Zelda had trouble sleeping that night. The streets of Castle Town were too busy. Shop owners worked late into the night, watched over by once familiar knights. Things didn't settle down completely until the moon was high overhead. Even then, the singing crickets struggled to lull the princess to sleep.
Eventually her eyelids did grow heavy, and she let their hums and chirps lull her to a much needed rest, even if it was only for a few hours.
Nightmares awaited her once more. Bloody battles, friends in pain, the whole shebang – Zelda would have liked to say she was used to it by now, but that would be a lie. Finally, a nightmare tyrant stabbed her through with a lance, ending her rest with a gasp.
Zelda's clothes clung to her cold sweat body. Loose hair stuck up at odd angles and hung in her face.
She slid her legs off the side of the bed and felt her bare feet hide the wooden floor. Awake. She was awake, and conscious, and alive. And they had found their first ally.
She slid off her nightgown in the bathroom, washing her body off with lukewarm water. No more sweat. She was the clean, and the cuts and bruises had finally healed. Injuries were ugly, unfit for a princess, even if she was a runaway. She heaved a sigh and wandered back to her room with a towel around her. Her new Hylian garb was waiting for her along with her pack.
The satchel, large as it was normally, was bulging from all the things kept in it. Zelda hoarded everything, she realized. The things she'd had when she and Impa fled three years ago, the belongings she'd gathered while on the road – she still had it all.
Zelda opened her bag and slowly went through what was inside. A large quilt Impa sewed for her, decorated by ancient Sheikah text and faded symbols. Her party dress, pink and bejeweled, for the eighteenth birthday party she never got to have. Diamond earrings. Pearl necklaces. A large book of old Hylian hymns. A smaller text that she had never read. "A brief telling of the history and customs of Hylia," it read. Funny how she would have found that boring not so long ago. An old, golden tiara. Pounds of jewelry. Clothes from Kakariko. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. There was still so much more in there that she no longer cared about.
It was time to let it all go, time for a new beginning. That meant she had to give away everything she didn't need or absolutely loved. After all, whatever she lost could be bought back once she was back in the palace. Until then, it was just taking up space.
She put her belongings back in her bag and snuck out of the bug-filled house. The streets were almost empty this early in the morning. A few yawning guards helped citizens set up their shops and showed tourists to where they wanted to go.
Zelda nervously greeted the people as she passed. They greeted her back but gave her no trouble. They didn't even know who she was. They weren't close to her. They didn't recognize her. She was grateful for that.
It took a bit of searching, but Zelda finally found the old shop. Cain's bazaar. She opened the door and peeked her head in. Dark. Seemed empty. Just like before.
"Mister Cain?"
"Aye, Sheik?" He stepped out of the shadows with a smile. It seemed he'd grown to have at least some trust of her.
"I wanted to sell some things I no longer need."
"Absolutely." He motioned for her to follow him to the back. She did. Cain sat down at a table and smiled. "Let's see what you have."
She nodded and pulled out her old belongings one by one. Jewelry. Novels. The hymn book. The party dress. A small pile of clothes.
When she finally closed her back and put it aside again, she had one other outfit, a nightgown, her quilt, the text on the Hylian continent, and an old golden lyre. The bag was much lighter now.
Cain eyed her once-belongings carefully, determined their worth, and slid her a Giant's Wallet full of rupees.
Zelda opened the wallet and found it full. "This is too much," she said softly.
But Cain just shook his head. "It's enough," he said. "I can't give you much more than this or I'd lose my shop, but I want to do what I can to help the crown."
Zelda pursed her lips. She wanted to express her gratitude somehow, but words weren't enough and he wouldn't accept the money back. Finally, she sighed. Words would have to be enough.
"Thank you so much," she said softly. "When my kingdom is restored, come to me and I shall repay you tenfold for all of this."
Cain shook his head. "No need, but thank you for your kindness." He looked to the door. "You best be going, Sheik. Ganny'll worry if you aren't there when he wakes"
Zelda hadn't even thought about that until now. She stood quickly and gave a polite bow. "Thank you again, Mister Cain." She slung her bag over her shoulder and ran out the door.
It was best to be back before Ganondorf panicked and made a scene.