2. In the Wild

A light breeze rolled off the deep blue and sun-dappled waters of Lake Totori, one that washed over Link with a cool, refreshing touch. He stood over a cook fire, steam rising to his face, his head bopping from side to side as he hummed softly to himself.

'The Hero of Hyrule, chosen one of the sword that seals the darkness, is a paragon of knightly virtue, a stern and sombre shield protecting the people from the coming Calamity.'

Good thing no one can see me like this, then. They might think I'm an actual human or something.

'The Chosen One is perfect, unflinching, impervious to pain –'

And a complete fantasy.

Sure, he played up to that very same image the Hylians clung to. Like he'd told the princess, they would stay calm if he projected calm himself. Plus, with everyone looking at him, stars in their eyes, satisfied with his strong, stable and – above all – consistent face, it left him free to be the Chosen One in the manner he chose. Just so long as he didn't let the mask slip and draw in too much attention.

"Is it a mask…?" Mipha had once asked him. "I can tell you're naturally quiet and composed. It's one reason why I –" She'd stopped herself, a faint blush rising to settle beneath her golden eyes. "What I mean to say is I don't think your reserve has anything to do with being weighed down by a crushing burden. Am I right…?"

She was. Link just viewed words as he did arrows – to be used sparingly for the best effect. Still, a mischievous part of him did like how he could silence a person with just a glare, a look from the Hero of Hyrule sometimes carrying more weight than even the word of the king. Link allowed himself a small smile. Even the Chosen One liked to play games.

"Chosen One," Mipha had said another time, the words dropping from her tongue in slow, careful deliberation. "I never hear you refer to yourself as that, Link. At least, not out loud. How does it feel?"

Link's heart knew how it felt about that. It sang a song of gratitude that settled over him like a soft cloak of hushed awe, one that he clung to himself with relish.

Link glanced over to the lake, saw sunlight ripple over its placid surface. A small figure crouched at the shore. Princess Zelda, undertaking her morning ablutions. He'd never let her out of his sight – except for when she needed her privacy and when she slept, of course. And that last one he'd have to seriously reconsider after what had happened back in Frontier Inn.

Link peered down at the cook pot. Almost ready. He scooped a bowl up from the grass and began to ladle the steaming broth into it. Regret pinched his heart as he saw the hunks of meat that still swam in the pot. The sharp pang in the pit of his stomach only reinforced what he already knew: Link was tempted. Sorely tempted. To the point where he hesitated, wooden spoon paused in mid-air, wisps of steam curling up from its curved tip. Who would even know, after all…?

But, no. If Princess Zelda could only down liquid food, then he would, too.

Link's chest heaved as a long, slow breath left his lips. He had no idea how to reverse what had happened to the princess. He'd tried using a fairy, and even a Hearty Elixir – it was worth a shot – but nothing had worked. In the end, the princess had worked furiously on her Sheikah Slate in search of a cure, and had indicated that they should continue with their mission.

Link's gaze swept across the rest of Tabantha Frontier, humming once again. Drifting curls of smoke marked the myriad settlements that dotted the land – small villages filled with Rito and Hylians alike. So much life. So many people.

Calamity Ganon is seriously going to beat every single one of us…? Link mused. I don't see it.

Link stopped humming the instant he caught sight of Princess Zelda staring at him with narrowed eyes. He hadn't even noticed that she'd returned. That was a slip. It wouldn't happen again.

His heart thumped. Had she heard him…?

"Princess," he said, eager to break the silence. His mind worked fast to find something pithy to say. "Do you sing, my lady?"

And that wasn't it. Even Zelda looked at him with one eyebrow arched.

"Not – not at the moment, of course," he added. "Obviously. I just meant –" Link decided to hold out the bowl of broth instead. "Breakfast?"

Zelda eyed the bowl warily, and took the few steps dividing them to take it. She slowly lifted it, sniffed, took a sip, then looked up at him, the corner of her mouth curved up, a sparkle of mild surprise in her eyes.

Link gave her an encouraging nod. The princess brought the bowl to her lips, and the sound of her slurping brought a twitch of a smile to the young knight's lips. When Zelda looked up again, his smile had vanished. She had to know that he meant business – that way the trust between them, as princess and protector, could deepen.

'The Chosen One's strength is seen in the steely determination of his face, friends and foe alike humbled in fear by the rough cut of his jib.'

But a playful part of him did feel a smidgen pleased that she'd liked his cooking…

"There's more," he said, nodding down at the pot. "If you…" How could he put this in a courtly, formal way? "…If…" Think, Hero, think! "If my lady is still in the need of the call of nature."

Zelda looked up from the bowl to stare at him. He stared back, face stiff and solemn.

