Okay, I know it's been a very long time since I last updated this story. I'm really sorry about that for you who have been waiting for the next chapter. There's probably mistakes, but I didn't burden my lovely beta with this since I keep her overly busy with my main story "I'm With You." I'm not sure this will really have another chapter as I'm at the end of my idea list for it, but I made this chapter really long and I hope you enjoy it! (Well, it's really long for me.) If you have something you'd like to see written in the future, on this or IWY then please feel free to shoot me a suggestion.
÷÷÷ Chapter 4 ÷÷÷
Unexpected Things
The two followed Riju to the east side of the main square. They walked into a low lit building with small desk across from front door. The woman smiled as she saw them come in.
"Vaasaq, Chieftain. What can I do for you today?"
"We would like the special spa plan today, Romah."
"For the three of of you?"
"Um...no thank you." Link said. Zelda looked at him in amusement when he raised the the tone of his voice. But she got it, obviously he couldn't sound like a man standing next to them.
"Are you sure? You could probably use it." Riju said to him, grinning.
He nodded. "You two enjoy yourselves."
Link walked outside and Zelda and Riju looked at each other before giggling in unison. Romah looked at them expectantly for an answer. Riju answered pulling a small gold wallet from a small bag on her hip and handing the woman sixty rupees.
"Just the two of us, Romah. Please and thank you."
"Alright. There is a vai waiting in line before you. You two may take a seat in the waiting room."
Zelda followed Riju to the left. They passed by couches with decorative pillows and tribal rugs on the floor, lanterns lit up the place with a warm glow, and various glass vases held green leaved plants. A connected room with three steps before it led to the waiting room. The girls sat on the couch inside. A woman came in and took a lady named Tauma for her turn.
"I wonder what he's doing." Zelda said quietly. She didn't need to be specific as there was only one person she could be talking about, Riju shrugged.
"Who knows. The massages here are heaven. Too bad she didn't want to stick around."
Zelda laughed. "Yeah. Her loss. We've been traveling every day for weeks. so she has to be tense and feeling quite rough."
"It's probably for the best, though. We would want any...unfortunate thing happening."
Zelda nodded, Link had done the best thing in their situation. He could have been exposed as a man if he stuck around with her and Riju.
It about thirty minutes before the Gerudo woman came in and told both girls to come with her. Zelda was confused as she brought them to a room through a door she hadn't noticed. Inside here, was a nicer room than the one before. A small chandelier hung from the celiing made of clear crystal looking gems, lit by several candles in the middle. Below that was two spa beds with drawn back curtains.
"Would it be alright for you both get the spa treatment in here together?" Romah asked.
Riju looked to Zelda. "Is that okay with you?"
Nodding, the princess answered. "I don't see why not."
The woman handed them both soft white towels and instructed them to remove their clothing covering the areas they'd like massaged and to lay on the beds before she left the room.
Zelda turned her back to the other girl and stripped her clothes off. This was the first time she had ever stripped in the room with another person, even another girl, well like this anyway. Royal fittings at the castle before the calamity were much different so Zelda didn't really count those. She removed her Gerudo top but left her sirwal on. She stepped out of her sandals as she wrapped the towel around her back before taking her place on the empty spa bed, Riju was already laying down on the opposite bed as she did.
"I've never done this sort of thing before, I feel embarrassed." Zelda said.
"Don't worry, Zelda. We're all girls here." Riju told her with a smile.
Romah returned with a second masseuse she introduced to Zelda by the name of Adra. The lady that came to Zelda's side greeted her warmly. She listened to the woman talk as she laid her head down on the bed while Adra poured some warm oil on her back. Adra's voice was soothing and Zelda felt a bit more at rest.
