Zelda had to take a few steadying breaths as they rode into town. She hadn't been surrounded by this many people in at least a few weeks. The town was no Kakariko, no small village where everyone knew each other. She recognized it after a few minutes as Saria Town; it wasn't too small, but also, it didn't even come close to matching the grandiose scale of Castle Town.
She hadn't been here in quite some time, and that afforded her some peace of mind, though she kept her face close to Link's back to keep as many people from catching a good look at her as possible.
Link rode behind a milk carriage that was clanking loudly as it made its way down the street. The wheels of the cart rhythmically bounced against the stone path at a much higher volume than Epona's hooves. He gave her an affectionate pat, hoping that the incredible bustle of constant noise wasn't stressing her out. Poor horse was used to a quiet countryside farm, and she was thrust into this.
"How many rupees do we have?" Zelda asked into Link's ear so she wouldn't have to yell.
He turned, keeping his voice low. "A room for the night, food, and maybe a change of clothes. We could do two nights, but I'd like to save that for another town, if that's okay with you."
"Yes, that sounds good."
"Probably a stupid question for you, but have you ever been to Saria?"
"I have, but not in some time. I'd love to explore, but I'll admit my hesitation at lingering around."
Link nodded and veered off the main road into a small alley before hopping off Epona and holding his arms out for Zelda. When they were both off, Link rolled the riding blanket up and Zelda strapped it to his pack for him, keeping it safe from thieves that ran rampant in larger towns like this. Of course, so did poverty.
Zelda hated seeing just how dirty the streets had become, and worse, the people who were living in them, curled up in a corner without a second glance up.
"Was this Ganondorf? Or… us?" she asked Link when they were away from anyone else.
Link looked behind him one more time, unable to meet her eyes. "It hasn't gotten better since Ganondorf, but it was also a problem before."
"My father never told us. He thought we'd have more time to learn. How would I even start fixing this?"
Link shook his head. "I'm not a politician. I'm sorry. I wouldn't even know where to begin."
"No, it's fine." Zelda took another look around and made a mental note. This she couldn't forget. But in order to do anything, she had to safely reach her cousin. "Link, I don't know if we should use your last name again. What if someone traces us just through our use of your name?"
"They don't even know me. I'm a nobody, remember? Besides, Link Forrester has to be one of the most common names in Hyrule, and by default, my lovely wife, so is Zelda Forrester."
She playfully rolled her eyes and pointedly ignored him as they came upon the first inn that also had a stable. After paying the fee to look after Epona for the night, Link and Zelda headed inside to secure a room.
"Mhmm," said the gruff, older man behind the counter. He seemed far more interested with a piece of paper in his hand.
Zelda cleared her throat, and he finally looked up, completely bored. "Yeah?"
"Uh," Link said uneasily. "Do you have a free room for the night?"
"We do. Twenty rupees…"
Link glanced at Zelda with a smirk, "Zeldo and Linkle Green."
Zelda let out a ridiculously loud snort, unable to hide her laughter. Link pulled her close to him, and she buried her face into his chest to stop her giggling. Link offered the innkeep a bright smile. "We're newly married. She's not used to hearing her name with mine, right darling?"
She shook her head, still laughing. "I'm so sorry," she said, pulling away. Link fought back an embarrassing smirk as he watched her wipe her wet eyes. "I cannot get used to it, it seems. You'll have to call me Mrs. Green more often."
"I can do that," Link mused.
The innkeep didn't look suspicious or amused, just bored. "Number's on the key and the door," he said, taking the rupee from Link.
"Thank you, Sir. The room is available any time?"
"Yes."
"Great," Link muttered, dragging Zelda outside with him, "You're horrible!" he chastised with a laugh.
"Linkle and Zeldo Green? I think I died a little," she admitted, wiping her eyes again. "You just finished saying your name was fine and then… I couldn't. I'm sorry."
"I've met people with those names before. Not together, though."
"Goddess, Link—"
"Zeldo, actually."
Zelda felt herself laughing again and had to walk away, biting her lip just to stop. "Give me the rupees. I need to get a pair of pants. I can't keep riding in this skirt, as comfortable as it is."
"Not to sound selfish," Link said, handing them over, "But can we eat when you're done? There's a tavern right over there." He gestured with his head.
