Chapter 18: Duty

The wind swept throughout the autumn days, briskly joining the sun upon fields of golden harvest. When the sun was absent however, temperatures fell progressively chillier during the early mornings or nights. Chimneys and campfires across Hyrule lit up the dark, as families and loved ones huddled close for comfort.

Plants that were tended to at the castle would be covered up after sunset, and sometimes be taken into the greenhouse. Most of the plants within the greenhouse consisted of herbs, habitually grown for alchemical purposes. This was to accommodate the potions laboratory merged inside by having the ingredients closely accessible.

Tonight's cold fog cloaked the greenhouse's transparent rooftops and wall panels like a white smokescreen. There was more than just the outlines of leaves being concealed. The footsteps that had arrived searched as quickly as they had disappeared. Vials and flasks had been scrummaged and left uncorked, and several plants had been ripped out of their pots.

"Who's there?" A Hylian soldier called out, having heard noise from the greenhouse when he had been patrolling nearby. He opened the door and slowly stepped inside, holding up a torch with one hand, while his free hand gripped the shaft of his mace. "Whoever you are, show yourself!"

There was a loud crash and shatter, like bottles had been broken. The man readied arms, eyes widening as the culprit scurried past him in the dark. Only it was much smaller than he had anticipated. All he could see were the black ringlets around its bushy tail, but it was enough for him to figure out what it was.

The soldier gave an annoyed sigh of relief. "Just a raccoon," he mumbled. "Get out of here, shoo!"

If there was more, he saw nothing. And this was perfectly palatable with him, for the assessment that a wild animal had intruded the greenhouse and lab - was more reassuring than what his comrade, Duncan, might have experienced at the Clock Tower.

He surveyed the area again, and when he was certain nothing else was there, he took his leave to where he had been originally stationed. A long silence had elapsed since the time he had left, until movement finally shifted once more. The figures hiding within the limestone planters cropped up from behind a cluster of tall, cypress shrubs.

"Is he gone?" A voice hissed.

Another one replied. "I believe so, otherwise there would have been more guards by now if he was paranoid. The raccoon was a clever diversion. Make sure you take its cage with you to cover suspicions."

"And you checked that our main threats weren't in these grounds, right?"

"Yes," the voice became nervous. "The Dragon Knight is with the general and the king in the dining hall preoccupied with the foreign royal lords. And the princess is… well, it's difficult to say where she goes. Sometimes she's with them, or flying on that dragon, but other times, she's riding her horse out of the castle grounds. Again, I don't know where, but all I know is that she's not in this part of the castle right now."

"Right then. We should make haste. It'll be a matter of time before any of them wander here, so we should get the rest of the ingredients we need, and get out of here."

"Agreed. We have much to do."

Zelda knew that even with the lava resistant preparation she had brought to roam throughout Eldin's more dangerous hunting territories, that she would still have to exceed caution. Drem-Se had pointed out that her enchanted earrings were somewhat effective - in the most sarcastic manner of course - but that if she had been hunting a vicious creature who tore them off her ears, then her protection would be null.

Lava resistance after all, didn't give her invincibility - it only granted her with guarded reduction to prolonged exposure. Rather like applying sun balm or aloe vera paste; one's body might be better covered, but the skin could still burn.

So the princess revised additional devices, and incorporated specialized elixirs, food, and apparel. Clothing was an intricate procedure, since she would have to coordinate with her tailor again on finding something more apt for the particularly heated zones.

"Chief Mai-Sa," said Zelda, looking up from the stone blade she was attempting to learn to carve. "What's that you're making there?"

The female chieftain whisked a clay bowl containing seemingly thick gelatin inside. "Thisss? It's pine resin. We harvest the sssap from the pine trees outside of Eldin and melt them with flame." She set the bowl next to the campfire. "It's bessst if you find nougats and clumps of the sap, and heat them. But you alssso don't want to heat them for too long, or the resin will burn."

"What is it used for?" Zelda asked with interest, watching the sticky residue slowly trail down the small, wooden club the reptilian was stirring with.