It really was heaven like Riju had said it would be. Zelda let out soft sighs as Adra kneeded and twisted out the kinks in her tight muscles, so was glad that Riju had brought her here. Adra also did her arms, shoulders and neck, undoing pinches and knots from muscles she didn't even know existed. Her skin was so dried out from the desert heat and sun, but whatever oils Adra used fixed that. Zelda hadn't felt so relaxed and refreshed in a long time. She closed her eyes with a smile on her face as she enjoyed the much needed massage. It reminded her a lot like the kind of treatment royalty at the castle received before the calamity. Often Zelda had spa days like this to relieve the stress she back then. She wondered if things would ever even be close to the way they were before the darkest day in Hyrule's History.
x.x.x.x.x
Link walked around town alone, just wasting time. The idea of getting a massage had sounded great, but considering the fact they were in Gerudo Town he decided against it. His thoughts went back to when Riju had brought them up to her room. He thought that Riju might have kept his secret but there she went bluntly telling Zelda all about how he had snuck into Gerudo Town in female clothing before. It shouldn't have surprised him so much. Her bodyguard Buliara knew, but Link was sure that Riju had been dying to tell someone else.
He just wished that someone else wasn't Zelda. The princess had sounded and acted so surprised to hear that news. But then again, how did she think he had accomplished reclaiming Vah Naboris? Maybe she hadn't been that surprised to learn he had crossdressed in this town before. He knew Zelda was smart. She had probably figured that much out beforehand. But Link didn't feel any less humiliated.
Sand seal surfing had been a blast. Link had always loved riding across the desert. There wasn't anything like it. Maybe he could compare it to riding a horse, but being dragged behind a sand seal was a completely different experience. There wasn't really any similarities.
Honestly, Link had been glad to get away from the princess. He didn't like being dressed like this at all around her. So when they had gone to the spa Link had taken the perfect opportunity to get some time to himself. He walked aimlessly around and saw nothing he didn't see when he visited before, the town hadn't changed much at all. It was afternoon now, and shadows covered most of the streets as the sun lowered in the sky. He went to the bar and tried ordering a drink, but the older Gerudo woman turned him away saying "You look a bit too young to be in my bar, miss."
Being addressed as a woman didn't make him feel any better. He left the bar and went back to the main square where the shops were. He walked randomly into the jewelry shop, extraordinarily bored. A young Gerudo woman greeted him.
"Vasaaq. My name is Isha. If anything catches your eye, let me know."
Link looked at the assortment of jewelry. He knew that Zelda's birthday was in a couple days. He wasn't sure when he had learned when her birthday was, but he knew. Link felt like he should give her something, but he wondered if she'd even like any of this jewelry in front of him. He also had no idea if Zelda had walked in here earlier. He decided to ask, in a vague manner.
"Has a blonde hylian vai come in here today?"
He said in the same fake, high pitched voice he had used at the spa counter. The one he used and then saw Zelda's look of amusement when she had heard him. His face had gone red behind the veil again. For the hundreth time that day he was glad that she couldn't see his face. He was mortified and hadn't wanted to speak, but he had to.
"Nope. I haven't see a vai like that today. Are you shopping for a friend?"
Link nodded.
"Please take your time. Let me know if I can be of any assistance."
He looked at the amber, opal and topaz earrings. He wasn't sure if Zelda did wear earrings. Or if her ears were even pierced so he passed by those. He looked at the necklaces. All of them looked too fancy for a simple present. Too big or too gaudy. He didn't know her taste in jewelry but he didn't want to go too overboard.
"Would you be able to craft me a special order?" He asked Isha.
"Hmm...depends. Do you have the gemstone you would like in the piece?"
Link did in fact have one, it was a ruby. He asked Isha if she could make a necklace with a small pendant. Isha said she had the tools to cut the gemstone to a smaller and asked if there was any specifics he wanted. Link was unsure what to say, and Isha told him she could make it into a heart shape if he liked. He agreed on that as it sounded good and he didn't want to speak more than he had to. He pulled the rupees out of his pack and paid her.
"How long will it take?"
"About a hour. I'm pretty good at this. I do several orders a day."
"Thanks. It's going to be a present. I don't want her to know about it."
"Of course." Isha said with a smile."I will wrap it up for you when you come to pick it up."
Thanking her, Link left the shop. He wondered around the back streets of eastern Gerudo Town. Not very much was going on there. A few kids ran around playing and the sounds of laughter from the bar filled the street and Link wished again he had been able to get a drink. It would have helped put his nerves to rest.
