down from Dinraal's saddle and taking his reins a few inches beneath his chin, leading him around the edge of the pond towards the old walnut tree up on the ledge. Link hopped lightly down from Choice's back and followed, listening attentively. "We would pack a bit of food for later, leave early in the morning, and quietly watch the Sheikah scientists for a while - she knew I was fascinated by them. Then we'd come up here and just sit beneath the walnut tree until it was time for us to head back."
She shortened Dinraal's reins so that he wouldn't trip over them; then with a soft sigh she let him go and closed the rest of the distance between her and the walnut tree, reaching out almost tentatively to brush the tips of her fingers against the ridged bark. "It's… it hasn't changed at all…"
Link's eyes widened with a sudden realization as he walked closer, brittle grass caving beneath his feet. "This is the first time you've been back."
The Princess nodded, turning to face him; the sun was shining in her direction, making her eyes glow like gemstones. "Since her… since she passed. Yes." Frowning, she sat down on the bed of golden leaves blanketing the ground and leaned back against the walnut tree. "I was… afraid. Of what Father would think. It's one thing to study the ancient relics under his eye at the castle, or on the road when we just happen across it, or even on the Great Plateau - which is home to the Temple of Time. He didn't even mind too much when I studied in the Gerudo Desert - he could pass it off as strengthening relations with the other peoples of the kingdom."
She grimaced, gazing distractedly at the pond below the ledge. "But this… there is no excuse. This place represents the culmination of all of the research on the ancient Sheikah - the culmination of everything he does not wish for me to pursue. He… he'll be furious…"
Concerned, Link knelt down beside her, studying the painful combination of guilt, fear, and longing on her face. "Do you… regret coming?"
"Yes," she gulped. She winced. "No - no, I don't. I love learning, and I love being here, where I spent so much time with her… I just wish that - that Father would just… understand."
Link bit down on his lip, his brow creasing. Again that stirring of anger and resentment in his soul - anger directed towards the King. He didn't say anything; he didn't want to make the Princess' mood worse. He inhaled deeply, trying to think of some way to change the subject. "What did you and your mother do up here? Besides sitting?"
A slow smile crept across her lips, and peace returned to her eyes. "I was very young, you must understand," she said with a soft chuckle. "But… we would make little flower crowns. There were so many flowers up here…" She scanned the tall grass, parting the blades with her hands. She laughed. "Link, look at this! There's actually a flower here!"
He leaned forward, contentment rising in his soul. A tiny white flower was poking up from the soil, seemingly perfectly healthy despite the cold-baked strands of grass all around it. But… it's kind of sad, knowing that as soon as it snows it really won't have any hope of surviving any longer.
Evidently the dreary thought hadn't occurred to the Princess, as she hurried forward, slipping the Sheikah Slate from her belt. "I don't believe this - there's another!" She shook her head in amazement, snapping a picture of the brave little plants thriving amongst the decay. "I always forget how tenacious the wildflowers are - you should see this place in the middle of summer; they were everywhere! We never had to go very far in order to make our little crowns."
She laughed, glancing back at him, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Of course, I feel rather guilty now, thinking about it. The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful; they're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things. Medicines, some of them. And there we were plucking them out of the ground just to make silly crowns." She laughed again, reaching down to tenderly stroke the petals of a flower with several layers of small, violet petals.
"It's not silly," Link smiled, tilting his head to the side as he imagined it. A little miniature Zelda sitting by a smiling woman who shared her golden hair, both of them wearing little wreaths woven of flowers on their heads, laughing in the summer sun. I'm glad that, out of the two of us, at least she had the chance to experience a more… normal childhood.
Zelda gasped softly, leaning forward and carefully parting the grass to reveal a beautiful white flower tinted blue on the inside of the petals. "This one here is called the silent princess," she murmured, leaning closer. "It's a rare, endangered species…"
Link frowned, remembering the court bard Filo's words at the bakery. Her favorite flower…
Intrigued, he crawled nearer.
"Despite our efforts, and its tenacity, we can't get them to grow domestically yet," Zelda explained, reaching out as if to touch the little plant but pulling back at the last moment. "The princess can only thrive out here in the wild. All that we can hope is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own…"
She wasn't looking at the flower anymore, and Link doubted that she was still talking solely about its preservation. Perhaps she sees some of herself in this plant…? "It will be," he assured her, unconsciously moving one hand out as if to reach for her hand. You will be strong enough.
She smiled at him gratefully, a soft expression gleaming in her eyes that made his heart pound a little faster. It lasted only a moment; then she squealed and lunged past him, throwing out her hands. There was a very angry sounding croak and she straightened, her hands clasped tightly around something. "Is that what I think it is?" she whispered giddily, peering eagerly into her hands. She grinned widely, shuffling on her knees closer to him. "Look at this! I don't believe it, but I actually caught one!"
"Caught… what?" Link laughed, feeling happier just seeing her delight.
She smirked mischievously. "This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances. Ta-da!" With a flourish she removed one of her hands, revealing the fattest, grumpiest looking frog Link had ever seen. It sat resignedly on Zelda's palm, glaring indolently at the world. He couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"A hot-footed frog," he noted. "You… aren't going to shove it down my shirt, are you?"