Turning to him with the most serious look on her face, Zelda lowered her voice. "Link, I have a better idea. How about we go now, and I'll get my riding pants before we leave tomorrow. I need to eat as well."
"I think I love your plan," Link chuckled, following her as they made their way to a tavern.
Inside, there were tables clustered together, chairs sprawled in the center of the pathways, between the tables so you wouldn't know where they actually belonged. The room was crowded and lively; there were some musicians in the corner, singing and strumming a away on their instruments with a hearty crowd of drunken dancers, and the circular bar in the center of the room had a barkeep who was watching the performance, bobbing his head jovially.
"Take a free seat, loves," a woman said as she passed by them, balancing two trays full of drinks and food.
"I think we should live here," Zelda said, eyeing the food as it passed. "Do we have enough for a drink?"
"Depends," Link admitted as he obnoxiously peered at the meal on the table beside him.
Link grabbed Zelda's hand as they shimmied through the crowded room, literally needing to push past some people who blocked the pathway to the tables.
There were no completely empty tables in the tavern, so they sat beside each other at one where the other occupants didn't seem to care much about their presence, having their chair turned completely around to face someone else.
Link and Zelda squinted at the signs written in chalk all around them that listed the food and drink that was available.
"We can't afford a lot of this," Zelda muttered ruefully.
"On the plus side, we can afford a few drinks."
"Thank the Goddess," Zelda laughed. She could use one… or several. "Would you hate sharing, then? We'll get to save some rupees that way."
"Sure. What do you want?"
They looked around the room again, deciding what they would both want, and waited until the waitress came back over.
"Hey hons," the woman said again when she finally spotted them, "What can I get you?"
They'd decided to share a large ale along with their cheap, simple chicken. It came out fairly quickly, and they whoofed it down without either of them stopping to take a drink.
When they were finished and paid for their meal, they sat back, looking around the tavern with a small grin on each of their faces.
Zelda grabbed the drink first and swirled it around, wincing at the unexpected taste of something so watered down. "I wish this was wine."
"There was none," Link laughed, taking the drink from her. To him, it tasted normal, like he wasn't used to rich vintages and aged drinks like the princess would have been. "So, have you ever been somewhere like this?"
Looking around at the absolute chaos, Zelda shrugged. "I have been to taverns, but never this crowded. However, I've been in some larger crowds where there was music, drinks, and a fair bit of claustrophobia. So, I suppose my answer depends for how specific of an answer you wanted."
"Well, I was looking for a yes or a no, but you covered it."
"I wonder what everyone thinks of Hyrule now?" she muttered so low that Link strained to hear her beside him.
He took another swig and handed the drink back to Zelda. "Come on."
"Why?"
"We're going to figure it out."
Zelda chuckled and took Link's hand, sliding out beside him, their drink still firmly in her hand as he dragged her closer to some friendly looking drunk men and women. They looked like soldiers.
"Hey," Link said casually, "Are you from around here?"
"Yeah," a woman answered with a bright, welcoming smile. "You?"
"No, actually." Link rested his hand on his sword and glanced back at Zelda. "My wife and I just managed to escape from Castle Town. We're trying to find somewhere to settle. How's the atmosphere around here?"
"Ack!" one of the men grunted. "Don't stay here. Keep going. The usurper's men find their way up here often to conscript the younger kids and send hordes of moblins up when we don't give 'em up. Keep ridin' east."
Link nodded and relaxed against the wall with Zelda beside him. He lowered his voice. "I've heard rumors. Rumors that there is still a royal alive in the castle and that Prince… whatever his name is has been riding to the rescue. Any truth to that?"
The woman answered again, still smiling brightly. "Gods be good if there's a royal alive. But you hear right. Prince Darius, I think his name is, he's riding south now. We got good people ready to join him. You want the info?"
"He's to the north then?" Link said, looking between their nodding heads. It was a start, if nothing else. "I'd join, but I think we'll take your advice and keep heading east. Find somewhere safer to settle. But you've been helpful. Thank you."
"Anytime!" they cheered as Link and Zelda headed away.
Zelda took a long swig of the drink, leaving the last sip for Link. "Well, we got somewhere with them. Though it was a bit vague."
"The further north we go, the more information people will have."
"North, then?"
"Yeah," Link said, finishing the drink. "North it is."