"Your Highness, everything seems normal, as usual." The doctor spun in his chair and handed the Princess a chart with a long list of words accompanied by numbers beside each entry, though Zelda solely focused on the top three.

"But see, one has changed." She pointed to the top one.

The doctor sighed and looked at the page with her. "I say it's normal because this one," he pointed to the one below it. "hasn't changed, nor has this one. This is simply a natural bodily response to the prolonged exposure you had to your knight yesterday afternoon." He returned to his desk. "Had you come after that, you'd have noticed the number to be a bit higher then. Your ratios are still normal for those who have yet to present, Princess."

Zelda remained quiet, staring at the three numbers as if they might change before her very eyes.

This was something her father had ordered her to do for the last three years on a monthly basis. She was to have herself checked by the doctors for any changes that might occur in her system that they might not be able to see. She was sure it was because her father didn't trust her to know her own body or to recognise signs of change, but in the end, she relented. It was new knowledge, so why not.

After the first few weeks of badgering the doctors of the Castle about numbers and definitions, she eventually gained access to some of their coveted information on the hormones charts of the three designations and how to read them properly.

Of course, she had to sneak into his office one day and she'd been caught very quickly, but they had relented after the days of pushing back against her.

Her chart was normal, that much she knew. The numbers didn't change in the way she'd hoped, but they had changed.

She wasn't acutely aware that she had her own changes when exposed to the hormones her knight had accidentally subjected her to the day before, but now she was.

The doctor seemed relatively calm about the information, citing it to be normal.

"Princess, you could send the Captain to me and he'd have had his own response to Sir Link. There is no secret information hidden in the numbers that you seek." The doctor dropped his pen down on the desk and sighed. "If I may advise you something?"

"Please do." Her eyes remained on the paper, not even a brief glance at the doctor.

"You need to stop stressing about this. It's not good for your health, Princess." She finally looked up, surprised that the advice wasn't medical in nature. "The more pressure His Majesty puts on this, the harder it will be for you." He muttered, going into his desk and grabbing a small bottle, opening it and counting quickly and pushing them into a separate bottle. "Take these."

She didn't recognise what the pills were. "What are they?"

"Placebo pills." So they didn't do anything. "For His Majesty's peace of mind. Tell him I prescribed you these for whatever will satiate his mind."

The doctor was a genius. She had to give it to him, to lie to her father about prescribing her a medication that would fix her issues was a fantastic idea. She'd simply have to say the medication could take a few weeks to work and he'd buy it.

The only person who would look at her charts harder than she did was her father, although he didn't know what to even look for.

"Princess, I've been told you'll be going to the Spring of Courage in a few days?" She nodded, confirming the words. "May I suggest taking an extra day or two? Perhaps go take a look around the ruins of Faron? Go visit Lurelin Village?" He counted off numerous other places. Zelda listened, though it might not seem like it. "I'm sure if you asked Sir Link, he wouldn't mind taking you where you'd like."

"We're on a strict schedule."

"Princess, take it as medical advice then. Have some time to yourself, go enjoy life as girls your age do. Go to a beach, go exploring, I think it would do you tremendous good to do so."

Take it as medical advice? She could do that.

"I heard the maids gossiping yesterday about a heart shaped lake in Faron that is rumoured to be near Lurelin. Why don't you go see it for yourself?" At the Princess' prolonged silence, he continued. "Your Knight cares very much about your well-being, that includes your emotional and mental well-being, not just your physical safety. He wouldn't say no to an excursion if you requested it."

"Princess, please look at me for a moment." Zelda looked up at the doctor. It was clear that she was thinking of what he said. "Sometimes, relaxing and getting away from your duties is better than any medicine I can give you."


"Princess! Linky- Where's Link?"

"Well good day to you too Purah." Zelda let out a soft chuckle as she closed the door of the castle's laboratory. She was quickly greeted with a hug from the researcher as she was led further into the room. "How have you been?"

"I've been fantastic!" Purah threw her goggles off dramatically, smiling brightly. "The lab is all mine, Robbie is over at the Hateno lab and Cherry should be back soon!"

"Pray tell why the lab is yours now?" The Princess took a seat on the small couch and listened to the Sheikah woman go on.

"Well as you already know, I petitioned to be the head researcher as it is my rightful position!" She started. "I really don't know why they all thought Robbie was better, all he does is tinker with his weapons." She scoffed loudly. Zelda agreed jokingly, she loved the little rivalry Purah and Robbie had; she found it refreshingly entertaining compared to the gossip of the court ladies and the maids. "Now where is your silent shadow? I don't usually see one without the other." She looked around, half expecting the door to open to reveal the knight.

