Princess Zelda stood next to her knight and Princess Mipha, silently observing them as the latter said her goodbyes to her friend. The King of the Zoras, Dorephan, had already thanked the Hylian Princess for her help and wished her and her knight a safe journey back but his daughter seemed to want to do it in a less formal setting. She had followed them down the grand staircase from the throne room and they were now standing before one of the many bridges to Zora's Domain, the one which would take them back to Hyrule field. And the Princess listened as Princess Mipha spoke her last words before their departure to Link, who bowed lightly to show his respect and to thank her for her kind words. Princess Mipha then turned to Princess Zelda.
"Zelda," she said, "I hope you'll remember what I said. Perhaps you already have the Goddesses' powers in you but just need to… let things go and not worry too much."
"Oh, Mipha… If I do, then I wish they would answer my prayers and let me know how to use them."
"I'm positive you'll figure it out soon." She took Princess Zelda's hands in her own and gave them a comforting squeeze, the kind that meant that she trusted and believed in her. Zelda wasn't sure if she could've done the same if she knew someone like herself. Still, she was grateful for her kindness.
Princess Mipha looked into her green eyes. "I shall pray tonight and ask the Goddesses to guide you," she said, determined. "Maybe they will listen."
Princess Zelda gave her a sad smile, honored that she would do something like that for her but a voice in her head said that the effort would be fruitless. "That would be very kind of you, Mipha. Thank you. I really mean it."
"It's the least I can do." She let go off the hands and took a small step back, looking at the two Hylians before her. "Take care. Please be careful on your way back – I won't be there to heal any wounds" she joked and looked at Link when she said the last part. He got the message.
"Don't worry, we have plenty of elixirs with us." They stood there for a few seconds, none of them wanting to take the first step to leave, none of them sure how to leave a light mood behind them. Unsure if she should do what she wished to, Princess Zelda made up her mind and took a step forward and gave the red Zora Princess a hug one last time. It was sudden and unexpected but welcomed, and Princess Mipha embraced her back. It was comforting and calming even if, or perhaps because, they both knew of the heavy burden which had initiated it. They let go after a few seconds and Princess Zelda took small steps backwards and out on the bridge, raising an arm to wave goodbye.
"Goodbye, Mipha. Thank you, and tell Sidon that we'll miss him."
Mipha smiled raised an arm back. "He misses you more." The red Princess stood before the bridge and kept her eyes on the backs of the two Hylians until they became two light blue dots at the opposite end.
She already missed one of them in particular.
Princess Zelda skipped over smaller rocks and stepped down one level and closer to her knight who had just finished off two monsters. They were just at the end of Zora River and Link had sheathed the Master Sword by the time she got beside him. She diverted her eyes away from the slayed monsters and the decorated blue scabbard. The legendary blade still made her question sometimes why the Goddesses had seemingly given everything her knight needed but not blessed her with the one thing she needed, and Princess Mipha's promise to pray for her was comforting to know but she knew that it wouldn't be enough. Her tutors and advisors in Hyrule Castle were already doing the same, and undoubtedly her father as well, and no amount of prayers seemed to be enough for the Goddesses. Truthfully, it was frustrating and she sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with her. No one had given her a reason to believe that, but it could be that no one dared to tell her that since she is the Princess.
Getting lost in her thoughts again, she turned her eyes downward to the ground and took the lead again without really noticing it. Prayers clearly weren't enough, but she doubted that any sacrifices needed to be made to gain the Goddesses' attention. But she didn't know any other way to make them notice her pleas – perhaps she need to stop by the library in the castle once she's back, perhaps she will find something which her tutors had missed although that is very unlikely.
She tried to recall early memories or her mother, as she had done many times before, desperately wanting to remember how her mother had done it, how she had used her powers. But no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't find anything. She had tried this so many times now that she wasn't even sure what were true and real events and what were made up scenarios in her mind. Had she stood there next to her mother, admiring the courtyard's garden and shyly clutching her mother's full skirt with her tiny hands, as the Queen had been interrupted by a servant or was it a memory she wished was real? Had the Queen been there in the night as a thunderstorm raged outside, calming her daughter with a warm, yellow light from her magical hand, or had it simply been a candle in her hands? As time passed, the more uncertain the Princess became.
She suddenly yelped when she lost her footing and fell down to her knees. She felt a sharp pain coming from her ankle and whining loudly, she took hold of her foot, trying to either soothe the pain through her leather boots or just feel how bad it was. Her knight came quickly to her side, a hand hovering above her shoulder, wanting to check with her if she was ok but not daring to place his palm on her. She felt a fire of annoyance rise up at his hesitation to touch her but the pain was larger and she clenched her teeth together as she breathed out. She took a breath back in and took turns to whine ow-ow-ow's and "it hurts". Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes and she reached out to pull off her boot, but it was stuck to her leg and the pain mixed with the frustration she felt to get it off to inspect her foot. She gave up for the moment and exhaled a frustrated sigh, but when her knight took a step and sat down before her, she angrily waved him away. "I don't need your stupid help, I can do it myself" she snapped, thinking that her knight shouldn't help her if he didn't even want to touch her. Setting her hands on the boot again, she got it off after some wiggling and gentle pulling and she tossed it to the side with a frustrated sigh. That's when she noticed his eyes which were to her surprise filled with worry instead of annoyance of her clumsiness, and she was immediately reminded of her behavior. He clearly only wanted to check if she was alright. And she was being ungrateful and not very ladylike at all. She felt that an apology was in order.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that" she said apologetically. Link didn't even nod at her and she hoped dearly that he accepted her apology. She didn't want him to be cross with her just because of some stupid thoughts in her head.