Link went back to the main square and looked up at the waterfall behind the Gerudo Palace. Getting an idea, he climbed the wall and walked along the colorful stone water ways on top of the walls. When he got behind the waterfall along the back wall of town, he climbed higher and sat by the small pond below the water. High above the whole town, he could see everything in and beyond the walls. It was quite beautiful regardless of the lack of greenery that he loved. Being in desert was an extreme change for him, and not one that he enjoyed at all aside from sand seal surfing. He sat on the ledge and stared down at the town and soon enough, he saw Zelda and Riju down below. He couldn't hear them but both girls had smiles on their faces. Link couldn't remember the last time he had seen Zelda smile so much, for once she looked genuinely happy. He was glad especially after everything that had happened to the both of them. She deserved to smile, relax, and enjoy her life.
Link waited till they entered the palace before climbing down the way he came up. A guard gave him a dirty look when she noticed him climbing down from the waterway. He apologized and hurried past her making his way back to the jewelry shop. Isha was still in the back corner working on the necklace so he sat down on one of the couches in the opposite corner of the room. He waited patiently and leant back against the soft pillow as he sat, his eyes closed.
Soon Isha told him that she was done. Link got up and took a look at the necklace she had crafted. A small intricate heart laced with gold metal was held by a delicate chain. It was a beautiful piece and he truly hoped that Zelda would like it. Isha wrapped it in a white piece of silk and put it in a small red box. She wrapped a silver ribbon around it and tied it closed with a small bow.
"Thank you very much."
"You're welcome and Sarqso, it was my pleasure. I hope that your friend loves it."
Link buried the box in the very bottom of their pack, he definitely didn't want Zelda to find it. He wasn't worried about it getting broken inside the box Isha put it in. Before he left, the young woman stopped him.
"I recognize those eyes of yours, they're very hard to mistake. You're the vai that helped me with the flint a while back, aren't you?" He nodded. "Thank you very much for that. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"It was no problem."
Link left and made his way to Gerudo Palace. There was nothing more for him to do by himself. A guard told him that Zelda and Riju were upstairs in her room and to go on up, so he slowly made his way up the stairs and paused when he heard laughing at the corner of the chieftain's doorway just out of sight.
"I haven't enjoyed myself this much in so long, its so easy to be around you, Riju. Thanks for the spa day."
"No problem! You looked like you needed it and I just knew you would enjoy it. You probably miss royal treatment like you had the castle, right?"
"Its true, but I also don't miss the formality of it all. I remember the feeling of being constricted in the castle, always having so many eyes on me so many expectations and duties thrown upon me. If I'm honest, I hated it. I always wanted things to be different, and now they are and I just don't know how to feel about it. But more pressure is going to fall on me now, since as soon as I leave here I'll have to figure out how to restore the kingdom, and I don't know how I'm going to do that. I don't think I have what it takes..."
Zelda's voice trailed off at the end. Link heard Riju say something but she spoke too quietly for him to make it out. Link remembered a memory of his where she had opened up to him about her doubts that she was fit for her role, and how she felt in general about being the princess, all in a vague way of not saying it right out. She had asked him if he would haven chosen to live his own life differently if he realized he just wasn't meant to be a knight.
"What would you have chosen?"
He had been surprised to hear her talk that way and ask him his feelings, not that he remembered how he answered her that day. Anyway, it seemed like she still very much felt the same way, as if she wasn't good enough to lead Hyrule. Link wondered if she would have brought this up if she were in the same room and severely doubted it. He felt now as if he had heard something he never should have, something far too personal and showed too much vulnerability. He wished he hadn't eavesdropped on their conversation, as it was wrong and also incredibly inappropriate considering who's thoughts he was listening in on.
Their conversation changed into something lighter when Riju changed the subject so Link quit eavesdropping and walked inside her room. Zelda giggled at something Riju leaned over and whispered in her ear upon seeing him.
"Oh there you are! I wonder, what have you been doing?" Zelda asked him.
"Wasting time."