And then the princess spluttered into a hissing, snickering laugh, her whole body shaking from the force of it.

Link pursed his lips. Guess that wasn't it. He sighed as the princess doubled over to continue her fit of laughter. So much for showing her he meant business. Why do I ever bother to open my mouth…?

Still. Her mirth meant that, for the moment, her mind wasn't fixated on what had happened to her tongue. The people wanted perfection? Well, this was it for Link. Allowing something fresh to grow from the mud of your mistakes.

This laughter would serve the princess well. It would raise her spirits. And that was a good thing.

That's what the Chosen One was for.


But it didn't last.

Link sat and slowly ran a whetstone down the Master Sword's edge, the blurry pomegranate glow of sunset reflecting off of the steel, his head down in apparent absorption. Out of the corner of his eye, Link saw the princess perched upon a rocky outcrop, her face pinched and haggard as she stared out into the distance. The Sheikah Slate lay untended in her hand. She hadn't yet found a cure.

Frustration blistered Link's heart. This wasn't right. Her sadness. Her helplessness.

His helplessness.

Link shifted his gaze down the winding slope they'd just ascended, here on the edge of the Hebra Mountain range. Somewhere in this area was this strange new variety of Silent Princess. Zelda had already set the Sheikah Sensor to notify them when it came into range – or, at least, when a Silent Princess of any description came into range.

But that wasn't why Link's focus now zoned in on the path. His keen hearing had noticed things when they'd made their trek up. Shifting stones disturbed neither by their passage nor by any animal. The faint sound of breathing that had reached Link's ears when the direction of the wind had changed.

We're being followed.

And probably by the same person that had attacked Zelda back at the inn. Link knew he was there. He just couldn't see him. And that bothered the young knight.

Especially if this guy knows how to cure the princess.

Not that he was about to let that slip to Zelda. His gaze swung over to her again, and the troubled look she still wore compelled him to approach her. Link stood, letting the Master Sword slide smoothly back into its sheath, then walked slowly up to where she sat. She glanced at him, face pensive, and quickly looked away.

He stopped, fingers flexing as he wondered how to approach this. Link softly cleared his throat.

"Princess."

She didn't respond, didn't even turn to acknowledge him. Link saw the rest of Tabantha spread out beyond and below, lights sprinkling into life across each and every settlement with every passing moment of the sun's descent. A lilac afterglow hung in the sky.

"My lady," he said, his voice firm. "May I see…?"

Now Zelda did turn to him, her furrowed brow indicating her puzzlement at his question.

"Your…tongue," Link continued. He found it hard to be the one leading a conversation. In fact, it pained him. "Could I see?"

Zelda's eyes widened a fraction, a scarlet blush shooting to her cheeks. She gave a vigorous shake of her head and looked away again.

Link sighed. He lifted his hand, hesitated, then decided to press on, gently cradled her chin and turning her head back. Twin sparks of sudden anger shone bright in her eyes.

My lady's eyes…

For a moment, both their gazes locked. Zelda's indignation faded, her face growing slack in his hand, and Link felt an electric ripple run all the way through his heart.

And then the princess scowled again, and Link blinked away the thoughts.

He heard the princess furiously tapping away on the Sheikah Slate. She held it up to show words glowing on the screen in the fading light. Link couldn't help but admire her resourcefulness. His eyes darted over her message.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

"Just…" he began. "Let me see. Maybe I missed something."

More tapping followed. Zelda's sour face accompanied the held up the Slate.

MY TEETH, PERHAPS?

Link bit back a smile. The princess could be ferociously caustic when the mood struck her. He knew this as he'd once silently took the brunt of her shouting at him to stop following her. He hadn't cared then, and he didn't care now. After all, they didn't want their Chosen One to be soft, did they…?

The Sheikah Slate flashed into view again.

MY FACE. PLEASE RELEASE IT.

Link hadn't even realised that he still had a grip on her chin. He didn't comply, though. Instead, he used his fingers to press her cheeks and open her mouth. As he peered at the swollen slab of flesh that had become her tongue, Link noticed that the princess was stabbing away at the Sheikah Slate again, agonisingly slow, letter by letter.

With narrowed eyes, Zelda held up the ancient device. Link didn't turn, just glanced to his right to see what she'd written this time.

MY FATHER WILL HEAR OF THIS.

"I'm tasked with your protection, my lady," Link murmured. "Your father. He'd never forgive me if I didn't force myself to check out your tongue."

He froze, heat rising to his face. His mind quickly protested in horror at the words that had just spilled from his mouth. Zelda's eyes widened, too. She yanked out of his grasp, slid off her perch and walked off.

Link stood there for a long moment, hand still stuck in mid-air, and felt engulfed in a solemn, contrite silence. Then, slowly, he began to smile.

