Chapter Six

Zelda woke the most well rested she'd ever remembered feeling. The sun was still barely rising, reminding her of her early mornings she'd spend praying to the Goddesses. But today, she didn't have to beg for her power to awaken.

The Princess momentarily removed her gloves, admiring the triforce imprinted on the back of her hand. It was something she'd worked so long to gain. A marking she'd never truly had time to appreciate.

"You're awake," Link peeked into the lean-to, packing up the bedroll he'd spent his night in. "Ready to set off?"

"Yes," Zelda broke the gaze she had on her hand, sliding her gloves back on before retreating from her own bedroll. She folded it up, handing it to Link before excusing herself to find a secluded area for her early morning nature's call. By the time she had returned, dressed and ready for another day of travel, the horses were gone from sight.

"I boarded them at the stable," he nodded in the general direction, pulling off the sheikah slate from his belt. "The road to the Domain is littered with lizalfos. Bringing them along would just cause us to slow down."

"So you're proposing we walk?" Zelda raised a brow, arms crossed in protest.

"Now, Princess, don't doubt me without giving me a chance." Link smirk.

Zelda held her breath at the sight. A smirk from her own appointed knight. She'd never imagine seeing such a thing.

Link paid no mind to her reaction, pulling up the slate and causing a blue ring to form on the ground. "You missed a divine beast back in the day you know." He hit a button, and a machine appeared in front of them.

Before he could further explain, Zelda was racing towards the machinery before her, admiring every inch, every crevice she could. From the horse-like shaped front to the rubber wheels that it balanced on. "Are you saying we could have been travelling on such a..such a thing this entire time! We put live creatures at risk, and for what?"

"Horses are better companions," he shrugged, "Besides, this thing needs food to fuel it, and you know how horrible that is for my poor, weak heart to bear. Giving away so many berries to keep it going."

"You're ridiculous." The Princess shook her head, pulling her journal out of the small pouch she'd been carrying herself and starting to draw down every note she could. "This is truly incredible, you know that, right? Divine beasts have been huge, slow moving and hard to pilot, but this!" She waved, at the machine with eyes full of wonder, "This is something you can carry in the slate! That's insanity!"

"Yeah, well, most of the things in our lives are," Link shrugged, walking to kneel beside the Princess and peek at her notes. They were hard to decipher, nothing like the clean, precise writing he'd found in her diary. These were her free flowing thoughts.

"How does it work?"

"I sit on it and press my foot on this peddle thing and then I'm vrooming through Hyrule," He shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know if it will work with us both on it, but this is probably the time to find out. Besides the lizalfos, we're going to be travelling over some sand, and the horses aren't too fond of that."

"I cannot believe you've kept something so remarkable from me." She huffed, looking at him, "I'll forgive you if you take me for a ride on it."

"Consider it done, Princess," Link bowed, but not his usual, proper bow of a trained knight. No, this was dramatic, playful, almost teasing and overdone.

Zelda didn't waste another second, pocketing her journal and bouncing on her heels. Link was first to get on, sliding further up than he was used to sitting in order to make as much room for the Princess as possible. Her arms wrapped around him from behind, chin settling on his shoulder for a better view. She'd use this moment as an excuse to practically snuggle up to him. His warmth, his scent, was always a welcoming familiarity in a world she was only still learning about.

"Ready?"

Zelda couldn't even respond before Link set off. It was far faster than a horse, and far louder as well. Zelda squealed in delight, her grip tightening on Link as laughter soon followed.

This, she thought, is what freedom truly feels like.

But their immediate speed soon slowed, Link's chuckles soon ceasing as they spotted a man seemingly lost on the side of the road.

"What is it?" Zelda whispered, not needing to speak louder since her lips were so close to Link's ear already.

"Suspicious. Don't say anything, and stay here." Link insisted, stopping the master cycle entirely and getting off. He approached the traveller, though he didn't seem to know him, and his stoic, calm training seemed to return.

All she could do was watch the encounter.

"Are you lost?" Link asked, crossing his arms and cocking a brow.

