Zelda wasn't quite sure at what point she began to harbor romantic feelings for her young guard.
Was it after his dramatic rescue of her in the desert? Or was it perhaps when he finally began to open up to her as they spent more and more time together? It could even have been well before his drawing of the Master Sword, and she simply had been repressing her feelings at the time. Whatever the case, Zelda found herself more than just a little bit smitten with this peculiar, silent, brave Hylian warrior...
"There's one! Oh! And another!" Bearing the widest of grins, Zelda scanned the field around her with her Sheikah Slate's camera. She seemed to be perfectly in her element out here in the open plains of Hyrule, with a plethora of flora and fauna to study and research.
"The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful…" she explained, snapping another shot of the flowerbed below her, "they're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things…"
Link stood behind Zelda as she worked. He found her childlike curiosity to be fairly amusing, and certainly a contrast from her usual dour self. As a result, this relatively short break from their travels was quite welcome; though Link's impatient sense of duty severely soured the positive mood. They'd have to get a move on sooner rather than later, after all.
But as he once again caught a glimpse of Zelda's contagious, vibrant smile, Link just shrugged. He supposed that could spare at least another minute or two - for Zelda's sake.
Standing near Link, the princess flicked through the slate and examined the pictures she'd taken. But she suddenly gasped as something caught her eye. She knelt down carefully, peering at one particular flower that stood out from the rest.
It was utterly beautiful. It bore brilliant white petals, which faded to blue towards the center. The flower seemed to sparkle and shimmer against the sunlight, magnifying its allure against the sweeping backdrop of pure green grass around them.
"This one here is called the silent princess," Zelda explained to Link, as if anticipating his next question.
Great. But I think the real question here, Link thought to himself, is whether I can eat it or not.
"...It's a rare, endangered species..."
Nope.
"Despite our efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet," Zelda said, bending over even further as she began to crawl towards the flower. "The princess can only thrive out here in the wild. All that we can hope…" Zelda sat up, clutching her hand at her chest, "is that the species will be strong enough to prosper on its own..."
As Zelda crawled about through the fields, Link found himself diverting his eyes away from her. It wasn't that he was disinterested in her words - he was most certainly listening to her. The analogy between herself and the flower was rather blatant, and he could definitely empathize with her plight...
...But she really needs to break the habit of bending over like that when she's wearing tights, he thought. Any of the other shameless guards at the castle would just be ogling her backside incessantly-
"Oh! Is that what I think it is?!" Zelda cried out. "Look at this!" Still oblivious to her appearance, she bent over once more and crawled rapidly in front of Link, forcing him to divert his eyes again until she turned back around.
"I don't believe it, but I actually caught one!" She walked upright on her knees back towards Link, clutching something small between her hands. "This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances. Ta-da!" She carefully opened up her hands, revealing a small green frog with large yellow eyes. It stared up at him in wonder, while Zelda continued to speak rapidly with a guileless excitement that Link could barely keep up with.
"Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities," she said. The frog hopped up and down in her hands as she bubbled with excitement at her find. "We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!"
Link recoiled a bit at the thought of eating a harmless, cute little creature like this, but Zelda was persistent. She held the frog right up to Link's face. "Go on!" She said. "Taste it!"
No longer amused by Zelda's behavior, Link calmly shrugged and snatched the frog from Zelda's hand. Gripping it tightly, he ran his tongue all the way down its back, slipped it in his pocket, then hurriedly turned around to mount his horse again.
"Wait, you… that's it?!" Zelda said. With a show of indignance she marched right after Link, demanding he finish the job. "I wanted you to eat it, not lick it-"
"You said to taste it," Link deadpanned. "Should have been more specific." He looked down at his pocket, then back at Zelda. Her innocent, pouty face nearly made him change his mind. But he stood his ground. "...Maybe later. We need to get going, unfortunately. We're getting short on time..."