He'd done it again. By making her focus on how he'd opened her mouth, she'd be briefly distracted with what was going on within it.

And that, too, what was the Chosen One was for.

Now all he had to do was to stop blurting things out like an idiot.


Or maybe, just maybe, Link had got this wrong.

The princess walked on ahead of him in sullen silence, head down, the Sheikah Sensor beeping faintly. Every time he'd try to catch up to her, she'd just speed on up. Plus, she'd stopped talking to him.

Obviously.

What Link meant was that she'd stopped communicating via the Sheikah Slate as well. A twist of regret caught his heart. He hadn't wanted to hurt her. And, true, no one was allowed to touch the princess, especially not like he'd just done.

How can I fix this?

Zelda resenting his presence wasn't anything new. But recently, ever since he'd foiled the Yiga attack on her, he'd noticed her looking at him with a new softness in her eyes. Respect, perhaps? The sinking dismay he now felt surprised him, though. Link missed that softness.

So, really, how could he fix this without tearing out the roots of that newfound respect…?

Stars began to twinkle above, heralding the coming of twilight, and soon their only light would be the glow from the Sheikah Slate and the rising moon. The princess spun on her heel, then sat down, her face turned away from her knight. She folded her arms.

Link slowed. He understood. It was time to camp. He'd hauled the small cookpot along with him and, after striking up a fire with some wood, flint and a swing of his sword, got to work on cooking their supper. He bit back the urge to hum; instead the tip of his tongue peeked out of his mouth as he worked.

And though he presented a picture of complete concentration, every single one of Link's senses stood on high alert. They were still being followed. And the coming of night brought with it other dangers like the skeletal Stalkoblins that had started to appear more regularly now that the Calamity was imminent.

Priorities first, though, thought Link. Food.

Link was going to make Zelda the best meal he could. Maybe that way he could win his silent princess back.

Shame about the ingredients. He'd used up the last of the meat he'd purchased from Frontier Inn for breakfast that morning. Thinking back, Link recalled that last encounter with the innkeeper.

"Yeah, take it," the Zora had said when hurriedly handing over the raw meat. "If it means you two are finally going to leave."

Link had slid over another gold rupee – their last - to cover the cost of the shattered window in Zelda's room. The innkeeper had taken it with a sour look.

"Come back anytime," he had said dryly. "Just don't leave any corpses on my porch"

And so all Link had left were the Hyrule herbs and various shrooms he'd picked up on their travels. At least it would smell good.

Link's gaze snapped up. He'd heard something. Voices. Drifting their way. The princess heard it, too. She slowly stood and the flipped the hood of her dark cloak up.

Link moved on ahead of her without even thinking about it. The voices moved towards them.

So, not our hidden pursuer, then.

Link's heart thudded softly as every inch of him tensed up.

A spray of small rocks sputtered across the path, followed by a thin Hylian who fell into an awkward roll after being clearly shoved. Thin, scarlet rivulets lined his face.

Two other Hylians followed, both tall, the armour of the leader straining from his bulging waistline. Princess Zelda stepped up beside Link, her hand curling into a fist. None of the newcomers had noticed the two travellers; the smaller man too absorbed with his fear, the other two only having eyes for their victim.

Link's gaze shifted from the aggressors to the cowering man. The small Hylian shrank back, blinking rapidly as blood ran into his eyes. Link's eyes switched back to the two aggressors. They stalked their victim, a menacing hunger turning their faces ugly.

"So," said Link. "Whatcha doin?"

All three of them looked up.

"Please…" breathed the smaller Hylian. "Help me."

"What's this…?" said the bigger of the two other men. His eyes shifted over to the princess. Link's own eyes narrowed in turn. "And who is this…?" He glanced back at the knight. "Your girl…?"

"No," Link replied. "Just my wife."

He felt an instant inward wince. He didn't even have to look at her to feel Zelda's withering glare.

"What," said Link, "are you doing?"

Meaty shoulders rippled in response. "Just doing our bit," he said. "Against the Calamity. We're training. This fellow here –" He nudged his head in the smaller man's direction "- is a Bokoblin and we're just showing him the moves the Chosen One would give him." He grinned, revealing a row of gapped teeth. "Wanna join in?"

Link pursed his lips. A blister of anger pinched the skin on his face.

The other man chuckled. "Ah, don't be like that, boy," he sneered. "Here. The young miss –your wife, sorry – can pretend to be the princess." He nudged his friend. "Then we can all get our reward after we slay the monster."

"You disgrace him," Link growled. "You disgrace the Chosen One by your actions."

The princess nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Like the two of you have a clue," the big man replied. "I've studied the Chosen One. I know him. He's like a brother to me."

"I think not."