Drem-Se lurked over to them, and spoke up. "It's a sealant, Princesss. It bindsss materials together so that they don't loosen or fall off. This is how we'll put together projectile pointsss for bows and spears, as well as grips for a knife. Like your flimsy excussse of your progress there," he specified at the tools on her lap. There was a deerskin leather pad draped over her legs, and on it, were scattered pieces of flint, bone, and powdered fragments. Reaching out, he picked up the blade she had been working on.

He examined the handicraft, rotating it between his clawed fingers. Tapping the edge lightly, the rock made a faint clunk sound, before tiny particles chipped off.

Drem-Se returned the stone blade to her, indicating at where it had been flawed. "This blade isss still too brittle," he said flatly. "At the rate it's going, it will break on the first creature you ssskin. You are shaping obsidian, so when working with thisss kind of volcanic glass, it needs proper hammering. You cannot rely only on your flint to carve, but you need to understand all your toolsss and when to use them."

He sat across from her on an ashen log. Propping his own tools on his scaled leg, he took one of his more recent weapons that he had been building, and showed it to her. The blade, even incomplete, looked expertly carved, the exterior actually resembling a dagger, unlike the uneven edges she had made on hers. "This blade needs a few adjustmentsss before it's ready to be attached to the grip with the pine resin Mai-Sa is making. I did not break thisss down with only rock. I also had to use thisss."

Holding up an antler horn, he turned it so that the bottom side was facing the blade. "Thisss is the coronet, the part that connects to the antler's skull. The bone is dense here, and will detach large chunksss, like so." He positioned the horn above the blade, finding where he wanted to strike, before firmly smacking downward in one swift motion. Flakes ebbed off, but they did not cause his blade to chip or break, in the same manner as hers did, and instead, defined more of its sharp-point structure. "As you gain more experience," he said, gathering the remnants that had pried off. "You'll also learn to recognize which flakes can be used for smaller projectilesss, like arrow points."

Zelda took the antler horn, and tried to replicate his demonstration, her mind still absorbing all the information she heard and seen. Though with him critically observing her, she felt more prone to error, which made her grasp unsteady. This attributed to her accidentally hitting her leg with the rock, instead of the blade, and she bit her lip, embarrassed. Drem-Se shook his head. "Try to actually aim for the blade, and not your leg, Princesss."

And so, the task of learning to knap stones continued. Drem-Se made it look quite simple when he did it, but when she would practice, the process was more strenuous, and the results would be nowhere near as immaculate. She had already broken two blades from wedging into the wrong angles of the stone, and when she finally thought she carved one that seemed somewhat presentable, the Dinolfos dismissed it.

"This one'sss too crude. You're not going to scratch a Smotherwing Butterfly with thisss blade. How do you expect something like this to sssink through bone and carcass?"

"Oh give her a ressst, Drem-Se, she'll keep working at it with time," Mai-Sa scolded him. "Jules!" She called out to her daughter. "Come here, bring me the hunting clothsss!"

Jules headed over to them, and both female reptilians unfolded a two-piece garment before her. "Here, Princesss. Jules and I stitched these for you for your huntsss. Your battle armor is sssuited for mobile combat, or dangerous hunts, but we will start you on small game first. Therefore the less thudding of armor, the easier your pursssuit will be. Jules soaked these with indigo dye from the flowersss we gathered in the tropics further south. We thought the color seemed fitting of your royal statusss."

With her mind so focused on carving the stone knife, it took Zelda a moment to register the scanty nature of the hunting outfit Mai-Sa and Jules had given her; a loincloth and brassiere that looked as if they would barely be able cover her bosom and rear. " I apologize if the clothing is too small. You humansss are so small after all. Except in those round areasss." Jules gave a mischievous grin and Zelda couldn't help but wonder if some part of her had purposely made it such to tease Volga sometime. She giggled at the thought.

Welcome to primitive hunting with the reptilians, she mused.

"There's a pair of moccasin shoesss too but you'll probably need enchantmentsss or stay clear of extremely heated ground cause the leather will begin to bake," Mai-Sa advised her. "Thessse were strange to make because we don't really wear shoes. Our skinsss are tough and used to the environment. But thisss should help until you find something better for you. These are excellent for softening your footstepsss when stalking prey."

Jules nudged the tanned footwear on the ground next to her. "I wasn't sure if they would fit, so you can tighten or loosen the strapsss if need to be."