"You missed out on good massage. You really should have stuck around, Link."
Riju told him. Link just shrugged, that didn't matter in the slightest to him. She asked him to come take a seat on the edge of her bed so Link walked over and sat, reluctantly. Zelda turned on her knees and faced him.
"Tell me, are you feeling okay?"
Link stared at her not having an idea of what to say. Since when did she care about his well-being? Questions like that weren't something that ever happened between them, that would be crossing the invisible unsaid line in their strictly professional relationship. He was just her bodyguard, her personal knight technically, not that he was under any orders anymore to stay by her side. It wasn't like they were friends.
…Were they?
Did Zelda consider him to be a friend? He had never put any thought into it considering how little they talked. Well, she talked to him a lot but Link realized that he never said much to her. Maybe it was that she wanted him to open up to her, for things to be different than they were before the calamity.
Or maybe he was just overthinking this and it wasn't like that at all.
"I'm fine, princess."
Her nose scrunched up as her eyebrows narrowed, her green eyes staring him down. He had done it again, called her by her title instead of her name like she had requested him to do.
"Are you sure? I think you deserve some sort of special treatment for saving the world, don't you?"
Link shook his head. He didn't want anything more, didn't need it. He'd already had more attention than he would have liked with all the celebrations the Rito, Zora, and Gorons had thrown in their honor when they visited. What was Zelda getting at by asking that sort of odd question anyway?
"Well, I think you deserve something for all you've done."
"I feel like I've gotten more than enough praise for my accomplishments. I don't need anything more than that as it already too much."
Zelda sighed. "I'm not talking about praise here. I mean in general, Link, you've got to be at least a little tense, we've been on the road for weeks, and before that you traveled throughout Hyrule after laying in a stone bed for a hundred years."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not following what you are getting at." He said.
"Okay. Tell me the truth, do you hurt anywhere at all?"
He hesitated, not liking where this was going. "A little."
Zelda stood up and walked around to the side of the bed he was sitting on, so he stood up and met her eyes.
"Well, then you and I are going back to the spa, and you are getting a massage."
She said it like a command, as if he didn't have a choice in the matter. His eyes widened as she continued to stare at him and he knew that she was serious about this.
"W-what?" He said, grimacing afterwards at the stutter in his voice.
"You heard me, now let's go."
Zelda grabbed his wrist as she turned to the side and took a step, jerking him along with her. Link dragged his feet as he gently tried to pull his hand away, but she didn't release him so he was forced to take another couple steps forward. He planted his feet firmly to the ground making her stop walking and making their arms jerk.
"Zelda, think this through, you know I can't do this." He said.
"I don't care. I want you to do this."
"They'll know I'm not a woman."
He said gritting his teeth and holding back a growl in his tone, just barely. He heard Riju snicker so he looked to her, eyes pleading that she would stop the princess of Hyrule from making him do this. Riju laughed before speaking.
"They won't find out if you keep your clothes on. Don't you think that if you were going to be caught, it would have happened by now? Besides, nobody is going to think twice even with your physique as all Gerudo women have a more toned body than you do."
Link gaped behind his veil. Seriously?! That wasn't at all what he was expecting her to say. He looked back at Zelda, who was giving him a glare. He ignored the fact that her face was scrunched up in anger.
"Please, Zelda. Don't you think this is a bad idea?" He said, pleading with her. Any other time she had demanded that he do something, he had just done it without question since that was what he was expected to do. But it was different this time, she was going to too far even if she was the princess and her word was law.
"I can't go in there." He said, refusing to obey her for the first time ever.
"Yes, you can." She said, her grip tightening on his wrist. He could tell that she was getting mad, but again for the first time, he didn't care because he was starting to get mad as well. He tried to pull his arm from her grasp, which only succeeded in making her stumble his way as a small look of shock flashed upon her face, and his resolve faltered slightly before he grounded himself.
"No."
He said, voice raised with anger. He had never used such a tone with her, as it wasn't something he was permitted to ever do, but this time she was being completely ridiculous. Her hand tightened around his wrist as she glared at him and he stared into her viridian eyes with the same intensity. The atmosphere in the room was palpable as princess and knight stared at each other with heavy scowls and lowered brows. Not that Zelda could see his scowl due to his veil he was forced to wear.
