Moving on Chapter 1

Riju sighed, leaning into her throne as she finally eased up. What a day, just how many battles has she fought in the last 12 hours alone? At least it was over for now, her duties as a sage command that she assist with the fight against the demon king and soon but for now she could relax. Though not comepletely, Buliara had left for lookout landing already and Link was seven-knows where by now, her throne room felt empty.

She was a fully grown adult now and NOW these fears are coming back to her? She fought off a gibdo horde with soldiers and Link, her and all the gerudo soldiers were more than capable of protecting themselves, besides the yiga clan was likely heavily damaged by now, Link told her that he'd defeated master Kohga again and this time it was certain he would not be coming back. Stubbornly, she shoved her worries aside, she was safe in her town for the seven's sake.

The sun was setting, the cold moving in and her eyelids were all but forcing themselves shut. Begrudgingly she lifted herself from her throne and carried her worn body back to her room and practically collapsed into her bed.

Captain Teake rushed to the throne early in the morning with a stranged report.

"That voe you allowed within the walls has been arrested for indecent expore by Katta. According to her he undressed right before her."

Riju sat there wide-eyed as the report was delivered. Why on earth with Link do something as stupid as that?

Katta saw the chief walking down to the prison and bowed before her. Riju let her be at ease and approached the doors of the jail containing that idiotic voe and also Perda's husband.

"Link, why in Hylia's name did undress before a guardswoman." Riju asked, sounding very unimpressed. Link, now fully dressed, explained to her surprise that there was a stela in there that Rotana wanted a picture of for her archeological investigation, but Katta wouldn't let him in, so to get in he broke the most obvious and least harmful rule he could, even showing the picture of the stela on his Purah pad to prove he was being honest.

She didn't need that picture to prove he was being honest, he was always totally honest to a fault, a bit like a kid really. It strange, over the last 6 or so years she feels like she grew to be older than him, sometimes anyways, at other times he could be like a totally different man, one seemed to have no facial expression and was so lazer focused she felt like he didn't even see her, then there was this goof to whom everything was an adventure.

Riju chuckled a bit before requesting Katta let him out to her shock. But she didn't question and simply let him out. With that, he was already off, running down the hall, Purah pad in hand. Chuckling again, Riju went back to her throne room, not everyone had time to be acting in such a way, besides, shouldn't he be going back to lookout landing by now?

Link continued to hover around the town for about a week, popping in to say hi every night as Riju was getting ready for bed, he usually dropped in through window from who knows where and shared a hyrdomelon and sometime some wildberries with her and they talked. To anyone else this would seem strange but the two of them were used to keep each other company late, way back during the time of calamity ganon and divine beasts, after he'd taken control of Vah Naboris from Ganon, he found her playing with plush seals at night, and to her astonishment didn't berate her for being an irresponsible chief but instead joined in? That's when she really found out about Link's more silly side, back then he felt like an older brother to her.

in truth the seal plushies were also kept there to keep her from feeling lonely, at least at the time. Without her mother her fear of the Yiga only worsened, but having some company at night - fake though it may be was enough to get her to sleep. Though of course then Link showed up, infiltrated the Yiga like it was nothing, sent their master into what is now known as the depths and then kept her company when she felt most vulnerable. Of course, that stopped shortly after Zelda was rescued and was saved.

Nowadays things were similar to how they were then, princess was missing again, world was in danger again, Link had saved Gerudo town again, and now they'd spend time together late again, though she didn't play with her seal plushies anymore, she was often writing in her diary or reading so whenever Link would show up they usually sat around for a bit, talked, joked and ate the fruit he'd brought with him.

He told her that tomorrow he'd leave for lookout landing, he'd done all he had to here.

"I'll miss these berries you bring with you. If only they grew around here... Why didn't you leave earlier by the way? Everyone was expecting it, it is quite urgent after all, yet you stayed around and helped with as many small problems as you could." Riju giggled slightly.

"It makes me happy."

That was quite the shock. Up until now he'd been his usual carefree self from outside of battle, but as soon as she asked him, he switched, his expressive face softened into a neutral expression.

"More than anything, seeing the smile of someone who's had their day made makes me feel... happy."

The way he spoke, it's like happiness was a rarity or something. He looked to be the most carefree man in the world sometimes, you'd have a hard time imagining him without a smile on his face. Though she only ever saw him while busy, rarely had she been with him in a battle or seen him outside of the desert. Considering how much time he spent outside of the desert, maybe that was precisely why she couldn't imagine him different. Riju came to the hard realization that in truth she hardly knew him.

"Link...?" Riju asked, concern in her voice. Link immediately turned back and nodded with a big grin on his face, and the goof was back.

In the morning, Riju gave Link a proper farewell, again, and wished him luck on his journey. Though after what'd happened the night before, she had some concerns about him.