"Thank you Jules and Mai-Sa," said Zelda graciously.

Drem-Se picked up his bow. "Go change and let'sss do a quick hunt. I will be going over poses, stalking, and when to ssstrike. We'll be using my weaponsss for the majority of the hunts forward, until you've mastered making your own. You could also try your magical weaponsss… if you want the whole vicinity to know you're there by how bright they glow, that is."

"Releassse your arrow!" Drem-Se whispered harshly, instructing Zelda and prodding the bow with his tail. "Hurry, it'll get away!"

Zelda had the pigeon aimed in sight. The creature was perched on a sign post that contained instructions to Goron City. It had not spotted its hunters yet from where she and Drem-Se were hiding, and this was the opportune time to let go.

But as much as her instinct told her to proceed, another part of her hesitated.

"Do it!"

The little bird chirped cheerfully into the void, unaware of its demise.

She sighed.

"I can't."

Zelda was about to lower the bow, when the reptilian snatched it from her. He notched the arrow, and released. Her eyes widened as she watched the arrow whizz past and strike the pigeon. The small creature let out a pained cry, and dropped within seconds.

The chieftain hurried forward to retrieve his catch, with the princess following numbly behind him. "You had that shot, why didn't you go for it?" He asked, both in confusion and disapproval. "You might have hit it too, if anything King Dodongo was sssaying about you was true."

"It is true," said the golden beast, laying on his belly. He had been monitoring them hunt today, though out of helpfulness or curiosity, Zelda could not say. "She fired six out of ten shots at the yucca-woven targets I tested her on earlier."

Drem-Se made a hiss of disdain. "Six out of ten? That's not that impressive - and they were idle targetsss. She had a bird that was as good as idle, and couldn't even sssnag that!"

"You really are hard to please, aren't you, Chief Drem-Se?" King Dodongo snorted.

"I call thingsss as they are," said Drem-Se bluntly. "Now. I ask again, Princess. Why did you not kill it?"

"I…" she wanted to look away, but she didn't want her will to shrink now. She held Drem-Se's gaze, those yellow eyes fixated on her inquisitively. "I didn't want to kill it," she confessed.

"Why not?"

Zelda wasn't sure if she could make this reptilian understand. She felt disheartened as she studied him skin the bird, and pluck out its feathers. "Princesss," he said, exasperatedly. "This isss our clan meal for today. There's barely enough meat in this one to feed a single Lizalfosss. Let us take your humansss as an example. If they were relying on you to bring them food, would you let them starve for the day sssimply because you didn't want to kill this fawn?"

"No, I wouldn't," she objected. "It's just… this is all new to me. I've never been keen on killing animals."

"But you killed that giant plant creature, did you not?"

"Yes, but -"

"You've killed thingsss that were trying to kill you. This isssn't any different, except that you are acquiring food."

"Drem-Se," King Dodongo chortled. "She's a princess. Human royals are used to having food being made for them on a routine basis. How would you expect her to understand survival?"

"You're right in some ways, King Dodongo, but I'm not so oblivious as you assume," said Zelda defensively. "I've sent food to impoverished villages and have seen the quality of life they live, and the famine they go through. I cannot relate to them through personal experience, no, and nor can I understand survival in the way you both do. But I'm trying to. I want to learn how to better take care of your clan and my people. I don't wish to be naive and lost at what to do if I one day stop being fed."

The male chieftain's eyes gleamed. "Then let go of your conviction with hunting animalsss. You are too soft-hearted, Princesss."

King Dodongo rose majestically, red gems reflecting the embers from the lava spurts from afar. "Now now, Chief. She must not lose who she is, but rather, use this journey and learning experience as opportunities to grow. It may be that today isn't the day she will have a successful hunt, but she can try again another time."

"I want to try again," said Zelda determinedly. "Though maybe - something bigger than a pigeon or less innocent than a rabbit. I know what I must do should it come to that, and as much as I dislike it, I believe I can do it. But I would like to try something else for today. Please?"

The golden beast laughed deeply. "She wants a big hunt! You are quite a curious one, Princess Zelda. Go on, Drem-Se. You hear the stampede of ostriches as well as I, from the slopes up ahead. They'll rush off if they see me, so I'll observe from range."

