Vaati chased after Zelda, darting through the narrow alleys of Kakariko, before eventually cornering her in an alley, away from other people.
"I am so done chasing after princesses..." the boy in purple, clearly not used to physical exertion, panted out.
"That's my point! I am not a princess! No one will listen to me..." Zelda slumped onto the hard ground, hugging her knees.
"But... you are the next in line to the throne..." Vaati spoke hesitantly to her, so she wouldn't run off again.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Tell me, then. I revealed that I tried to kill another you at another time, not sure what could be worse," he joked, but she didn't seem to be in the mood.
"You just... look at you!"
"Me? What did I do? To clarify, I meant recently, in this timeline..."
"Vaati, I'm not sure if you've noticed but most boys don't dress quite as... flamboyant... as you," Zelda sighed and scooted over so Vaati could sit next to her.
"But nobody seems to call *you* out on it. Back at the castle, one time I snuck into my... well I guess she's my nanny or tutor or whatever... I snuck into Impa's room, and found a training uniform for Sheikah boys and I put it on for no reason I could think of. Impa was in so much trouble for that, but it felt more true to who I am than the stuffy dresses that my father wanted me to wear at all times. It was just clothes but everyone made a huge deal, like, 'what's wrong with the princess', or 'the king raised her to be better than that'. I still don't get why it's such a big issue... and when you or Link call me the princess, it doesn't offend me, except... it doesn't feel right either.," Zelda cried onto Link's borrowed tunic she was wearing.
"Zelda, er, I can still call you that name, right?"
"Yeah... most people called me Princess," Zelda spat out the title like it was a curse, "But Zelda is fine I guess."
"Alright, Zelda, I can have a talk with Link, but for now, what do you say we actually go on that little shopping trip. Just the two of us weirdos with a suspicious amount of money between us? We can skip that one place, and get you some tunics like Link has so you don't have to keep borrowing his stuff! Also, green just isn't your color. Maybe some reds, or a navy blue. Sound ok?" Vaati smiled at Zelda, and offered his hand.
"Yeah... that works..." Zelda stood up, her eyes still somewhat puffy and red from crying, and they went on a shopping spree that Kakariko would be talking about for weeks. Two kids came in and bought most of the clothes in their sizes and left without saying much.
After they had secured their purchases, they went back to the room at the inn to wait for the third member of the trio.
Zelda decided to go with Vaati's suggestion and picked a tunic that was similar to Link's in how it looked, except instead of being a soothing forest tone, hers was a deep midnight blue.
It took a couple of hours, but Link returned, holding a bottle up in triumph.
"Congratulations, I guess?" Vaati turned his head from the book he was reading to look at Link's new acquisition.
"What are you two... doing?" Link asked, his attention already away from his hard earned prize. Vaati raised an eyebrow.
"Reading. You should try it." The sorcerer stuck his tongue out at Link in a childish display only to receive a reprimand from Zelda.
"Nah. Books are too boring for me. I want to do adventurous things!"
"Such as whatever heroic task earned you a glass bottle and Cucco scratches?"
"E-Exactly!" Sheepishly, Link sat down on the end of the bed where Zelda and Vaati were sitting. "How did your shopping trip go? I didn't realize there were many places to shop in this tiny town."
"Well, it started off decent enough, but..." Vaati looked to the blue-clad member of their ragtag trio as if to ask how much to tell. Zelda nodded before getting up and leaving the room. "Link, Zelda is going through some stuff right now, and I know she would appreciate you not referring to her as 'the Princess' anymore. it's not about her title or position, but rather a personal matter. I have a book for you to read. It provides some valuable insights from someone who understands better than I could."
Vaati summoned a book that explained many concepts not talked about (openly) in Hyrule, and on the cover was a crest of the Kingdom of Termina.
"Link, be mature. If you have any questions for Zeld after reading that book, ask me first. That way I'll be able to hit you preemptively if they're offensive or stupid." At that moment, Zelda stepped back into the room, and considering what had happened earlier in the day, flopped onto the one bed. She did, of course, carefully hang her hat nearby, just as Link would do. As the night wore on and they prepared for their journey to Death Mountain, Vaati smiled to himself, pleased that he could help his newest friend feel more comfortable, in his own way of course. After a past like his, he was never one for empty platitudes, after all.