They kept looking at the other for a small moment until Princess Zelda figured that Link most likely wouldn't move unless she gave him something like an order. She tried the best she could to move her leg a little, so to get closer to him and said, "I would very much appreciate it if you could assist me in determining if it's broken or not."
It seemed to work. He looked straight into her eyes with an unspoken question and she nodded.
With gentle movements, Link took her foot in his hands and held it. A white sock sat on it and just looking at it would be enough to tell how soft it would be to touch and that it was of finest quality, made only for royalty, nobility and the wealthy to wear. The socks he got when he joined the royal guards were the finest he knew, but they were nothing in comparison to the Princess'.
He swallowed and looked up again. "It might hurt, your Highness." Princess Zelda simply nodded, mentally preparing herself.
He wouldn't show it, but he was nervous. He wasn't medically trained and would have to go with what his instincts suggested him to do to examine Princess Zelda's foot. Truthfully, he was certain that his Princess most likely knew more about subjects like anatomy and medicine than he did. However, she had asked for his help and he wouldn't deny her it, and he hoped that he would do nothing wrong to make her scold him again. But maybe it was just the sudden pain that made her snap at him just a moment ago, because he couldn't think of anything wrong that he had done before that.
Slowly, Link pressed his thumbs firmly through her white sock, starting at her toes and working up to her ankle. He quickly let go when she cried out shortly from pain and felt slight panic, but he reminded himself that he had warned her for this and she had given him her permission to continue. He looked up at her pained face, waiting for her to open her shut eyes, and it took her a few seconds to do so. And when she did, she didn't seem mad at him but said "I'm ok" with a voice which betrayed the meaning of her words.
They held eye contact for a few more seconds before he looked down at her foot. She felt him touch and press around her lower calf and ankle again and whimpering, she clenched her eyes shut and wasn't sure if she could hear him murmur "sorry, sorry" or not because the pain was almost too much and it demanded almost all of her attention. It was worse than anything she had felt before but her knight was quick and didn't examine her foot much longer. He let go off it.
"Was that really necessary?" she questioned him. She didn't see the point in him putting pressure on where it hurt the most, but he didn't answer her. She didn't expect him to anyway. She reached forward and clutched her foot in her hands as if that would soothe the pain.
Link felt a bit guilty for hurting the Princess again, but he wanted to be sure that nothing was broken before telling her what he thought. So, in his mind, yes, it was necessary. But he wasn't certain yet, and if he knew anything about broken bones, it was that standing on one would be nearly impossible to deal with.
"Princess, do you think you can walk?"
She looked down at her foot with the white sock on. "I don't know. Do I have to?" Link didn't answer and just held out a hand for her to take, which she did after a short internal debate in her mind. Link's strong arm helped her up and she staggered slightly until she found her balance. She held onto his both arms until she was ready to let go, ready to try to take a first, limping step.
Her knight stayed close to her, ready to catch her if she would stagger and fall. She took a hesitating step forward with her injured foot and immediately put weight on the other leg again. She forced herself to do it again. She was limping, and she could barely walk with the bad foot but it wasn't impossible. It hurt badly, but the pain wasn't completely unbearable. Link stopped her after a couple of staggering steps and she gratefully grabbed his arms again for support. If the situation had been different, or if they had been in the castle, she could only imagine how inappropriate this would have looked like to the court – the Princess standing so close to her appointed knight.
But she quickly wiped the picture off her mind. It wasn't exactly like that would ever happen. And she wouldn't even want that to happen. It was just a funny idea without substance.
"Well, I suppose nothing is broken if I can still walk, although with difficulty" Princess Zelda concluded. "Help me down, if you'd be so kind." She took his hands in hers as she squatted down to the ground on one leg and couldn't help but notice how strong he was. He really didn't look particularly strong on the surface.
Link sat down in front of Princess Zelda and said nothing as he immediately began to look for an elixir in his pouch. She was about to protest, because she felt that the healing elixirs should be saved for her knight to use whenever he got hurt. She only got hurt by getting lost in her thoughts and not paying attention to her surroundings, it was her own fault, but she said nothing as her sharp mind reasoned with her. Without an elixir, it would take longer to reach the stable where they had left their horses and she would be an easy target if monsters would spot them while they got there. Easier than what she already was.