Zelda shrugged. "He's on one of his last rut days, I presume."

Purah picked up a small tin of cookies and offered them to the Princess, popping her own into her mouth. "He's still going through that?"

"You knew?"

"Of course! He's been silently suffering since Death Mountain!" She laughed at the gawking the Princess gave her. "You didn't know?" She began shaking with laughter. "No way you didn't know! You don't remember the faces he was doing in the hot springs? Princess, he was beet red the entire time.

"I… I thought he was just embarrassed.." she muttered, feeling stupid.

"Embarrassed is putting it lightly!" Her voice pitched in a way that caused Zelda's mind to go south. "Only the Goddesses know what that boy was thinking about before we showed up."

"You knew?" She stood up, shocked that even she knew about his state. "And we stayed?!"

"Listen Princess, there's nothing I like more than making that man uncomfortable, remember that."

Oh sweet Hylia… Zelda let her hand rest on her forehead, wondering what she was going to do about her special Sheikah researcher. "Is that why you wanted to see him? I don't think you got to do your little experiment on him like you wanted."

"I didn't. He was a little bit preoccupied, as it's still very apparent." She motioned out of the door. She moved to the table where she poured two cups of tea, still hot from earlier. She passed one to Zelda, along with a small plate of biscuits. "You wouldn't mind giving him over for a day, would you?" She asked, fluttering her eyes in an exaggerated way.

The princess sipped her tea and raised a brow. "I mean… I told you already, you have to ask him. What is it you'd like to do with him, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I want to run a few tests on him! I tested Robbie three weeks ago and I managed to rope one of the Sheikah guards into it too, but I'd like to compare their details with Link's. I think it'd give me fascinating results."

"Run a few tests? Mind sharing the details?"

Zelda swore she could see stars appear in Purah's eyes the moment she asked. Purah immediately discarded her cup and all her attention went straight to the notebook she had on the table.

"Of course!" Zelda scooted closer to Purah as the notes she opened were laid out to see.

The first thing she noted was a hand-drawn table of numbers, a few fields filled in with several names she recognised, but the one with the most filled information was that of Robbie's.

While she knew the researcher to be heavily academically leaning, she was surprised by the chart displaying numbers in pounds, seconds and minutes. She wondered why Purah was testing lifting strength, endurance, and cycles. She wasn't sure what the term cycle meant exactly and what it referred to, but it was enough to have her curiosity peaked.

Another name below his was labelled Symin. She knew the name belonged to one of the Sheikah guards who was a few years Purah's junior, roughly her age compared to Purah's 26 years. His chart, on the other hand, was only filled halfway, starting with the first entry labelled Week 1 and ending with three months.

A few other names decorated several other pages but she noted the small stack of blank charts, one she assumed was probably dedicated to Link if Purah ever got her hands on him for her tests.

"I wasn't originally going to do this experiment, but I was surprised one day when Robbie couldn't lift something he was able to lift the week before." Purah began her long explanation. "He said something about time being weird, so I started this! Check it!" The researcher took his chart and placed it at the front of everything. "Quarter way through his cycle, his endurance was at his lowest and he couldn't lift anything heavier than 185 lbs." She read the number listed beneath the category labelled Endurance as 4 minutes and 32 seconds. What exercise it referred to, she didn't know, but it seemed plenty long to her. She noted that the number seemed to vary depending on the time cycle she had listed, this particular info was for the quarter cycle.

"So then I found this cute boy, his name is Symin and he volunteered himself pretty quickly for my little study." She smiled almost deviously, flipping over to his page. Zelda noted how the numbers were far above Robbie's. "He's definitely a lot tougher than Robbie, that's for sure."

"Well Symin is a guard after all." Zelda pointed out. "Robbie isn't. It makes sense he'll have more strength, no?" Purah made a noise of agreement. "And wouldn't Symin also have a regular training regiment?" Zelda didn't look up from the chart, but Purah was sending her pointed glares with every sentence. "You may want to factor that into your notes. It would be something to remember when trying to calculate differences in strength in the cycles you have listed."

"All good points, thank you. Will do."

"Speaking of cycles, what period lengths do they refer to? What is considered here to be a full cycle?"

"A full cycle is roughly ten months."