"You could say so!" The man smiled, "I was looking for a local buyer of my bananas, but I had yet to find a place to set up shop. Would you like a bunch, Sir?"

Link shook his head, his gaze growing darker.

"Are you suggesting you don't like bananas?" The man asked, looking over Link's shoulder and waving at Zelda, "I'm sure your girlfriend would like some. How about 100 rupees for a bunch?"

"Not interested." Link spoke again, not moving in the slightest.

"I can't believe you'd offended my favourite food like that. For this, you'll pay!" The traveller backflipped, disappearing in a cloud of white dust.

White? Link paused, But I thought he was-

"Yiga." Zelda finished his thought. There was one thing she'd feared nearly as much as the Calamity demon himself. The Yiga Clan.

Somehow, Link knew this. Whether it be a memory lost in time, or the fear written all over her face, he knew this was a battle he couldn't let drag on.

His sword was out, but the Yiga had yet to reappear, doing so in the one spot the duo had both prayed wouldn't be true.

Right behind Princess Zelda.

But this man, he didn't look like the Yiga either were accustomed to. Yes, the suit he wore had the upside down Sheikah eye, but the red material had been replaced by that of the purest white.

The fear in Zelda's eyes doubled, tears springing to them at the feeling of a demon carver pressed to her neck. But unlike the past, unlike the memories Link and her shared near the Bazaar in the desert, Zelda wasn't powerless anymore.

Her glove was off, the carver merely scraping her neck before the Yiga was casted in the bright light of the Goddesses power.

It wasn't as powerful as the night before, and came nowhere near the strength used against the demon pig, but it was enough to rid the individual of his time in their world.

Zelda fell to her knees, tears spilling down her cheeks as the reality of everything had hit her.

Moments ago she thought she'd felt true freedom. Days ago she thought she may never need an entourage again, and now, now she was kneeling in the spot she'd taken the first life of someone other than the calamity.

Her hands raised to cover her face, not wanting to see the sights before her, or the shame she was so used to seeing in the eyes of her father. The shame she was sure Link would greet her with the moment she met his gaze.

Link knelt before her, moving her hands slowly, but the shame wasn't there. The hatred, the disappointment she was so used to being met with wasn't apparent at all. All she saw when meeting those ocean blue eyes was relief.

"Oh, Link, I-" She choked, wrapping her arms around his torso and beginning to soak his champion's tunic in her own salty tears.

He didn't push her away like she'd expected, instead embracing her as she did him. His touch was soothing on her back, rubbing the area in the smallest of circles. A reminder he was there.

An embrace she'd wished she had been met with most her life.

How would things have been different back then, if only this was how she was comforted all those years ago?

The two remained there for what felt like hours. Until she had no more tears left to cry. Until her emotions were numb to everything around her. Still, her grip remained on the hero, almost fearful he'd run away the second she let go. The second he realized how weak she truly was.

"Link," She breathed into his tunic, afraid to look up. Afraid those caring eyes had changed in the time hers were closed. "Don't leave me."

"I have no intentions to, Princess," He pulled back, enough to see her face, but his hold on her remained. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to deal the final blow."

Tears, she could feel them building up again, but she blinked them away. Her sleeve was then used to dry her eyes as she finally let him go. "I cannot hide behind you forever. I have a power of my own, entrusted to me by the Goddess Hylia herself. I should be able to defend myself in times such as these." She looked up, covering her hand from both of their views with her own, still gloved one. "But, I'd rather not use up my gift on such...small battles." She sniffled once again, "Do you have a spare bow?"

"Yes, but Princess, forgive me if I've merely forgotten, do you know how to use a bow?"

"Yes," She choked out before giving a tearful smile, holding out her hand, "Many of my past reincarnations had talent with a bow that could rival both that of you and Revali's."

Link was still hesitant, but it seemed logical for the Princess to carry some sort of weapon of her own. He pulled out the slate, using it to produce a royal guards bow and a handful of various types of arrows before handing them over. He also, of course, supplied her with a quiver to carry it all in. He took the time to help her adjust it all before taking her hands and aiding her to her feet.