"I would shut up and do what your princess wants you to do."
Riju said quietly in the silence. Link could feel her eyes on the two of them. You should shut up and mind your own buisness. He thought, biting his tongue as not to say anything disrespectful to the Cheiftain of the Gerudo. That wouldn't help anything and as mad as he was at Zelda right now, he couldn't make her look bad in front of another world leader. But then Link realized that was exactly what he was doing, acting as he was. He couldn't be defying Zelda like this, at all, and especially not right now. Link broke eye contact with her as he forced himself to calm down taking a deep breath through his nose and letting it go slowly through his lips. Body relaxed once again, he took a step forward and nodded, looking back into her slightly less scathing eyes.
They walked out of the room silently as she released his wrist.
x.x.x.x.x
A couple minutes later they stood inside the spa, and Zelda smiled as she told the woman that he would be getting the special spa day massage after all, addressing him as "she" instead of "he." The woman nodded taking the rupees she held out, before saying he could come right back as nobody else was waiting. Link nodded and looked to Zelda briefly as she turned and walked out the door.
The woman brought him into a room showing him the massage bed, before leaving the room so he could remove clothing. There was no way he was doing that. Link he laid down on his stomach without taking a single item of clothing off, not even his shoes. Resting his head on the soft table, he closed his eyes and tried to relax which was hard considering his nerves were strung up more than ever now. Why had he fought against Zelda so much? Besides the obvious fact that she was being insane and making a man such as himself go somewhere he could potentially be found out, he knew it was wrong to go against her. The Princess. He knew better, and now he was sure that things were going to go south for him as she could certainly find great ways to punish him for making a fool out of her in front of the chieftain. But what would she do? He wondered, as the masseuse walked back into the room.
She asked if he wanted to remove any clothes and he said no, almost forgetting to raise his deep voice to a higher one as not to raise suspicion with her. Shrugging, Romah, as he remember was her name, poured some hot oil into her palm before rubbing her hands together and placing her hands on his back. He willed himself to relax even thought it was damn near impossible at first, but once her hands started to rub hard circles into his shoulder blades he settled down.
It felt...nice.
Link didn't actually know what to expect when he laid on this massage bed. He had never had anyone massage his back before, and certainly not in a low lit, herb scented room such as this inside a spa. He closed his eyes again as he let out a grunt as the knot he had right above his right shoulder blade was released. That spot had seriously been bothering him for the past week, and damn did it feel great for it feel better now. He let out out a involuntary sigh as Romah found another similar knot, and then more and more of them.
"How long has it been since you've had some work done to these muscles of yours?" Romah asked, her voice a mix of curiousity and disbelief. "You have the tensest back I've ever touched. You may need some cracking."
Link didn't answer, he was sure he couldn't make himself make his fake girl voice if he tried at the moment. He shrugged his shoulders in response and just laid there, letting the masseuse work her magic.
Goddess Hylia, no wonder girls love getting these. It's incredible to have your back massaged. He thought happily.
"This would be much easier if you would just remove your top." Romah said after a short while.
Hell no. Link opened his eyes and stared at the wall on the side of the room. He raised his tone of voice to speak so she wouldn't press that matter.
"No, thanks. Just... get where you can...please." He said feeling extremely awkward.
Romah chuckled before she pressed down firmly on his back suddenly a loud pop was heard, making him jump and jerk his head up off the bed. It hurt at first, but then that pain faded away and he felt that part of him feel great. Romah made a few more pops on his back and he groaned in pleasure before kneeded her fingers into each spot with expert touch. Her hands moved to his neck and shoulders removing knots from there was well, before his legs and arms which he was a bit nervous about but didn't move regardless telling himself to act normal.
Romah announced that she was done then, and he felt a bit dissapointment as her hands left his skin but he smiled anyway. He reached up to make sure his veil was securely in place still before pushing himself up on his hands and getting off the bed.