It was true. A letter that the pair received during their second trip to Vah Naboris had explicitly summoned them back to Hyrule Castle earlier than scheduled. The king had requested Zelda's presence prior to the next Champion's meeting, which was scheduled to take place soon. And despite nearly two weeks worth of near-constant riding, they were still in danger of running late.
Regardless, it seemed Zelda's priorities were elsewhere.
"Hmmph, and here I had come to believe that you weren't so picky about your food! Suit yourself then." She turned her chin up and mounted her horse, spurred it with her heels, and began to ride away. Link rolled his eyes and did the same, while the poor little frog continued to croak loudly from the inside of his pocket in protest...
"Is that Link?" cried a female voice.
"It is! That's him! Eeeeeeeeh!" yelled another.
A chorus of shrieks erupted at the entrance of Hyrule Castle Town, and a crowd of adoring fans began to surround Link and Zelda. The pair had only just arrived there, and already they were wishing to be somewhere else. Anywhere else but here.
"Link! Link! Is it true that you once slayed a Lynel all by yourself?!" someone yelled. Link scratched at the back of his head, trying to decide if he should respond. After all, he couldn't take all the credit for that particular-
"What's it like being the Hylian Champion? Is it scary?" someone else asked. To this, Link simply shook his head no, much to their delight. But he instantly regretted responding to them. It seemed to only empower their relentless questioning rather than satisfy them.
"Link, hey, Revali says that he could beat you in a one-on-one fight! Is that true?"
"Oy, Link, are you single? Please tell me you're single!"
Now incredibly annoyed, Zelda grasped Link's hand and began to pull him through the hordes of people and straight in the direction of Hyrule Castle. Still, the curious crowds followed them quite closely, peppering Link with their increasingly juvenile questions.
"Link, what's your favorite color?!" Green.
"Have you ever been on a date?" Yes.
"What kind of shampoo do you use?" None.
And finally: "Did you really rescue the princess from the Yiga Clan in Gerudo Desert?"
Zelda blushed at this. And for whatever reason, Link's stoic expression finally broke slightly. "...Word... sure gets around fast…" he muttered quietly, as they continued to make their escape. Zelda noticed Link's subtle expression change, and her neutral expression quickly gave way to a smirk. Was he… actually enjoying all this?
"Well, well…" she sneered, coming to a stop in front of a nearby bazaar. "I never imagined you'd be such a glutton for female attention!" She released her grip and elbowed Link lightly as she said this. But he ignored her, focusing instead on the growing crowd of fans surrounding them. It seemed that there was truly no escape from them, not with such high profiles. But the large concentration of people visiting from all over the country begged a rather important question...
"Why... are there so many people in Castle Town?" Link whispered. "I don't think that I have never seen it quite this busy..."
Zelda placed her hands on her hips. "Well, father's letter mentioned a special presentation was planned for some time after our arrival. It appears that it's a public event as well, a celebration of the Champions. I suppose we will find out more about it at the meeting tonight…" She turned to Link and smiled. "'Word sure gets around fast,' right?"
"Princess! Princess!" A voice shouted from nearby. "Oh, thank goodness you've arrived…" Zelda's attendants - along with several guards - came flooding into the square from the direction of the castle. The crowds finally parted around them, creating a path for the princess to depart. One of the female attendants turned to Link and nodded respectfully. "Thank you, Master Link, for taking good care of the princess." She winked. "But we can take it from here…"
Zelda's entourage surrounded her and swiftly whisked her away towards the castle as fast as they'd arrived. Zelda called out to Link one last time while she departed. "Meet me outside of the royal chambers at four o'clock!" she yelled. "There are several things I wish to discuss with you later… in private." She was out of sight before Link could bother to respond.
As if on cue, Link's loyal fans immediately swarmed around him for yet another interrogation session. Despite admittedly being flattered by all the attention, he hardly reveled in it at all. To make matters worse, his stoic response seemed to enhance his already attractive mystique; but it also fortunately served to deflect the crowd's relentless questions without any real harm, as he quietly made his own way in the direction of the towering Hyrule Castle.