"We should be off," She sniffled, rubbing the last of her tears away and standing tall once more. "The lizalfos aren't going to be taken down themselves.

"No," Link shook his head, a fond smile on his lips at her strength. "Good thing we have a talented archer among us."

Zelda smiled at him, giving his hand a squeeze before letting go and heading for the divine beast once more. "Then, shall we?"

Princess Zelda had grown quiet once they were headed towards Zora's Domain once more. Despite her best efforts, there was still an unsettling feeling stuck in the pit of her stomach from the encounter with the yiga member.

Besides the fact she was attacked, there was still something that seemed so off about the whole situation. Mostly the man's appearance. His uniform and the smoke his talents produced. White instead of red.

Strange indeed.

Sand soon met the dirt paths she preferred much more for travel, and trees came into view. Her grip on Link tightened just a little as their speed picked up on the far more even ground, the master cycle trucking along for another few minutes before coming to it's next stop.

Another fork in the road. One road leading the Death Mountain, the other to their promised destination of the Domain. They made a pit stop, Link refueling their ride while Zelda wandered to examine some more herbs and mushrooms. She'd even managed to catch a restless cricket for once, showing it to Link rather proudly before it jumped away.

The calm before the storm they both knew was coming the second they returned to the road.

The first group of lizalfos seemed like child's play to the accomplished knight. Their weapons were mediocre at best, their numbers thin and their capabilities less than stellar. Zelda remained on the master cycle for now, watching as Link defeated the first of the beasts they'd encounter.

It seemed as though the Zora had taken permanently to the river for travel, leaving the increased numbers of the lizalfos on their bridges. Such an event surely must have dwindled the little trade the domain still had, or at least, Zelda assumed as much.

Link returned to her side, not saying much before heading over the first of the three decorated bridges leading to the home of the proud Zora race.

Eventually, they had to continue their trip solely on foot. There grew to be far too many rocky paths and cavelike tunnels they'd have to traverse, and the bike simply couldn't do the job needed to get to the next bridge.

It was after one of these particularly rocky paths that Zelda had to ready her own weapon. She remained hidden for now, letting Link run through the puddles littering the ground beneath them. She could hear the warming up of shock arrows being hooked, directed to Link from all areas. Yet, her knight seemed unphased, meeting the archers head on.

While the lizalfos were distracted by the reckless hero taking down their numbers with a single sword, Zelda ready her bow and aimed for those too far for Link's blade to reach.

Together, the chosen duo rid the path of every enemy, and Link made quick work of gathering his rewards.

"Honestly, how many goblin guts must you carry?"

"There's always room for one more."

Another bridge, another group of lizalfos, and Zelda's exhaustion was beginning to set. Her body was still healing, not nearly what it was 100 years ago. She'd used her powers only that morning to take down a yiga, and now she was trekking through rocky paths and taking down lizard-like creatures.

One could say it was an eventful day.

No words could describe the relief she felt when the view of the final bridge and the beautiful, luminous pillars of the domain filled her vision.

It hadn't changed. Something, finally, seemed to stay strong. Unmoved by its clash with the Calamity.

"Ready, Princess?" Link raised a brow at Zelda, who was simply admiring the architecture of the place she'd remembered so vividly. Link wiped the Master Sword clean with the rag from a fallen foe, returning it to it's home on his back and letting the Princess lead the way when she deemed herself ready.

One step, then a second. By the third she was standing tall, looking like the Princess she once was. She carried herself with an aura Link had craved to see return. One he'd remembered, easily falling three steps behind her.

Everything seemed so natural in the unchanged surroundings.

And soon, the bridge met the Domain, and the duo took their first steps together towards Hyrules hopeful reunification.

Surprise! I said I'd upload on Sunday, but I'm impatient. Also, I bought Wind Waker for the GameCube, so I probably will be too distracted Sunday to post, if I'm being honest.

The duo will be spending the next few chapters in the Domain, which I've already written, and my goodness do I love the upcoming chapters.

Also, white suited Yiga are here to party. Gotta love that.

Okay, enough of my rambling.

I'l see you all Wednesday!