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome, you must feel much better now." She laughing loudly.
Link just nodded. He walked out of the spa feeling strange. He half expected to see Zelda somewhere outside the building, but she was no where to be found. He assumed she probably went back to Riju's room or something, and he knew deep down that he actually preferred that. He didn't go back up where the girls were right away. Instead he walked through an archway leading to the back streets of town before finding the dead end around a corner with the waterfall basin in it. It was quiet and shady back here, the perfect place to be alone and think. He had a lot to think about, considering the "fight?" that he had with Zelda just before going to the spa. He knew why he had fought with her, something could have gone terribly wrong. But that was the thing, nothing had. He could have been found out,but he hadn't been, everything had been fine so now he just felt like an ass. He'd have to apologize to her.
And also, he'd have to thank her. He may have been against getting a massage in the first place, but now he felt better than he had in several months. He was actually grateful she had forced him to do this.
x.x.x.x.x
Zelda was furious that he made such a scene. Sure, she knew that it was stupid idea to make him go the spa. Sure, she knew the risks and what could happen. But she knew that nothing was going to go wrong! She thought back on her actions in Riju's room as she walked into the western part of Gerudo Town trying to cool her head. She could have been a little nicer to him, maybe not have grabbed his wrist and pulled him after her like that. She could have explained her decision to have him do such a thing, she supposed, and perhaps she should have.
She didn't know what possessed her to get so mad at him. Really, what did she have to get mad about? He had only been shocked and now that she thought of it, rightfully defending himself. He was supposed to listen to her and do what she said, but lately she had been thinking about that. She didn't just want him to be a mindless servant. Zelda didn't have anyone else she knew before the Calamity, not counting a couple members of the Sheikah tribe. Now that she thought about it, all she wanted was someone to talk to. Someone she didn't have to be serious around, that she could just openly express her thoughts with. Not that she didn't sometimes with him, though.
Zelda talked to Link all the time. It was often so silent on the road she thought she would lose her mind. So she would often just start talking about random things. Like the stable people they saw from to time, how tired she was or how bad her legs hurt from walking, pointing out the pretty flowers that they passed by, how pretty the sunset was, talking about the plants that had medicinal properties and so on. But he never really said anything back. Sure, maybe a few words here and there, but he never gave his opinion on the things she said. It was rather annoying and made her nerves stray on end.
Perhaps he didn't feel that he could. Zelda hated that thought for popping into her mind, but maybe it was true. She remembered something he once said a hundred years ago, maybe a couple months before the Calamity struck. She even remembered writing it down. She couldn't remember his exact words, but he had expressed that he felt that he should be silent and bear any burden thrown his way. A new possible meaning to that formed in her thoughts. Was she a burden to him? Did he feel that she was something that he rested upon his shoulders and he had to deal with no matter what? Perhaps he was silent because he hated her.
Zelda hoped that wasn't the case. Surely, that couldn't be why. It had to be his duty to her, and he thought that he shouldn't interact on a personal level. He was her personal knight, her bodyguard, her protector.
He was never meant to be her friend.
x.x.x.x.x
The peaceful and quiet atmosphere of Gerudo Town changed that evening, with everyone invited to the main square for a feast and celebration for the Princess of Hyrule. Music played loudly now, performed by a couple of young women, their performance perfectly entertaining as many of the women of the town danced and enjoyed themselves. The smell of deliciously seasoned meat wafted through the air along with a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables, and cultural dishes being prepared.
Zelda walked around with Riju talking to several women and being formally introduced. A lot of the women she met apologized deeply for talking to her with such casual conversation if she met them earlier, to which Zelda just laughed and assured them that it was fine. She explained she didn't expect anyone to know who she was, and it was actually refreshing to be treated as a normal Hylian woman. Link was off somewhere else, but Zelda didn't mind. He probably enjoyed the free time to himself after dealing with her all the time. The princess knew she could be a handful, and she was more than willing to let him spend the rest of their time in Gerudo Town as he pleased.
Riju explained to both of them earlier that the celebration wasn't only for Zelda and her accomplishments, but for Link's as well, even if he couldn't actually be recognized as a man by her people. He thanked her, repeating again that he didn't want the praise anyway.