"Link!" someone shouted over the sea of voices. "I just have one question! It's about the princess!" Link nearly groaned aloud. He knew what was coming...
"...What exactly... is your relationship with Zelda?"
And there it was. Link grimaced internally. He had been anticipating the question from the moment Zelda made her ambiguous parting comment. Part of him sincerely believed that she'd made the comment entirely on purpose, knowing what would result. He'd be sure to pay his friend back for this.
Very soon.
A chorus of oos and ohs sounded from the crowd, but they began to quiet down as Link finally stopped walking and turned to address them. He paused for a brief moment, thoughtfully considered this intrusive question.
My relationship with Zelda… well… I suppose...
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the frog from earlier. Several of the young ladies closest to Link recoiled a bit, but they maintained a wide stare of curious, hesitant wonder. Grasping the amphibious creature tightly, Link peered deeply into its large eyes, looked up at the waiting faces of the crowd...
...then bit the frog's head clean off.
The resulting screams were utterly deafening. Shouts of fear and surprise and laughter filled the air around Link as the crowds of shocked fans chaotically departed from around him. He looked down at the half eaten frog, threw the rest in his mouth, and finally smiled to himself.
This... actually doesn't taste half-bad...
"Bahahahahaha! Now that, I gotta say, is classic Link…" A rumbling laugh reverberated throughout the square, causing Link to turn his head. It was the goron champion, Daruk. And he was laughing quite uncontrollably at the scene before him.
Link smiled in return, sincerely. Because if any one of the other Champions could appreciate his oddly subtle sense of humor - aside from Mipha of course - it would be Daruk.
Careful to watch for any brave fans that might suddenly ambush him, Link made his way over towards Daruk. It had been some time since he'd last seen his hefty goron friend, so he was quite pleased to have run into him in Castle Town square.
"Good to see ya, brother. How ya been?" Daruk said. Link flashed him a thumbs-up, then returned the question his way.
"Ah me, ya know…" Daruk answered. "Happy. Bored. Hungry! Ha ha!"
Link quite liked Daruk. He was brave, yet kind. Deceptively simple, yet really quite intelligent…
"So what brings ya to the castle?"
...most of the time anyway.
Link raised an eyebrow at Daruk, who slowly began to realize his mistake.
"Oh. Right. The Champion's meeting…" he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Stupid question. Sorry." He glanced at his other hand, which clutched a massive half-eaten chunk of stone, and took a huge bite. "Can you believe there's only one restaurant in this entire town that serves rock roast? It's a tragedy, I tell ya…" Chunks of gravel spewed from Daruk's mouth with every other word he spoke, but Link merely chuckled silently. The goron champion's lack of manners never bothered him in the slightest. In fact, they reminded him of himself, really.
"Why are you loafing around here anyway?" Link asked, surprising Daruk.
Daruk finished his roast with a large chomp, clapped his hands clean, then placed them on his hips. "Well, I heard you'd be arrivin' fairly soon. Wanted to be the very first person to greet you!" He gave Link's back a hearty slap. "Been really missin' you there, little guy."
Link rubbed at his aching back, sparing a wincing grin in Daruk's direction. He'd missed the old goron too - just not so much these backbreaking 'love taps' of his.
"By the way, I noticed Zelda's not with you anymore…" Daruk elbowed Link forcefully, knocking him off balance. He'd actually witnessed Zelda's departure just now, but couldn't help teasing Link just a bit. "What's the matter? Lover's quarrel?"
Link shook his head. "No. Things are fine. She's become a good friend. We get along well."
Daruk grinned at the deadpan responses. He knew he shouldn't be teasing Link this much, but-
"Gotta say Link, I'm pretty happy to know you two are getting along so well. Already seemed like a warmer relationship the last time you visited…" he rubbed his chin deviously. "Be careful though! A lot of guys 'round here have their eyes on the princess. Better make your move before they do, amirite?" Now, Link's perfectly stoic face was generally cold enough to prevent the average person from reading him...