Zelda looked up, brow raised. "Why ten months? Why not one full year? It would be easier to calculate and work with, no?"

Purah blushed lightly. "Well the average rut cycle is ten months. So that's what I'm working with."

"Huh?" Zelda's thought process seemed to slow down. Why was Purah working with data based on alpha ruts? Was she calculating the correlation between the strength and hormonal effects on their bodies? "Ah." Was all she could muster up.

She started wondering why it seemed like that was the only thing people were ever talking about in her presence? Not that she minded. It was more information she could absorb first-hand without having to spend sleepless nights in the library.

When she finally looked up from the paper, she could see that Purah was very amused. She had what Link would call a "shit eating grin" in her eyes, or whatever he might decide to call it and briefly wondered if she should address it or leave it be. She looked positively in la-la land.

"Purah?" She asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

As if she had popped the alternative reality her researcher had put herself into, she snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh yes I'm fine. Anyway, would you be able to pass him over? Just for a bit?"

Zelda thought back to the dazed look Purah had just worn a few seconds before and looked back at the charts, littered with numbers and timestamps. She reread the category labels a bit slower this time. Endurance, lifting strength, bench press. What was that? She shook it off, continuing. Reaction Time, Archery and accuracy…

Wait a minute…

She could easily imagine her knight outranking the others in the categories without breaking a sweat. She could only imagine what kind of show it would be and she found herself not wanting to reject the view.

Zelda brought her eyes up slowly to Purah, reading what was clearly a poor attempt at hiding the true purpose behind this experiment.

"You… are not subtle…" She laughed quietly.

"If you bring him, you can be my assistant for the day."

A very tempting offer, Zelda bit her tongue.

"You know you want to." She cooed happily. "Come on, it'll be a special bonding time." She was nudged with an elbow, making the idea just a little bit more tempting.


"And the elixir only left my skin sensitive to the touch for an hour with no results!" The Princess exclaimed, throwing back her teacup unceremoniously as she downed the last of her beverage. "So much work to sneak out only to have nothing to show for it!" She slumped down on the table, sulking, as Purah listened and poured another cup.

"Perhaps you did a step wrong?" She pointed out, taking a much more graceful sip of the tea.

"No, everything was exact." Zelda sighed. "Here." She passed Purah the book she'd found the recipe in, many pages clearly bookmarked for future uses. She flipped to one of the pages and pointed it out to the Sheikah. "You brew elixirs… What do you think I did wrong?"

Purah remained quiet for a moment, her eyes glossing over the many pages and lines of text. The princess wondered if the scientist would be able to find her mistake, or sniff out a mistake if it was within the book itself. Purah had more brewing experience than she did, maybe she just hadn't dissected her ingredients properly or there had been cross-contamination?

"Your mistake was choosing this option to begin with." She doesn't turn away from the page as she continues to look it over.

What?

"Let me see." Zelda snatches the book hastily from Purah, who now bears a faint scowl at the page leaving her hands before she could finish.

"You chose the potion for post-presentation. You need one for pre-presentation." The scientist slowly takes the book back and points to a line of text at the bottom of the page.

She wishes she could let her head fall on the table, bruising her forehead as hard as she could. It's written there so clearly in some of the smallest fonts she's ever seen. She knows she won't be able to leave the castle again so soon, especially after her escape the night before. She knows Captain Reinhartd will easily find her, with or without Link's help, and she knows he's placed some of his more perceptive guards at her door.

"If you want," Purah starts, looking off to the ceiling as if the secrets to technology were glued high up. "I could fetch you the notes you need for what you want." She goes on vaguely.

"Please!" She's less vague than her scientist at that moment, almost desperate for the answer.

"One problem."

A problem? Why was there a problem when she was so close to an answer?

"You'll need to acquire Bloodshade, and I'm guaranteeing you that Link will say no to doing so."

She's confused again. It doesn't happen often that she doesn't know of local flora. She's never even heard of Bloodshade in her life. But why would Link say no to it? It's a plant.

"I suggest you simply wait out your presentation. You're turning 22 soon, it really shouldn't be long now. The oldest person to present was 26, so you really shouldn't pass that." She points out to the confused princess. "It's just so much effort. I think your doctor is right, it would help more if you weren't stressing so much about it."

She was stressed about it, she couldn't lie about that. Not when she had laid out her worries and griefs in the last hour for Purah to hear every excruciating detail.

