Happy Saturday everyone! I had to take a bit of a break from writing because I was doing a pretty intense course but I passed with the highest mark in the class yesterday so I can focus on writing again! YAY! I still have lots of chapters done so even if I have to take a short break again in the future, it shouldn't screw up my posting schedule.
I won't always respond to reviews but I just wanted to let you know, I'm absolutely fine with you sharing this story, AriTheDoggo! If you know of other people who would enjoy it, absolutely share it! I really want to become a better writer so the more people who read it means the more people can help me accomplish that. I do also check the traffic on my stories so I know lots of people are reading it even if they don't always leave reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying it so far though and I have lots of good stuff still planned. If this story ends up being well liked, I'll likely do a sequel as well. I haven't really decided yet though I did leave out a part I had intended to put into this chapter in the hopes that I can instead include it in a sequel. Noble Pursuit just has so much fun potential!
I'd also like to apologize for the terrible formatting job I did last week. I edit the story in word then copy/pasta it into a document on this website. The formatting tends to get jumbled in the transfer so I do things like /italics/ to note what I need to change to italics then remove the slashes and I put * at the beginning of a paragraph if there is supposed to be a break there. I don't always catch them in the final edit so I apologize and I'll try to keep a better eye out for those types of things. Also, I'm doing this all on an iPad so... yeah...
Anyway, without further ado, here is this week's chapter and as usual, if you enjoy it, leave a like and a review with things you like or things I could do better!
Several days had passed since Zelda had last seen link in the courtyard below her study. He had made himself scarce. Part of her was happy for the space he'd given her but the guilt she felt was growing as well.
As Zelda walked back up to her room from her morning prayers, her handmaiden met her on the path. "A letter for you, your grace." The brown haired maiden bowed to her.
Zelda took the letter and examined the seal. It was from Urbosa! "Thank you, Beth."
She picked up the letter knife from her desk and broke the seal.
My dearest Princess Zelda,
I have also sent a letter to your father inviting you to examine the divine beast, Vah Naboris, as soon as possible, but the true reason, is because I know you need a break from castle life sometimes. I'm dying to hear how you've been getting along with your new appointed knight as well. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
Urbosa
Zelda smiled as she put down the letter. Urbosa would be the perfect one to speak to about her problem. She prayed a blessing on the wonderful Gerudo woman then fed the letter into her fireplace. If her father found out that it was just an visit to escape, he wouldn't let her go. Now, all she had to do was wait for her father to inform her of her trip out of the castle.
There was a new lightness in her step at the news as she made her way down to the courtyard to get a report from the Sheikah researchers.
The first person she saw was Purah, "Hello, how do we fair today?"
Purah turned and saw the young princess and smiled, "I think we are really making progress! We have almost figured out how to control it! I give it another week or two and when we tell it to jump, it'll ask how high! Snap!"
Zelda examined the guardian before her. The memory of it malfunctioning during the ball was still fresh in everyone's mind but the more they learned about them, the less likely it was for such an event to be repeated. She grinned as Purah motioned towards her research notes and Zelda sat down cross-legged on the ground with the notebook, picking out every little detail she could.
When she looked up, Purah was making some sketches of the machine's inner workings. "Purah, have we learned any more about the divine beasts, Vah Naboris and Vah Ruta?"
Purah was startled out of her sketches when Zelda spoke, "Huh? Oh, I forgot you were there! Um, yeah! Look at this book over here." She waved to her right without taking her eyes off the guardian. Zelda took a moment to figure out where she was indicating but then saw a notebook sitting on a rock nearby.
She opened it up and read through those notes as well, copying a few important details into her own leather-bound notebook. This would come in handy if she had to make any adjustments while she was in Gerudo Town.
After a little while, she left the researchers to continue their work and went down to the library to see, yet again, if she could find any information on the coming Calamity, the legends of the goddess, or the ancient Sheikah technology. All she could find were books she had already read countless times. She sighed and instead picked up a book on Hyrulean flora.
As she flipped through the pages, she found a beautiful blue and white flower called the Silent Princess. She had seen these growing in the field but had never seen them in the gardens.
With a new question in her mind, she picked up the book and headed towards the gardens.