...But not Daruk.
The boisterous goron could easily see right through his facial expressions - or lack thereof. And in this case… Daruk found himself needing to backpedal on his statement a bit.
"Aw, I'm really sorry about that Link, didn't mean to tease you so bad there." He turned his head in the direction of the castle, where Zelda was likely making her way up the winding tunnels and stairways towards her room. "I really am just glad your relationship isn't stone cold anymore. It might not seem like it… but the princess needs our serious support right now." He turned to face Link again. "Romantic, or otherwise."
Link said nothing, but Daruk slapped him on the back once more. This time, a little less violently. "Anyway, I'll quit with the jokes," he said. "After all... the only person on your mind right now is probably-"
"REVALI!"
A chorus of shrieks echoed through the city streets as an avian silhouette blotted out the sun directly above the pair. Several people flooded into the streets and after the gliding rito, hoping desperately to meet him. Revali performed a few barrel rolls before dive-bombing the center of the square, landing gracefully on his feet in a theatrical bow.
"...Time to go," Link said, flatly.
"Why?" Daruk asked.
Link shrugged. "Well, I am still a part of the Royal Guard after all. I need to report to my direct superiors and see to the soldiers under my command."
"Aw, I understand Link. We'll have to catch up later…" Daruk looked to his right. Revali was busy signing autographs and posing dramatically for his die-hard fans. He turned back to Link. "Besides, I wouldn't wanna hang around that flyboy over there if I were you either!"
"And what about you?" Link asked. "All of the Champions have a pretty high profile now. It's a bit of a nuisance really. Sure you want to stick around here yourself?"
Daruk grinned. "Ha ha! Oh, don't worry about me, brother. I don't really get any attention anyway." Scratching his nose, he glanced around at the dozens of fellow gorons milling about in relative obscurity. "That's the best part about being a goron in Castle Town. Hylians think we all look exactly the same!"
Finally alone in her room, Zelda quickly got undressed from her Champion uniform. She'd dismissed her attendants, insisting on changing on her own. She had, after all, been taking care of herself just fine for the last couple of months; she wasn't about to settle back into old, lazy habits anytime soon.
She sighed to herself as she examined some of the scars laced across her body, the physical consequence of her travels around Hyrule. It wasn't that she was upset about them, not at all. In fact, she actually thought they looked kind of… cool, as Link would say. No, what grieved her was that her first journey alone with Link had finally ended for now. What began as a dreadful mission with an infuriatingly silent knight had quickly morphed into a rather pleasant - and daresay fun - experience indeed. The last week after their departure from Gerudo had been particularly enjoyable; but this joy had been severely undermined with the dread of her inevitable return to the castle. Its suffocating walls and peering, judging eyes threatened to crush her soul into pure nothingness. From the very moment she'd arrived, the overwhelming weight of responsibility began to press down on her yet again. She'd only been back for an hour or so, and she already found herself wanting to leave her home once more.
Her hand traced one particular long gash on the side of her abdomen. She found it funny that she'd spent so much time pressuring Link to request a healing session with Mipha, yet she hadn't bothered to request one for herself. But on the flipside, the scars that remained simply reminded her of her precious time with Link. So she was, of course, in no real rush to heal them.
She sighed aloud again. Out in the wilds with her appointed knight, Zelda had been given a taste of true freedom, that which she had longed for every day, every second of her life.
If only...
She shook her head rapidly, snapping herself out of her stupor. Mustn't dwell, she thought. Duty calls once more...
She walked to the front of her mirror with her royal dress in-hand…
...and she giggled quietly as she caught sight of her reflection. She was a complete mess. Her hair was in tangles, dark circles were evident just under her eyes, her eyebrows were... well, thicker than ever. And she was pretty sure there was still a light layer of dirt caked on the surface of her face. Surely her attendants would chide her for dirtying her formal attire with a week's worth of filth, but she hardly cared really. She hadn't any time for a bath right now anyway. She quickly pulled the dress down over her head and adjusted its ridiculous flowing sleeves. As she slipped on her long white gloves, she grinned. She was only meeting with Link right now anyway; and he was the type that hardly cared about appearances - or smells - at all.