The chieftain gave Zelda an apprehensive look, before signaling for her to follow. They started up the slopes, and occasionally, a vein of molten rock could be found on the cracks of the ground. Zelda made sure to tread carefully on her moccasins, remembering what Mai-Sa had said about the material possibly baking under extreme conditions. They weren't currently in such conditions, but she was still conscious of the terrain.

"The lava spurts… those are from the Ely Gedda, right?" She asked Drem-Se, peering over at the far off lava.

"Occasionally, yesss," the male chieftain replied. "Or it's Eldin's vaporsss boiling. And other times… certain creaturesss can lurk in the lava. We won't be hunting those today, nor Ely Gedda," he added. "Ely Gedda is considered a monster, and you are not ready for a monssster hunt yet. Not to mention, you would have to fight the thing on land, since you cannot go insside lava. Not all the lava resistance in the world would convince Master Volga to rest assured that you would be sssafe in those lava pools."

"Well I didn't plan to go inside it, of course," said Zelda indignantly. "But I would still have to be close enough to lure it out, right? How does it even fight on land?"

"You are full of questions, Princesss. You're like a hatchling, exploring the world for the first time. So eager and clumsssy," said Drem-Se, crouching down. "But we won't be discussing how to slay an Ely Gedda right now. We are hunting ostrichesss. That's them down the hill. Stay low, and keep your voice down. They're no monstersss, but they're still deadly, and agitate fast. Their legsss are powerful enough to kill, or severely injure, and the beak can leave a dent for awhile."

The princess dipped her head, and followed suit. Her hunting attire helped muffle the rustling of her movement - but she knew it could be improved further for stealth and protection. She wasn't far off from being naked, and had she not been wearing under garments, the loin cloth wouldn't have always been covering her bits, provided any form of wind swept the cloth. Zelda decided it was best she'd keep these clothes in Volga's home, and not let anyone in the castle see her in them. This would be more of a temporary or alternate outfit she could switch to for casual hunts. Though she wasn't sure if the ostrich was meant to be as casual as the "small game" Mai-Sa had mentioned earlier.

Zelda had somewhat brought this hunt upon herself, and now she wanted to see through to it. It had been discouraging to spend many hours today with little success on carving stone knives and disappointing Drem-Se by failing to prove that she could hunt. She wanted to achieve something today, even if it was small.

"Look there," Drem-Se pointed out to her. "Most of them rushed up ahead, but thisss one's further behind them. It would be sssafer and more efficient to prioritize on this straggler than the off chance that we fight a flock of them."

"Got it," she acknowledged, slowly raising one of the throwing daggers she borrowed from Mai-Sa. Zelda craned her head from behind the rock formations that she and the chieftain were hiding at, and observed. The ostrich was plucking at the ground with its beak, looking for bugs. With its attention riveted away from its surroundings, it seemed as good time as any to strike.

She glanced briefly at the Dinolfos next to her, who, if she hadn't known he was hiding there too - she might have missed at a glimpse. His entire body was camouflaged as the color of the boulder.

"I'm going for it," she warned him, and before he could respond, she stepped aside and tossed the knife toward the creature. Had it not moved a split second before her knife made impact, she would have struck its neck, but instead, the weapon flew into the ground.

The ostrich made a startled squack and turned its eyes upon her, calculating her as a threat. It rushed forth with astounding speed, and pecked her knee, hard.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, angry and pained, as an arrow flew toward the ostrich's body. It struck, revealing Drem-Se's position, and briefly disorienting the creature. But in spite of that, their prey didn't give up yet. Its attention readied to the reptilian, who was drawing up another arrow. Zelda feared that he might not have enough time to release the next shot, with the agility the ostrich was bolting toward him.

"Drem-Se watch out!" She exclaimed, grabbing the knife from the ground and hurling it toward the ostrich again, this time snaring its wing. The creature slowed down, losing its momentum, and stumbling from side to side like a drunk. Finally it conceded, limping away, and leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

The male chieftain sighed in a hiss. "You were breathing too loudly," he reprimanded her. "That'sss why your first knife missed. It heard you breathe and turned itsss head. I'm sure even one of those old Goronsss would have been able to hear you with their rock ears. You have to sneak."