She found the head gardener tending to a patch of carrots and squatted down beside her to get her attention.
The elderly woman looked up to her and smiled, "Good morning, Princess. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Zelda smiled. This woman had always indulged her any time she'd had questions about the plant life in Hyrule. She also seemed to know quite a bit about the insects and amphibians that lived in the kingdom. She opened the book to the page on the Silent Princess. "Why don't we grow these ones in the gardens at the castle?"
The old woman examined the picture, "Ah yes, the Silent Princess." She suddenly looked sad. "We have tried growing them domestically but there are some things in this world that are not meant to be tamed."
Zelda looked down at the picture again. It was a beautiful flower but there was something about it. She tried to imagine it growing in the garden but found that no matter where it might have grown, the natural beauty of the flower would have seemed… dimmed.
She stood up and walked to the east gate from Hyrule Castle. As she walked around in the field she found more of the flowers and plants listed in the book. She made a mental note of the plants and their potential uses.
Eventually, she took a seat under a tree. The sun was at it's peak. She leaned back and not for the first time, wondered what her life might have been like had she been born a commoner with no destiny to fulfill. Might she have raised horses at the Lon Lon Ranch or would she have sailed the seas down by Lurelin Village? Perhaps she would have braved the cold in Tabantha or just lived a simple life in Hetano Village.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a horse and rider making their way up the hill towards her. She recognized the red horse with the white mane and tail and knew who the rider would be. She sighed and stood up.
Link rode up to her and bowed his head to her.
"Please, do not let me interrupt your day. I'll head back into the castle and you can continue your day off." She thought she saw him frown slightly but he was quickly back to his regular neutral expression. She walked back towards the castle and felt his eyes on her the entire way. Once she reached the gates, she looked back over her shoulder and he was gone.
"Zelda." King Rhoam looked up as she entered his study. He gestured for her to sit in one of the chairs he occasionally had brought in when he was expecting company.
She sat and looked expectantly to her father. "You summoned?"
The king continued writing in his book as he spoke, barely looking up to her again. "It seems the Gerudo Champion, Urbosa, is having some difficulties with her divine beast. As the leader of the Champions, I shall send you and your appointed knight to see if you can make some adjustments to it for her."
Zelda hid a small smile. "Yes, father."
This time he did turn to her and she made sure her face was neutral again. "Do not neglect your prayers while you are away. Do not use this as an excuse to play at being a scholar. Do you understand?"
Her heart sank, "Yes, father…"
He eyed her for a moment then gestured for her to leave before turning back to his work.
She stood and walked to the door when his voice stopped her again, "And no running off from your knight."
Zelda sighed, "Yes, father…" She said. When he seemed to be done this time, she took her leave and headed back to her bedroom to ready herself to leave in the morning.
Her handmaiden was there waiting for her to help her prepare for bed.
"Beth, I am leaving tomorrow for Gerudo Town. I shall not need your help for a little while yet. Please, deliver a message to Link for me. Let him know we leave at dawn." The young girl's eyes seemed to light up at the realization of the excuse to see the knight up close. Not you too… she thought with disdain.
The girl left with her message and Zelda sat down at her vanity before looking up into the mirror.
Her hair was styled into a braid that wrapped around her head like a crown while the rest fell down behind her shoulders. Her green eyes held a sadness to them. Did her knight see that too when he looked at her?
She looked down and saw that a new flower had been picked and placed on her vanity. "A Silent Princess…" She breathed. She reached out to touch the delicate petals and felt a profound sadness when her fingers brushed against it. Its time had been cut short to sit as a decoration upon her vanity. In that moment, she felt an affinity to the flower. Whatever purpose this flower might have fulfilled, could never be realized as now, it's destiny had left it to slowly wither in a vase. Just like her. Whatever she might have been would always be overshadowed by her destiny to seal away the ancient evil. If she would ever be able to…
A single tear forged a path down her cheek and dripped off her chin onto the petals. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered to the flower.
In the morning, Zelda met Link in the stables and he tied her bags to the saddle before giving her a hand up. As usual, she didn't wait for him to mount up so he had to rush to catch up.