Link found an elixir after looking for a few minutes and she took it from him and swallowed it in two large gulps, wanting to get rid of the weird aftertaste as quickly as possible. She grimaced and she swore that she heard him scoff at the funny faces she made but saw no evidence of it when she opened her eyes to look at him. Maybe it had just been her imagination.
She cleared her voice and gave back the now empty bottle. "Thank you. I'm already feeling better." Link said nothing but reached out for her leather boot she had tossed away earlier to give it back to her. She took it but felt embarrassed for her previous behavior. "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier, I really didn't mean what I said, I was just thinking of some things and didn't pay attention to where I went and it just made me frustrated I guess. I'm glad you were with me." She pulled on her boot and sat still. "I hope I didn't upset you."
Link surprised her when he replied this time. "You didn't, your Majesty."
His face looked like a clean slate and she couldn't tell if it was his honest thought or if he replied with what was expected of him. "You'll have to tell me if I ever do." She stared into his eyes. She wished he didn't have to feel like he had to conceal himself to her. "Promise me, Link."
Link stared back into hers and gave her a nod. When she kept her eyes on him, he forced himself to speak again. "I promise, Princess." He thought back to the other times she asked if she had been asking too many questions or bothered him in any way, "Please…" and the Princess who had already began to stand stopped, looked at him and sat down again, letting him continue. "… Please don't think you're bothering me by voicing your opinions or asking me questions, Princess." He paused and felt that she waited for him to continue. "I admit that I might not be the best person to talk with, and I apologize for that, but I truly don't mind the things you say. So please don't think too much about it." And please feel that it's okay to be yourself outside the castle, he wanted to add but he kept that to himself.
"You have nothing to apologize for" Princess Zelda replied softly, for she knew that it was difficult for her knight to break his silence. "And if you say so, then I will do my best and not overthink things without a reason."
Link saw her comforting smile before she stood up and he followed it with his eyes. He didn't realize that she was ready to continue their walk back to the stable before he heard her voice again. "I'm ready to leave, are you coming with me?" she teased and flashed a beaming smile. And he was immediately on his feet again.
"Perhaps I shall write to Mipha once we're back in the castle, maybe she will find it humorous that I almost instantly got hurt when she had just asked us to be careful" Princess Zelda pondered aloud. "What do you think, Link?" She looked over her shoulder at him and saw him nod back. "And I'll make sure to mention how good you were to me so she'll be proud of her friend." She smiled at her own idea.
It didn't take long until they had left Zora River behind them and saw the stable in the distance, just outside the border of a smaller town. As if getting energized by seeing it, Princess Zelda quickened her steps.
"You know, with all this traveling we've done, I don't know what I think is worse. Walking for hours or sitting on the back of a horse longer periods of time" she chuckled. "Both hurts after a while."
She looked at Link who walked beside her and it was as if she could read his mind when she added, "I know, I know. We could take more breaks." She faced forward to the stable again. "… But I don't know if I want to."
They tread closer to the stable in silence. But before they got too close, Link spoke. "Your horse is a fine creature. I bet it would run faster than mine if it was properly trained."
She turned her attention to her knight again. "Do you really think so?"
He nodded and they took a few more steps. "But I wouldn't admit it nearby my mare so she would hear me" he joked.
The Princess looked at him, amused. "Does she get jealous that easily?"
"If only your Majesty knew." That made her laugh.
"Now you're being silly" she chuckled. "She can't possibly understand what you're saying, she's a horse." Link only shrugged as a reply, neither confirming nor denying Princess Zelda's assumption, and they finally reached the stable and fetched their horses in good spirits.
Princess Zelda sat on her white horse once it was saddled and ready to leave. "About having fast horses," she called over to her knight who was getting up on his own, "how about a race? Let's see how fast we can go." Link didn't protest and motioned for his horse to get closer to the Princess'. She looked around them and pointed with a finger slightly to the right from where they stood. "The first to cross that small group of trees will be the winner. Ready?" Her knight nodded. "Set… Go!"
Dust quickly grew behind them and the slightly humid air whipped the hair around their faces as the decreased the distance between them and the trees with every passing second. All that could be heard was the heavy breathing of their horses and hooves drumming against the earth. Link was in the lead at first but Princess Zelda eventually passed him and gave a victorious cry when she won. She looked over her shoulder and suddenly remembered a similar moment, when she had tried to run away from her knight back when she knew nothing about him. And just like then, she wouldn't stop for him to catch up and the race continued.
But what she felt was completely different this time.
I thought that I should give a small explanation: I know that elixirs instantly heals any wounds in the games, but to make my story a bit more realistic, I decided that elixirs work wonderfully for healing open (bleeding) wounds and broken bones... but only if the bone is in place (for example, in reality, if you dont treat a broken bone, it will still begin to heal, but it won't be perfect and might still hurt afterwards), and larger/deeper open wounds might need some help with needle amd thread to keep the flesh together before consuming an elixir (which would seal the wound). But I consider fairies as magical beings with special powers and can heal anything perfectly, but they are a bit rare to find, as we already know! :)