Zelda did a quick brush-through of her hair, slipped on her tiara, then abruptly left the room. It was well after four o'clock now. She'd already wasted too much time earlier attempting to track down her father, who was apparently too busy to see her at the moment. She didn't want to leave Link waiting any longer than she needed to-
"Greetings, princess! It is such a pleasure to see your beautiful face gracing the halls of our castle once more!"
Zelda looked to her side and smiled. It was the court poet, a young Sheikah man who had served the royal family for several years now. She offered a courteous bow in return.
"And it is a pleasure to see you as well! How are you faring?" She asked.
"Quite well indeed. And I'm glad I caught you when I did! There is a poem I have been working on, a song that pieces together some of the events surrounding the hero and princess ten thousand years ago. Perhaps you'd like to hear it?" He drew his accordion from his bag, staring up at Princess Zelda with a look of expectant longing. "It's the least I could do to welcome you back home!"
Zelda winced slightly. She was already running late for her meeting with Link… but she did not want to be rude to the court poet either. He was a nice enough person - though a bit overbearing at times. She began to formulate an excuse in her mind, when she noticed a group of guards making their way through the corridor up ahead. It seemed they were talking and laughing together with one stoic, stone-faced…
Link...?!
Zelda's face lit up with joy as she called out to Link and waved. It appeared he'd gotten tired of waiting and had come up to fetch the princess himself. The young captain dismissed his soldiers, who turned around and left the area as Link began to walk in Zelda's direction.
A firm scowl settled in across the court poet's face. Zelda had once utterly detested this Hylian "hero" before. He'd known as much, having overheard the princess's complaints to her caretakers prior to her departure. So what changed?
He feared the worst.
"I'm quite sorry for having to do this," Zelda said, with a tone of sadness, "but I really must be off. I'm late for a meeting." She smiled warmly at the Sheikah poet. "Perhaps you'll perform your song for me later? I would be delighted to hear it."
"Ah, well, as you wish my lady. Good day." He nodded cordially, then watched as Zelda happily ran up to Link's side and began to walk down the corridor in the direction of her study. Feelings of anger and heartache began to brew inside the poet's heart, and he nearly slammed his accordion down in sheer anger. But he composed himself, ran a hand through his silver hair, and sighed.
He'd have to watch these two a little bit more closely, it would seem. For… Zelda's sake of course.
Meanwhile Link and Zelda had soon arrived at Zelda's study, which was contained within a large spire on the west side of the castle. A small walkway bridged the gap between the main structure of the castle and the spire itself, which the pair had to cross in order to access the study. Both the walkway and the tower offered breathtaking views of the countryside surrounding the castle. As he caught a glimpse of this, Link found himself longing to return to those wilds once more; longing to be free of his responsibilities and fears in exchange for freedom, peace, and independence.
Maybe when this is all over… Mipha and I could actually-
"I suppose you're wondering why I wanted to meet you here…" Zelda asked, closing the door behind her. She bit her lip nervously, while Link glanced around the dim, candlelit room in curious wonder. It was actually quite messy, much to his surprise. Seemed that the princess lived a more cluttered life than he had imagined before.
Zelda turned away and crossed her arms, growing all the more nervous as she took in the intimate setting. Before their departure, Urbosa had encouraged her to be more open, and more loose with her emotions. Would this be... too much?
"...I feel like after all our time together…" Zelda continued, "Well, I just couldn't help but feel a bit of familiarity and, um, closeness to you." She uncrossed her arms and turned around, moving right in Link's direction. "Because of this… I… find it quite appropriate to move toward to a higher level of intimacy." She drew closer and closer to Link, who just stared back stoically in confusion as she moved within a foot of Link's face and stopped. "It's, um, a bit embarrassing I must admit. Only my… most trusted advisors have ever seen this side of me. So please, close your eyes…"
Link performed one final scan of the room, taking note of possible escape routes through the open windows above.