"Oh, I got that message loud and clear earlier in my room." Riju had said with a laugh.
After the two girls got some food they sat down on the steps leading up to the throne room, a little ways away from the commotion of the last minute celebration. As they talked freely and laughed Zelda felt a connection to Riju, and felt a cold feeling in her heart knowing that she would be leaving the company of the laid-back, mature for her age, young leader beside her. It was nice to talk to another female like this, just openly expressing her thoughts and even talking about the disturbance in Riju's room to which Riju had a lot to say about.
"That was very amusing to watch pan out between you two. He wasn't as uptight when he came here a couple months ago. He seemed hmm...happy, about being able to do something for us here in Gerudo Town. His eyes were brighter and voice was less of the monotone that it has been the couple times you guys have talked in my presence. He really seemed like a different person today with you."
Zelda blinked. Really? She was curious to hear more. "Is that so? He's always so quiet around me. He rarely ever speaks to me unless I speak to him first. There's a barrier between us. I don't want it to be like that..I want him to talk, express emotion, act like a person instead of a silent shadow at my side. I want to know who he is, who everyone tells me he is..."
"Well, then you should bring it up with him. He's not going to know how you feel unless you say something, Zelda."
x.x.x.x.x
Link sat outside the walls of town, sitting at the very back where nobody could see him and would even less likely even come around to. He removed the annoying headpiece he had been forced to wear all day. The cool evening air felt wonderful on his now exposed skin. He rested his head back against the wall and let out a content sigh. It felt so much better not to have it flapping against his face in the wind. He'd wished all day he could rip the stupid thing off, as it felt ridiculous to have something on his face in the first place. Wearing a veil again, as he'd had to last time, was just as inconveniently annoying as he remembered.
From his peripheral vision, he saw someone come around the corner of the rectangular placed walls of the desert town. Quickly he grabbed the veil and put it up in front of his face, fumbling to get the back of it over his head while looking the opposite way.
"It's just me." A familiar voice said a moment later. "I thought you might be out here."
He turned to see Zelda cross the short distance between them, then sit down at his side. Link felt relief that it was only her, and not someone else to wonder why he was so frantically throwing the veil over his head. Zelda reached over and pulled it off, setting it in the sand between them.
"I'm sorry about earlier." He heard her say. Link blinked as he looked at the princess. He had never heard her apologize for anything, to anyone. The words sounded strange in her voice. He looked over and met her blue-green eyes.
"Princess, it's I who should say sorry. I was severely out of line to question your authority. I deeply apologize for my unacceptable behavior."
He said, forgetting once again to call her by her first name. But didn't look annoyed this time, but she sighed and shook her head, closing her beautiful eyes for a couple of seconds before meeting his once more. He didn't expect her next words.
"I should not have acted as I did either." Zelda raised her hand and slowly brought it up to his shoulder to rest lightly. Link sat still as his thoughts left his mind. She'd never made such a gesture before, and her eyes looked remorseful . "Please accept my apology, Link."
"Already accepted, Zelda."
Zelda's troubled expression didn't leave her face after he answered. He could tell something was else was bothering her without having to ask.
"Why do you rarely talk to me, even when I talk to you?"
Link was surprised to hear her ask such a thing, and he had no idea how to respond. Zelda looked over to him after he failed to answer for a couple of moments. Her eyebrows raised as he scrambled through his thoughts for an answer that wouldn't sound rude.
"I honestly don't know what to say most of the time."
Silence filled the air as Zelda looked at him, clearly not satisfied with that answer, but Link had no idea how to go on from there. She looked away to the desert, and Link bit the inside of his cheek fustrated that he didn't have something better to tell her.
"I don't like this...space we have between us. I understand that you were assigned to be my personal guard before the Calamity, and we were always like this, but I didn't like it back then and I don't like it now. I want to be more than...what we are. I mean, more than just two people co-existing at each other's side. I'd like to know you, because right now I feel as if you are a stranger, even if I have spent so much time with you."