"I know how to sneak," Zelda protested. "I've snuck away from the castle thousands of times when I was little. It's been awhile, that's all. I'm out of practice."

The Dinolfos chieftain cackled. "Most animals have superior hearing than you pathetic humansss, so of course you would be able to get past those like you. But at leassst you got something done today, even if I put in at least half the work. The ostrich is wounded, so we can follow the blood trail till it dropsss."

He adjusted his quiver and bow on his back. "Though it's interesting to me," he said, a thoughtful leer in his eyes. "That you hesitate to kill a sssmall bird when on the offense, but you're immediate on the uptake when it came to defending me from that overgrown chicken. Which I could have taken care of on my own, by the way," he added, holding his head high.

"Still," he went on. "You are definitely more of a warrior than a hunter, Princess. Was it worth getting pecked though? Stealth is key. You should really give up on this whole hunting adventure of yoursss."

Zelda held her hand over her injured knee, and glared at him. "Then I guess I'll have to be learn to be as stealthy as a Sheikah if I have to! But I'm not giving up."

There was a pause, and the reptilian regarded her. "Why does this hunting quest matter ssso much to you?" he asked her curiously. "Are you that desperate to have us as alliesss?"

"Because a certain dragon man is significant to me," she said with a fervency that briefly hushed him. "And I would like to understand and value the traditions he grew up with."

Drem-se's tone became more serious, and less cynical.

"So you feel it isss your duty to him. You do realize that whether or not you can hunt or cook won't turn him away from you?"

"I know," she said quietly. "All the more reason he deserves my best. He never asks for anything and always gives. You're so hard on him, when he considers all of you like family."

Drem-se said nothing to this. He flicked his tail and lowered his profile in a predatorily position. "This is one of the ways to pose before attacking, Princesss."

Zelda had not realized how sore she was until she slumped on her bed, face down on the pillow, after a hot shower. The trip was longer too since Volga had not been present with her today. So the princess had ridden over to the volcanic province on her horse, and she would do so again whenever he was busy with his jousting or horseback training.

Each time she visited, she found herself becoming more accustomed to the Eldin region, and with his clan. The Dragon Knight still expressed concerns regarding her hunting under risky conditions, but she had promised him that she would be vigilant, and carry the usual protective methods for when the need arose. What she couldn't ensure him however, was that she would always stay entirely clear of potentially challenging hunts. With preparation of course, and extensive research that she could hopefully put to use.

She felt like Volga right now, in her own little archive that she had surrounded herself with. Several of the books she had borrowed had been from his home, though most were from her castle's library. They were piled on her bed and nightstand, but not with volumes of royalty and Hylian grammar. Rather, they incorporated themes that ranged from hunting, skinning, cooking - to encyclopedia entries of animals and plants. The last of two which placed particular emphasis to volcanic climates, but they were not exclusively so. The reptilians did occasionally venture out to hunt and gather beyond their domain, and were allowed to, so long as they didn't provoke the people.

As such, Zelda had taken notes of the wildlife of Hyrule, studied documents of seasonal trees and game, and even had done several messy sketches of what she had experienced in her journeys. For example, she had drawn and written about the flowers that produced the indigo dye that Jules had soaked and dried her hunting outfit in. She also graphed the process of harvesting specific tree bark for the pine resin Mai-Sa had shown her. It was glue, for goddess's sake - and superbly useful.

She wasn't unaware of most of these subjects - she had been well-educated growing up. But there was a difference between memorizing bits of generalized knowledge that could be forgotten over the years - compared to finding genuine interest in learning, enough to want to deepen one's understanding. Those tended to last longer in memory too, as far as she was concerned.

And when possible, she sought to practice and improve on what she studied. She couldn't always be out traveling, so she sometimes worked in the privacy of her room, or other parts of the castle. Secret detours to the kitchen allowed her to dab into cooking, and take advantage of the plethora of spices she had available to experiment with. Otherwise, she would keep shaping tools in her room, and then hide them in her storage chest when the maids would come in to clean.

I want to work on my blade again, she thought, sliding along to the foot of her bed. She was about to open her storage chest, when a knock came from her door.