Her cheeks flushed and she giggled. "Oh, no, of course not - that is a prank reserved solely for Lady Minda. No - you need to taste it!"
Link's eyes widened. "...Taste it?"
Zelda laughed again. "Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities! We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!"
Link felt his cheeks grow warm with slight embarrassment as she reminded him, albeit indirectly, that she had seen him shirtless on numerous occasions.
"And that aside, you are a tad skinny - a nice fat frog is just what you need!" Her eyes danced with mirth as she held the frog closer, and the heat in his face intensified. She's - she's doing it on purpose!
"I - I'm not so certain I could eat a live frog, Zelda," he protested weakly, grinning.
"Oh, very well," she laughed. "I suppose that's reasonable. But you still ought to taste it at least! It's the slime that holds all of its special capabilities -"
"Now I want to do it even less," Link grimaced, raising an eyebrow teasingly at her. "Would you want to?"
"It's all in the name of research and learning - of course!" she assured him eagerly, once again thrusting the frog in his face. Link couldn't help but lean away.
"I don't like the way it's looking at me," he tried, meeting the frog's glare with one of his own.
Zelda laughed again. "It's a frog, Link! It can't change the way it looks!"
"Have you seen its face?" he smirked. "Please tell me frogs don't glare like that naturally!"
The Princess took a moment to turn the frog towards her, studying its face. It croaked again and she jumped slightly in surprise, chuckling. "I'll admit it doesn't quite look very friendly. But are you really going to judge a poor frog's taste based on its looks?"
"Alright, alright," Link laughed, grimacing in anticipation. "I'll, er, I'll taste it."
"Excellent!" she cheered, shoving the frog at him again.
He couldn't help but smile ruefully, gathering the grumpy mound of frog in his hands, although his nose wrinkled at the damp, moldy scent rising from its lumpy green back. Inhaling deeply, gathering his wits, he stuck his tongue out and licked the frog's back. It went wild with an angry catlike yowl, jaws gaping, lunging out of his hands and hurtling into his neck, toppling him over in his surprise before lunging away, hopping a few feet before going still again, still screaming.
Link was speechless.
The Princess held her hand out to him, her face a perfect mirror of the shock and amusement he felt. He took it, letting her help him back up, and stared at the screaming frog. As if aware that it had an audience, the frog croaked once before waddling languidly away, deeper into the tall dead grass.
"I… didn't know frogs made sounds like that," Zelda admitted at last, her eyes wide.
"Neither did I," Link admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. The Princess laughed.
"I'll say - you should have seen your face!" she giggled, holding one hand over her mouth as if trying to hide her delight. "Oh, if I'd only had the Sheikah Slate out - it was priceless!"
Link chuckled despite himself, feeling his cheeks warm with a blush. "Probably thought I was going to eat it."
Zelda laughed harder, wiping tears from her eyes. "You jumped at least a foot in the air," she exclaimed breathlessly.
"I did not," Link protested, grinning. "It pushed me over!"
"It's only a frog," Zelda pointed out. "You were scared out of your skin - don't deny it!"
"Scared?" Link waved her off. "Nah. Startled, sure!"
"You didn't see your face," the Princess reminded him with a devilish grin. "How did it taste, by the way?"
He made a face. "Like wet leaves. What kind of effects was it supposed to have?"
"Some sort of energy-booster," she explained excitedly, her humor fading as her research-oriented side took over. "Which might be just as amusing as watching a frog knock you over, to be honest! You'll be practically bouncing off the walls tonight!"
"Oh, now you're telling me," he groaned in mock dismay. "Well, there's nothing for it - I'll just have to stay up all night, won't I?"
"I'm afraid so," she smirked. "But if it's any comfort, I'd be happy to stay up with you. Taking careful note of your every move, of course, to further this field of research. Perhaps we'll see how fast you could climb a tree, or run around the lab - and then of course to compare you'd have to do the same things once you're back to normal… How long does frog slime stay in the body, I wonder?" She paused, her cheeks pinkening as she ducked her head bashfully. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
Link gave a start, straightening. He hadn't realized he was looking at her any particular way - he had just found himself caught up in how sweet she was, so excited about learning new things, so determined… His cheeks burned in embarrassment. "No reason," he said with an awkward laugh. A sudden impulse struck his mind and his mouth went dry. Now might be a good time to tell her how I feel, right? "I - I just really… I love - love your experiments." Or not.
She was grinning at him, but that soft look was back in her eyes. "That's good," she chuckled. "Because I'm afraid I've dragged you into quite a few." She studied him curiously for several moments, and he fidgeted uncomfortably, certain and terrified that she could see right through him.
"I don't mind," he responded quietly, earnestly, his heart hammering hard.
Zelda got to her feet and held her hand out to him. "Well, I suppose we had better rejoin the others. They've probably gotten back to work by now."
He took her hand, letting her help him to his feet, but she didn't release him right away. She met his gaze, her head tilted to the side, a quizzical expression on her face. At last she smiled widely and let him go. "Race you back!"
Updated 7/8