The big man barked a short laugh. "This is how he treats Ganon's scum." He nodded towards his cowering victim. "You know how well I'm in with the Chosen One?"

"Pray tell."

"Well," the man grinned. "Look it this. I've even got myself a copy of his sword."

He reached back to draw the blade in question. The metal was a little duller, and the engravings a little less intricate, but there was no arguing the point. It was an almost near-replica of the Master Sword.

"Really," said Link, his voice blank. He reached back for his hilt. "Well, I've got the real thing."

A whisper of drawn steel rang in the air. The other man's eyes widened. His companion instantly drew a blade of his own.

Link's left hand flexed around the pommel of the Master Sword. With his right hand, he gently pushed the princess behind him. He waited. Whatever else they were, the men were still subjects of the king. They would have to make the first strike before he acted.

The silence stretched. A swirl of air twined around their feet.

The big man finally slowly shook his head. "So you got yourself a better copy of his sword," he said. "That doesn't make you him. Yer just another fan."

"Have you ever seen him?" Link replied.

"Nah," said the man. "But I know he ain't got black hair like you."

Thank you, Hateno dye.

The man looked to his friend. "Sic 'im."

The sidekick ran in, screaming, sword held out in front of him in a shaky hand.

No confidence, Link concluded.

The knight shifted his feet to meet the attack – then kicked the weapon out of the man's hand. He caught the blade, flipped it over instantly, pommel up, and rammed the hilt into side of the sidekick's head. The Hylian dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Link flipped the sword back, and twirled both the new weapon and his Master Sword – one in each hand - with slow menace. Perhaps he could scare the bigger man off.

He couldn't. The stranger launched himself at Link.

As steel clanged every time Link swiftly deflected a strike, he realised one thing very quickly: this man had studied him, or at least, the way he fought. Despite his girth, the Hylian moved with smooth agility.

His opponent drove in with a thrust that Link batted aside with the Master Sword. Link followed through with the other blade, but the bigger man whirled, bringing his sword around to block. A shimmering metallic echo sounded all around them as the two blades stood locked against the other.

Link kicked him in the gut, driving him back. The man pounced, face flushed, lunging in for the knight's heart –

And Link brought both his swords spinning up together in an X that caught the metal tip of the attacking blade.

The Hylian's eyes widened. "You…" he gasped. "You are him."

Link leaned in close. "Go," he whispered. "And you saw no-one here. Understood?"

The big man gave a vigorous nod. He dropped his sword - it hit the ground with a dull thud of metal – then rushed past both the princess and knight to scarper back down the path.

Link flung the spare blade aside and set the Master Sword back in its sheath. He looked around for the small guy – the one that had borne the brunt of the two men – and found that he'd already gone.

Made a run for it, he mused. In all the fighting.

Link looked up – just in time to see Princess Zelda, hood now dropped, brush past him, her shoulder glancing his. He sighed.

What have I done now? he mused, but Link knew the answer instantly. He'd pretty much just revealed their identities – so now time was of the essence. There goes making camp, then.

Link slowly walked on behind her. The Sheikah Sensor began beeping more urgently. Zelda unlatched the Slate from her hip, peered at the screen, then moved off in the direction it indicated.

Link followed, his eyes glancing at her long, blonde hair as it bobbed up and down in time with her every step. A yawning pit opened in his soul, a deep longing for things to go back to where they'd been just a day or so ago.

He looked up, and once again his gaze met her hair. Something stirred in his heart, and the young knight was prompted to speak.

"Princess," he said. He'd used his Chosen One growl – barely above a whisper – that he'd painstakingly taken the time to develop.

It worked. Zelda stopped short.

Link raised his chin. "I..." he began. "I just wanted to…" He awkwardly cleared his throat. "I went too far, my lady."

He waited, but the princess still didn't turn around. She hardly even moved. Link's heart felt like a lead weight.

What does she want me to say…?

"I'm sorry," he said. "You can tell the king. That's your right. And I know you don't have to pardon me." She cocked her head slightly hearing this. "You're the princess. You do what you want. But could you accept my apology as…as a friend?"

Link gave a hopeful smile. Zelda stiffened. He could tell she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He waited, heart thumping. And then the princess turned around, wearing a satisfied smile of her own. She held up the Sheikah Slate.

THAT'S QUITE ALRIGHT.

She turned away to follow the beeping Sheikah Sensor once more. Link blinked. He hadn't even seen her type the words. Which meant –

She's had them ready for a while.

Link's smile was still fixed firmly in place when it hit him what exactly she'd done. His silent princess had reached through a chink in his carefully contrived shell and had drawn a little bit more of himself out of it.

And that was when Link knew that he wasn't the only one who could put on an act to get exactly what they wanted.