After this chapter, we'll get to see the events unfold from Link's POV. Sit tight! You'll get to find out what happened soon (:
two nights, regular bandage changes, and four doses of hearty elixir later— zelda's wounds had cleaned up nicely and showed no signs of infection.
during this time, she had befriended just about every gerudo she had spoken to during her stay. thankfully, romah had prohibited all visitors (outside of those already staying within hotel oasis). while she was still sore, zelda had already begun to get up and walk around on her own accord. after all, the small bookshelf in the corner of her room was practically calling to her.
in the early morning of her last day, romah had informed zelda that she was more or less ready to soon take her leave. in a flurry of excitement, zelda clasped the older woman's hands and thanked her again, dearly. as zelda pulled away, the gerudo delicately motioned to the lengthier side of her hair. "would you like me to do something about... this?"
zelda's hands immediately flew to her scalp, which had been cleaned of blood and dirt during her state of unconsciousness, amongst many other things. "...is it that bad?" her question was rhetorical, but it did little to hide the twinge of sadness and insecurity.
without any response, romah turned away before entering the back area of her desk. fumbling around, she soon lifted up a golden, ruby encrusted hand mirror. "it's from jewe— ah, isha. she had given it to me."
"it's beautiful.." zelda whispered as the mirror was handed over. she lifted her arm slowly, testing the weight of the object whilst familiarizing herself with her own heavy bandaging. she then raised it to her face.
aside from the faint bruising and long, shallow cut above her cheek, her face had remained relatively unscathed. yet, on the left side of her head, blonde locks spiked out in every direction. it was scarcely an inch lower than her ear; shorter than she could ever remember it being in her life. she was beginning to understand why link's hair bedhead looked so terribly messy in the morning.
exhaling slowly, she gave herself a wry smile. "well... it could be worse. i'm lucky enough for my life— vanity pales in comparison."
"would you like it evened out?"
zelda nodded, passing back the mirror solemnly. with her consent now given, romah wasted no time seating zelda on a nearby stool. in her hands, she carried the jeweled mirror alongside a pair of spring scissors that she had also retrieved from her desk's inventory.
"are you sure about this?"
"yes." zelda replied, voice quivering.
the whole ordeal barely lasted 15 minutes, zelda's eyes staying glued to the ground the entire time; watching the long, heavy strands of hair float onto the ground. discarded.
clasping her hands around her waist, she gave an uneasy smile as romah signaled she was finished. stepping off the stool, zelda hesitantly ran her fingers through the remains of what was left on her head. she couldn't say she didn't enjoy the... lightness, and mobility, of the haircut. yet, the lack of blonde hair blanketing her left her feeling strange and defenseless.
"may i borrow the mirror for a moment?" she asked, hands nervously twirling together.
"of course."
zelda promptly began to examine herself, brushing a stray lock behind her pointed ear. she returned the looking glass moments after, thanking romah with a quiet murmur.
her hair… it would take some getting used to. but, it would grow back eventually. she couldn't brood forever— she had other, far more important tasks, at hand.
"link... he's waiting for me."
zelda turned to face the entrance of the inn, a smile tugging on her lips. "is it possible to go to him now?"
the moment romah nodded her affirmation, zelda's small smile was engulfed by a large, ecstatic, toothy grin. quickly turning, she made her way to the hub of gerudo town. her pace was incredibly quick, despite her slightly floundering gait, and it took almost no time at all for her to get to the exit.
her sandaled feet sunk as she continued to step away, the adobe interior of gerudo town progressively turning into soft, golden sand. the guards at either side of the entrance looked mildly surprised at her emergence, having seen zelda carried to them half-drowned in her own blood hardly a week prior. after greeting the two warmly, zelda described link; hoping to get a precise location. thankfully, romah was correct; it seemed he was still there. the left guard nodded in understanding before pointing northeast— and zelda's head snapped rushedly towards the signified area, so quickly she could've sworn she had whiplash. no matter, nothing mattered to her the moment she saw the faint smoke of a dying fire, alongside the outline of a slumped boy.
beaming, she thanked them as she hurriedly stumbled towards the shape of link. she could feel her heart rate picking up, excitement thrumming underneath her skin to the very tips of her fingers. she had already waited 100 years for him, and after her kidnapping, she didn't want to wait another minute.
"link!"
he wasn't far, but the sand was increasingly difficult to move in without the aid of sandboots. stumbling, she clumsily used her hands to steady herself before closing the final gap and rushing at him.
"you're not hurt, are you?" cupping his cheeks, she examined his face before glancing down at the rest of his body. aside from the sores on his wrists, he didn't seem terribly injured, yet his haggard appearance worried her all the same. his face looked sunken, the sickly pallor beneath his skin contrasting against the liveliness of his colorful voe outfit. "oh, link." she murmured sympathetically. meeting his gaze once more, she was suddenly enveloped into a tight, desperate hug.
hissing through her teeth, zelda involuntarily winced as he held her close. however, she made no move to object, even as he tightly pressed against her bandaged abdomen. shakily, she curled her arm behind him, reciprocating the hug as she leaned her forehead onto his shoulder. "i'm sorry for being so stupid. i wandered off, got myself captured, and we nearly— we nearly—" she paused, squeezing her eyes shut before continuing with a muffled whimper.
"...i missed you.."
As always, please r/r! Any recommendations for whether I should respond to the reviews on the chapters or on PM?