She didn't seem to have the same level of determination she normally did today and instead, seemed sadder. He kept a respectable distance back and just watched her ride. She seemed to have a few issues with her horse. The two didn't trust each other but he knew that now was not a good time to give her riding advice. He could certainly sympathize with the horse, though.
They rode in silence until the cliffs narrowed around them in a canyon and Link couldn't ignore the uneasy feeling in his gut.
She seemed to be able to sense it as well as she subconsciously moved her horse closer to his. Link was thankful to not need to say anything and kept a careful eye. They were getting closer to the Yiga Clan hideout and they could be a sneaky bunch.
His own mount seemed to sense that this was a dangerous place but didn't seem overly on edge right at the moment. Link took that as a sign that there weren't any imminent threats and relaxed a little bit but still kept watch.
They made it to the stable just outside the desert and Link paid to have their horses boarded until they could return. Zelda had wanted to continue through the night but Link refused. This area was too dangerous to travel at night.
Come morning, Zelda was nowhere to be found. Link cursed and headed out toward the desert. There were several sets of footprints but they all stayed along the same path so he followed along.
Idiot… How could you let her slip away like that? She is going to end up getting killed if she keeps doing this! And it'll be your fault, appointed knight! He thought to himself in frustration as he jogged through the sand.
By about noon, he reached the Kara Kara Bazaar. He asked a few of the merchants if they had seen a young woman with blond hair and green eyes pass through. They all said they had not that long ago and she'd continued on to Gerudo Town.
"Just follow the path. If she gets into Gerudo Town before you reach her, you won't be able to follow. Only Vai may enter the fortress." One Gerudo merchant told him.
He nodded his thanks and raced along the path. He arrived just in time to see her walk through the gates. He called to her but she just looked over her shoulder at him, smirked and kept walking.
He clenched his teeth in rage. Insufferable woman…
He spotted a shaded lean-to a little ways down the wall and walked over to it to take a seat while he waited for her to come out.
After awhile of sitting there, a Gerudo woman walked over to him and handed him a note then without a word to him, she turned and walked back into the city.
Perplexed, he opened the letter and was surprised to find it was from Urbosa.
Link,
She told that she had run off on you. I will keep her safe until you can join her. I have a plan. Meet me on top of the inn at Kara Kara Bazaar tonight.
Urbosa
He had no choice but to go with it so he made his way back to the bazaar to wait for her.
Link sat on top of the inn and watched as the last sliver of light slid behind the horizon. He wondered how long he would have to wait here for Urbosa to arrive. At least the princess is safe…
He sat for nearly an hour when he heard her climbing the ladder up to where he sat. He stood up as she reached the top.
"Good, you came." She said while handing him a bundle of cloth.
He looked inside and found that it was a Gerudo woman's outfit. He looked back up at her and said flatly, "You're joking."
She laughed a big belly laugh at his response then shook her head, "I'm afraid not! If you want to come into the town, this is the only way. Make sure you wear the veil or the guards will know for sure. You don't strike me as the particularly hairy type so it should work."
He looked back down at the outfit in dismay then sighed in resignation. He then looked back at Urbosa.
"Hmm? Oh!" She turned around to give him some privacy while he changed. Once he was dressed, he cleared his throat to let her know it was safe to look.
Urbosa managed to hide her smirk but couldn't keep the amusement out of her eyes. "Well, how does it feel?"
Link did his very best impression of a woman, "I feel like a natural woman."
Urbosa burst out laughing at his high pitch voice and had to wipe tears from her eyes, "Try not to speak. Goddesses, she better appreciate you for this!"
"Agreed…" he mumbled under his breath.
The two of them climbed down and made their way back to Gerudo Town. The guards didn't give him a second glance when he walked through beside Urbosa and he was surprised to see how lively the town was even at this hour. As they neared the other end of the square, Urbosa leaned down to whisper to him, "They won't let you in the fortress and the princess probably wouldn't be too happy to see you anyway… Well… after she stopped laughing anyway."
Link growled.
"I'm just teasing!" She chuckled, "Anyway, you'd best lay low in town. I'll send a message if anything happens." She made her way up the stairs and half way up, she winked at him from over her shoulder.
As humiliating as this was, he did appreciate what Urbosa was doing. While they were in the town, Zelda was safe and likely wouldn't be going anywhere tonight. He decided to explore.