Link looked to her but Zelda didn't turn her eyes from the desert. She stared forward, looking either at something in the distance or at nothing at all. Her words cut through him oddly, bringing things to mind that he had never thought of until today. He'd felt that space too, but never said or did anything to bridge it together. Being next to Zelda's side always felt like a challenge. He didn't remember who he used to be or how things were before the Calamity, but from the way Zelda was speaking, they had always had this "space" between them. He didn't want it to be like that either. He felt relieved at her words.
"I'd like that too, Zelda."
She finally looked at him, a small smile forming on her lips. "Then let's stop this small talk stuff. Tell me something, it doesn't matter what. Whatever you want to say, I will listen."
So Link did, speaking more in the next several minutes than he had combined in the last few months. He told her about waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection and the disorientation that came with that along with having no idea what had happened to him. What it was like to have no memories, and Zelda listened and nodded as he continued, listening. Then he spoke of meeting an old man who later showed his real identity as the King.
"M-my father?" Zelda interrupted him, her eyes going wide and her lips parting. Her expression the definition of shock. Link nodded but his face fell in a frown.
"Yes. But he was a spirit when I met him. He explained to me what happened to the world and what I needed to do."
"Did...did he talk about me?" She asked quietly, her eyes losing the light that they had before.
Link shook his head, his own eyes growing heavy as a frown rested upon his lips. "I don't think he had much time, but I'm sure that he was thinking of you as he..." Link trailed off, not knowing how to finish that sentence and feeling that he'd already said the wrong thing as her eyes dropped from his and looked to her lap.
"I'm sorry, Zelda." He said sincerely, and she gave him her attention again after a couple of long moments.
"You don't have anything to apologize for. The world...it...it's my fault if anyone is to blame."
Link wished he hadn't brought this up. The lighter air that had formed temporarily between them was gone now, replaced by an awkward feeling he couldn't really describe. The memory of them running through the woods came to his mind, when she had cried. Somehow he knew the same thoughts she had expressed that day were probably running through her mind. He could hear her words again, stinging at his heart, filling him with the same feelings. He'd failed Hyrule too so he knew exactly how she felt.
"No, Zelda." He said, reaching over and tentatively took her right hand in his and she looked up. "I know things didn't end the way we planned...but you are not to blame for the Calamity. It was out of our control."
Link didn't know where he got those words from, but they spilled from his tongue before he knew he was saying them. He didn't know if what he was saying was true or not, but it sounded logical to his own ears. Zelda sighed softly, but she nodded.
"Thank you, Link. You're probably right." She said quietly, sounding unsure.
Zelda pulled her hand from his, which he had forgotten he had taken at all, and Link looked away as Zelda rested the back of her head against the wall behind her. Link looked up at the clear night sky, looking at the sparkling stars. It oddly reminded him of the necklace he got at the jewelry shop and he thought about giving it to her now, to try to lighten her mood. Worth a shot, at least. He thought pulling the pack he'd been carrying with him all day over from his side to dig for the small box at the bottom.
"Zelda."
"Yes, Link?" She said looking over to him.
"Um.. I know it's not for a couple days, and I don't know how I remember this if I'm right, but I got this for you." He said, holding out the tiny box with the silver ribbon between them. "Happy Birthday."
Zelda looked to the box before taking it, her eyes widening and blinking a couple times. "You are right. My birthday is in a couple days."
He watched as she slowly untied the ribbon and opened it, biting the inside of his cheek as his heart sped up a little. Link had no idea why he was getting so worked up over this, but he felt nervous anticipation as he watched Zelda unwrap her present. She unfolded the small, white silk cloth and her mouth dropped open in a gasp before picking up the small ruby necklace and putting the box down.
"Wow...this is so beautiful." She said, turning her head and looking to him, eyes sparking and her lips in a smile.
"I had no idea if you even liked jewelry."
"I'm usually not too big on it, but I really love this necklace. Thank you, Link."
Zelda scooted over and wrapped her arms around around him tightly. Suprised for a couple seconds he sat there before wrapping his arms around her too, smiling.
"You're welcome."