Just in case.
He closed his eyes. He could hear some intense shuffling around him, some footsteps here and there, and suddenly he found his hands clutching something. Something soft and smooth.
"Open your eyes…" Zelda said. Link did so, and nodded calmly. He now found himself staring right down at…
...a cloth-covered research book.
"Ta-da! These are my research notes! They have been painstakingly accumulated over several years of nonstop study of the ancient Sheikah technology. This… is my life's work!" She closed her eyes and rubbed her chin in pride. "Aside from Impa and Purah, nobody has ever laid eyes on this side of me! But I feel that I can finally be completely transparent with you now. This… is me!" She opened her eyes, held her hands out towards her book. "What do you think?"
Link had barely kept up with Zelda's rapid-fire speech, despite being somewhat used to it by now. This hyperactive de-evolution seemed to occur any time her research was involved. Still, he had to carefully review her words several times in his head before responding, being also quite wary of Zelda's emotional volatility.
"It's… quite interesting," Link said, dully, as he flipped through the pages and skimmed their contents. The book was filled to the brim with technical schematics, which were impressive drawings indeed, he had to admit. And surrounding the schematics were endless paragraphs of notes and observations - technical jargon that Link already knew he couldn't even begin to try deciphering.
Zelda's face appeared crestfallen. "You're… not impressed?" She said, staring down at the floor. "Or, perhaps…" she grinned, blushing slightly. "Perhaps you were expecting... something else?"
Link didn't waver. "No, I meant what I said. It's interesting. You should be proud of your talents." He finished skimming the book, slamming it shut and handing it back to her. "Unfortunately, I failed at science in the academy. So this all might as well be a foreign language to me."
Zelda took the book back and set it on her desk. She paused for a second, then giggled softly. "Anyway, this isn't actually the reason I called you here…" Her hands fell to her lap as she stared back at the shut door behind them. "I want to discuss something for more important. It's about… our situation."
Link nodded. "Calamity Ganon…" he said.
"That's right. I've been... concerned about your morale lately."
Link placed his hands on his hips. "You want to know if I think we're actually ready for its return. If it happens…"
"Yes."
"No." Link said. "I don't think we are."
Zelda frowned. Her mind immediately leaped back to her own shortcomings, recalling her inability to awaken her sealing powers at the Spring of Courage a few weeks prior. "I… would be inclined to agree…" she said, bitterly. "However, I want to remain optimistic! And I wanted to express that to you. As difficult as you are to read, I have recently felt a sense of… doubt from you." She turned away from Link. "And now I know it for sure…"
Link felt himself wanting to contradict Zelda. After all, he'd certainly do whatever it took to save his nation - and the people he loved - from Calamity Ganon. He actually had no doubt that they would be able to see this through to the end, no matter the cost. However, he found no words to explain his fears regarding their lack of preparedness. So he simply remained silent. It was so much easier.
"We are making loads of progress with our research," Zelda continued. "Not just with the divine beasts… but with the Guardians as well. It would be a shame not to place some of our faith in the Sheikah relics we've been developing successfully. After all…" she turned back towards Link. "This is the same technology our ancestors used all those millenia ago. Surely, we can use it again to defeat-"
WHRRRRR-SHUNK!
A loud sound from outside caused Zelda to turn on her heels again. Her face lit up in pure delight as she recognized the clattering noise.
"Speaking of which," she said, "that sounds like… a Guardian!" She motioned for Link to join her, and together they left through the doors of Zelda's study and walked slowly along the bridge back to the castle. Peering to the grounds below, they spotted a massive Guardian stalker marching its way to and fro. Sheikah scientists paced around the squid-like robot, carefully studying its movements and guiding its systems. Robbie stood by proudly, glancing up at the princess above. He offered her a wink, but she ignored him.