In the morning, Zelda set out early on her survey. She wanted to examine a place called the Seven Heroines. She had read about it in a book once and had always wanted to see it.
As she walked through the market, her heart almost stopped when she thought she'd seen Link. No… It couldn't have been. No men are allowed within these walls. She spotted an odd looking woman with similar blond hair to Link's and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Relieved, she continued on out the Eastern Gate.
Behind her, she heard an odd scratching sound getting louder. When she looked back, she saw a sand seal approaching… pulling Urbosa. "Don't even dream of leaving me behind, Princess." Urbosa smiled. She saw that there was another sand seal being led along.
Urbosa brought her sand seal to a stop beside Zelda. "Here, take this." She passed Zelda a shield and after one more look back at the Gerudo woman, she understood. She put the shield down and stood on the back of it and picked up the sand seal's reigns.
"Follow me!" Urbosa flicked the reigns and her sand seal took off. Zelda didn't even have to do anything and hers took off as well, nearly pulling her into a face plant. After a few seconds, she started to get a feel for it and by the time they passed Kara Kara Bazaar, she was quite comfortable surfing along behind the sand seal.
She pulled up alongside the Gerudo Champion and laughed with glee. This was amazing! Never before had she experienced anything like this. To move through the desert with ease… even the heat of the sun baking down on them was made gentler as the wind cooled her skin. She felt that she could do this forever and never grow weary of it.
Much too soon, they arrived at the gigantic stone statues. Time had taken their toll on them and they had started to crumble, though there was still enough standing to provide a number of clues as to their identities.
The ancient text on them was in an old tongue that she didn't know but she sketched the writing into her notebook to look into later.
The statues were virtually identical but they each had a unique symbol and before them was a pedestal that appeared to be missing something. She looked around for what could have possibly been in the pedestals before but a recent sandstorm had covered much of the area. It would require much more work than she'd expected to uncover some secrets.
Urbosa stood nearby looking up at the statues. Once, her people revered these statues but the stories of them had been lost over the ages and even the Gerudo didn't know who they were anymore.
She watched Zelda search over every detail with great scrutiny and smiled to herself. The Gerudo woman didn't have the patience for research like Zelda did but it was charming to watch the young girl be so passionate about something.
She flicked her long, red hair back over her shoulder as she turned to face towards Gerudo Town. I wonder how Link is faring… She thought. Her conversation with Zelda the night before had been telling. It had become clear to her that Zelda had misjudged her knight but had become set in her ways. The boy didn't deserve the treatment he'd been getting from the princess, but she could certainly understand how the princess was feeling. Urbosa felt that she owed it to the two Hylians to try to mend the gap between them. Besides, she could sense there were deeper emotions involved than Zelda was letting on… or maybe deeper even than the girl realized. Whether or not those feelings were returned, Urbosa believed strongly that Zelda should acknowledge them at some point.
Zelda would have happily stayed and studied the structures for days but Urbosa urged that they head back before nightfall. Besides, Zelda still wanted to see the divine beast.
"Are you comfortable yet with the controls of Vah Naboris?" Zelda asked as they walked up the ramp onto the massive camel-shaped machine.
Urbosa ran a hand along the wall with a fond smile on her face. "I feel like I could control her in my sleep."
Zelda smiled back as they wandered through the beast.
A green light lit up the main room to indicate the electric current was actively running through the beast. It looked awkward walking around from the outside, but from the inside, it was actually a surprisingly smooth ride.
The sun had set by the time they walked out onto a balcony where some pillows had been laid out. Urbosa had clearly spent some time here.
The two of them sat down on the pillows and Zelda told the older woman of her theories on the ancient statues.
"So tell me, Princess… Why did you leave Link behind? Seems to me the poor guy is just trying to do his job." Urbosa said with a sidelong look. She suspected she knew the reason already but wanted to hear it from the girl.
Zelda looked down, "Because I feel suffocated when he is around. Success seems to come so easily to him and yet… and yet despite everything…" She trailed off fighting back tears that were threatening to form. She took a deep breath, "It's not fair."
Urbosa looked up at the sky, "Life isn't fair, Princess. What may seem easy to you, may have taken a lifetime of dedication for someone else."