She quickly made a mental note to look into that Bloodshade plant she spoke about. It seemed like it belonged to the same family as the Nightshade, but she couldn't be sure until she looked into it.

I'm guaranteeing you that Link will say no.

She needed to figure that one out too. What did Purah know that she didn't? She spent every day with the damn guy and Purah of all people knew something she didn't? It heated the blood in her veins. Maybe she didn't pay as much attention to him as she previously thought she did? She hoped it wouldn't throw him off too much if she suddenly started paying attention more.

She'd ask to go to the lake near Lurelin, she decided at that moment. She'd try to see if she can learn anything new about Link, a task that shouldn't be too difficult considering how close and open they were to each other nowadays.

"It can't hurt to ask." She stated firmly, deciding that she would inquire despite Purah's words. She snapped the book shut and placed it apart from the rest, careful not to mix it with the other documents that littered the table.

"You're not wrong." She shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to ask, but I've warned you. Do you know when he gets out?" Zelda shook her head immediately. "Well, if it didn't hit him too hard, it should be sometime tomorrow or the morning after. You'll have your boy-toy in no time."

My what? She swore she could hear her own voice pitch higher in her head. "He is not my…my… whatever it is you just referred to him as!"

Purah laughed at the deep blush that coated the princess' cheeks. "Whatever you say, dear. You might be able to hide it from them, but you can never hide it from me!" She laughed harder, causing the princess to scoff loudly and stand up from the table, ready to take her leave.

"Now, if you will excuse me," she started, straightening out her clothes. "I must get going for… my devotions." She decided on the spot. She saw the understanding in her companion's eyes, one that made her want to laugh even harder.

"Oh yes, your Highness. Don't let me interrupt your devotions." She teased as the Princess huffed indignantly and snatched her book, leaving the laboratory, but not without hearing the words. "Too easy to tease." and another chuckle.

It was only after leaving the room that she nearly smacked herself, the thought of using her devotions as an excuse to leave must have been laughable at best.


"Again! You must put your heart into it, Princess." The High Priestess ordered.

Zelda could feel her energy draining every second she stood in the frigid waters of the Temple. She'd lost track of time over two hours ago and the damned High Priestess seemed to feed off of her agony.

She felt her shoulders slump as an ache took place into the base of her neck, hours of her head bowed down taking its toll on her bones.

"Do not present yourself so lazily before the Goddess Mother!" She was barked at, her shoulders straightening themselves again. She pushed down the intense urge to roll her neck to relieve the tension.

Why had she usd her devotions as an excuse? She felt it would have been a much better idea to skip and excuse herself with a sickness.

Oh but she knew she couldn't do that. They'd simply jump at any opportunity to study why she was sick to ensure she wasn't lazing around and doing nothing.

Gone were the days she could fake an ailment and get away with it.

"Do it again!" She glanced to the side through her peripherals to the High Priestess and willed herself not to visibly sigh in defeat. "Ode to Nayru's Wisdom."

She began the long verses with one of the priestesses-in-training playing a small lyre in the back to help her with her stay on beat.

At this point, after so many years, she barely thought about the words she spoke, a dull ache in the back of her mind stopped her from putting any significant effort. It was as if the words themselves brought boredom and pain to her supposedly divine body.

She didn't even notice the way she stopped chanting the prayer, the verses coming to an end along with the syringe instrument's composition.

Without so much as a glance over again, she could see the visible disappointment in the old bag's eyes.

"How ever will we be saved if Her Highness cares so little?" She could hear the lady at the other end of the room moaning dramatically. It was as if the Calamity itself was at the doorstep and pity would somehow save the priestess.

Don't slump. She reminded herself, straining against the ache in her neck to keep her posture. I hope she's the first one to go. She thought drearily as the High Priestess commanded the Ode to Farore's Courage be sung next.

She looked to the painted glass that blocked her off from the town's people. She hoped with her very being that it might shatter and let her run among them, free from the burden of the priestesses.

But alas, as she could still see the red and pink clouds in the distance, she would still be there for another hour at the least until the moonlight overtook the sun's entirely. She ignored the dread in her stomach as the lyre began once more, the deafening chants of the priestesses becoming mere white noise to her as her lips began their torturous daily routine.

The only thing that reminded her that she was still stuck in this hell hole was the increasingly aching throbbing in her shoulder.


And thank you everyone for reading this❤️ i love you all so much and im so happy to tell you that the fun lil goodies are coming in the next few updates...