"Incredible…" Zelda said. "We're at a point now where we can actually control them. At the current rate, we'll soon know all we need to know about the Guardians and the Divine Beasts!" She turned towards Link, peering at him with a confident gaze. "And should Ganon ever show itself again, we'll be well positioned to defend ourselves." She said this matter-of-factly, hoping to convince Link that they were indeed prepared - whether her sealing powers manifested themselves or not.
"What are you doing out here, Zelda?!"
The powerful, commanding voice of King Rhoam sounded out from behind her. She shuddered as she turned to face him, while Link immediately fell to his knee in respect. A pair of royal guards accompanied the king, and they nodded respectfully at Link before turning to stand guard near the castle door. Zelda's face curled into a look of resigned guilt as her father approached her. This was the first she'd seen of him in several months. This was how he chose to greet her?
"I…" Zelda curled her fists. "I was assessing the results of the experiment with the Guardians. These pieces of ancient technology could be quite useful against the-"
"I know that," Rhoam interrupted. His gentle voice betrayed his fatherly instinct lurking within, but he quickly buried it. This was no time to be anything more than a king to his daughter.
"They are essential to Hyrule's future, and our research demands that we keep a close eye on them. However, as the princess, you currently have a crucial unfulfilled responsibility to your kingdom." His words pierced straight through Zelda's heart. The crushing weight of her failures finally pressed down on her all at once, and she immediately wanted to burst out in tears. But she stayed strong.
"Let me ask you once more…" Rhoam said. "When will you stop treating this as some sort of childish game?"
Zelda held her fists at her side, restraining her desire to be defiant. "I'm doing everything I can," she said, with nearly a snarl. "I'll have you know that I just recently returned from the Spring of Courage where I offered every ounce of my prayers to the Goddess."
"And now, you are out here wasting your time," Rhoam snapped. "This is the reason I summoned you back early: you need to be dedicating every moment you have to your training. You must be single-minded in unlocking the power that will seal Calamity Ganon away."
"I already am…" Zelda said, nearly in tears now. She turned away. "Don't you see - there's nothing more I can do!" She snapped back. "My hope is… My hope is that you- that you'll allow me to contribute here in whatever way I can."
"No more excuses Zelda!" Rhoam shook his head with disapproval. "Stop running away from your duty. As the king, I forbid you to have anything to do with these machines from this moment on, and command you to focus on your training."
Rhoam walked out towards the edge of the bridge and stared down at the working Guardian below. "Do you know how the gossip mongers refer to you? They are out there at this moment whispering amongst themselves… that you are the heir to a throne of nothing… nothing but failure."
Somberly, Zelda stared at her feet, saying nothing.
"It is woven into your destiny that you prove them wrong." Rhoam said. "Do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
Rhoam spun on his heels and made his way back to the door leading into the castle. Once he was gone and out of sight, Link stood up and paused in thought for a time. After giving Zelda a chance to compose herself, he approached her. He half-expected her to dismiss him in anger, but she instead offered him a pained smile.
"Would you please… escort me back to my room?" She asked. "Lady Urbosa… is due to arrive shortly. She will be meeting me there."
Link could feel something… intense boiling inside of Zelda's heart. So he was quite surprised to hear her calm request. He knew there was really no other way to comfort her anyway, so this would be the best he could do. He nodded his acceptance, and together they began to make their way back towards Zelda's room.
The pair strolled down the corridors together, Zelda crossing her arms and staring in deep thought as they walked. Link found himself rather inspired by Zelda's ability to keep her emotions stable and in-check; especially after this incredible scolding from her father. But as they quietly drew closer to her room, Zelda's eyes suddenly widened.
"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot." She turned towards Link. "I had meant to tell you this back in my study, so I must apologize."
She paused for a brief moment, then smiled. "I was told... that Lady Mipha herself is due to arrive any minute now."
Link's eye twitched slightly.
RIP nameless frog #1.
Next is Memories of Mipha Part 8: Hylian Chaperone.