"Are you mocking me?" The younger girl scowled at the Gerudo woman.
Urbosa threw back her head and laughed, "I swear I'm not. I just want you to give him a chance, that's all."
"You sound like Impa…" Zelda said, hugging her knees.
Urbosa looked sidelong at the girl again, "I must have the right idea then."
"Hmph!" Zelda looked away in frustration.
"Just think about it. He really isn't so bad, you know." Urbosa smiled. Despite the hackles going up on the younger girl, she felt like she was making progress.
Zelda looked back at Urbosa, biting her lip, "Fine… I'll try…"
Soon, her eyes started to grow heavy and she nodded off onto Urbosa's shoulder.
Link had seen Zelda leave the town and tried to follow but had lost them when they took off on the sand seals. No longer needing the disguise, he switched into his regular clothes and hid the outfit away in case he would have need of it again.
He headed towards Kara Kara Bazaar but still couldn't find any trace of them. He wasn't sure where to go or what to do but Urbosa had mentioned that she would send word if anything happened. Despite her crazy cross-dressing plans, he was grateful to her and he knew that Zelda would be safe with her.
As evening fell, he headed back to the city and waited under the lean-to he'd sat at before. No sand seals came racing by with passengers he recognized so he continued to wait, starting to grow anxious as the hours ticked on.
Finally, a Gerudo woman approached him with a note just like before and left without saying a word. The seal was again from Urbosa.
He opened it and read the note.
Meet us on Naboris.
He stood and ran toward the gigantic machine in the distance. As he walked out onto the balcony where they sat together, the worry washed away when he saw how peacefully the princess slept.
Urbosa looked over her shoulder at him as he approached. "Ah, well.. you certainly got here fast. I should have expected as much, from the princess's own appointed knight." She looked down at the sleeping princess and her voice grew fonder, "She was out on a survey all day today. Still as the sands now…" She paused as a shadow of a smile crossed her face. "So…?" She glanced back over her shoulder at him, "Spill it, boy. Have the two of you been getting along all right?"
Link looked down trying to think of the best way to put it. Bluntly, no. Not at all. But she seemed to already know that.
"It's ok…" She looked back down at the princess again, "I know. Your silence speaks volumes. She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny."
Before Link had a chance to feel even worse than he already did in that regard, she continued, "Don't worry, it's not like you carry blame in any of this. It's unfortunate. She's put in more than enough time." Her voice was sad as she looked down at the sleeping princess. "Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication…" She looked up at the sky as if remembering a particularly painful event, "She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this sealing power… And she has nothing to show for it…" She looked back to the princess, "That's the motivation driving her research. I'd be doing the same thing." She brushed a stray hair from the girls face. Had the two not looked so different, Link might have imagined that Urbosa was her mother. The tenderness of their bond was too deep to be merely friendship. "She really is quite… special." Her attention turned back to the knight and there was a slight edge to her voice, "You be sure to protect her with your life." She looked back at him again, voice softening. "It's quite the honour."
Link already knew that though and despite her frustrating antics, he would still have given his life for her. It was more than that she was the princess and he was her knight. Even if she didn't have royal blood, she still would have held his loyalty.
Urbosa looked out at the desert, "The night brings a chill… It's probably time we take her in." She looked up as though an idea occurred to her and put her hand under her chin with a mischievous grin, "Or…"
Before Link could figure out what she had in mind, she held out her hand and snapped her fingers. Lighting cracked open the sky around them and Link ducked instinctively.
Zelda awoke with a fright and launched herself away from Urbosa defensively, "Urbosa! What was that?! Did you feel that?" She looked around spotting Link, "Wait, what – how did you – what are you doing here?!" She demanded accusingly.
Again, before Link could react, Urbosa threw back her head and laughed heartily. At least someone was amused by this…
"Wh-what's so funny?" Zelda asked trying to sort out the situation in her mind. Link held back a smirk. Urbosa certainly had her own way of dealing with things.
As the Gerudo woman collected herself, she turned to the princess, still grinning with amusement, "Come, let's get inside where it's warm."
The three of them collected the pillows from the ground and brought them inside. Once they were set up, Link excused himself and sat at the entrance of the divine beast. This time, Zelda wouldn't be sneaking past him.