"Who is it?" She sat up abruptly from her bed, her hair frazzled from not having completely dried from her shower yet.

"Your imminent doom," Impa's voice replied from behind the door.

Zelda snickered, and hastily began to gather her books. "One minute!" She stuffed them under the bed, and looked around to make sure nothing else that was possibly suspicious would draw attention to Impa's hawkish eyes. She appreciated her caregiver, she did, but she didn't appreciate the incessant nosiness and how controlling she could be at times. Impa didn't need to know about her private excursions to Eldin, or about her hunts. And she definitely didn't need to know about her and Volga.

The blonde opened the door, and greeted Impa distractedly.

"Princess, why haven't you gotten ready for your courting session today? You're in your casual gown." She rose an eyebrow. "You haven't even done your hair yet."

Zelda cursed inwardly. She had forgotten that Impa and her father had scheduled a date today with another foreign royal.

"Well hurry up and get dressed, I need to talk to you as soon as you change," Impa ushered, as Zelda unwillingly strode over to the wardrobe.

Once inside, she closed the door and sighed. Colorful dresses, tunics, coats, scarves, lingerie, belts, and shoes - were all fashioned and tailored. She would have been so much more excited to pick something, if she was going out with Volga. Something radiant, but sexy too - or perhaps under her dress. Instead, she was succumbed to this pressured outing.

You know what? She thought, picking a dreary grey frock, and putting it on, followed by a pair of matching gloves. I'm not wearing my best for these foreign royals, not if I have a say in it.

Zelda stepped back into her room, and Impa scrutinized her chosen wear. "You look like you're going to a funeral."

Good. Zelda wanted to appear as disinterested as she felt, to the foreign royal. That wasn't to say she didn't retain some degree of her regal poise. She still had to convince the men to consider bargaining with her kingdom by means other than marriage. A task which seemed impossible with each rejection to their advances she made.

"So what will it be today?" Zelda asked, sitting on her chair in front of the vanity. "A restaurant or a stroll in the park? With who was it now… Prince Zucchini?"

"Prince Zeran," Impa corrected, exasperated. "Princess, that's not even close."

Zelda giggled. "I know, I know. Prince Zeran, of the aquatic, eastern kingdom. Where the Zora were said to have relocated to eras ago."

"Well now, so you've been keeping up with your studies after all," Impa set down a potion on her vanity, and Zelda blinked at it, before the Sheikah picked up her brush and latched onto her hair. "And yes, I know you can brush your hair well enough. But you seem very distracted and unwilling to make yourself look more presentable for the royals."

Impa ran the brush through the locks, a motherly expression on her stern features. "He's taking you to the theatre, Zelda, with performers of his own that he had arranged. At least try and act a bit more enthusiastic?"

Zelda half-heartedly started on her make-up kit. Of course she would have been more enthusiastic about places like the theatre, restaurant, or park - she would have loved to attend. But with the one she wanted to go with.

"Volga will be accompanying you."

The princess's alarm flashed in her reflection, and in her voice, and it took a few seconds longer than she was used to hiding her emotion. Had Impa read her thoughts? "W…what?"

"Your bodyguard?" Impa frowned. "Zelda, are you sure you're ready to head out? I could delay the meet up, if needed."

Zelda shook her head. "No, no… thank you. I'll manage."

"There's something else too," said Impa darkly.

Oh goddesses, what was it now? Zelda looked at her in anticipation.

Impa grabbed her bangs and made a braid on each side. "There was a break-in at the greenhouse recently," she connected the two braids behind Zelda's head. "Soldiers found a raccoon, but our alchemist thinks someone's been stealing from her ingredients."

Zelda fell silent, her mind edging with a new concern to join the others. "And what do you think?"

The Sheikah placed down the brush. "I don't think it's too serious to be concerned about at this time, but doubling up patrols surrounding the greenhouse might be a wise idea. I went inside myself to investigate, and the first thing I checked was the Manhandla poison that we stowed from that night at the Masquerade. The vials were still there, untouched. Which eased much relief because if there was something other than the raccoon, those shadow conjurations were unlikely to have been involved this time. That doesn't mean they couldn't have been after something else, but there's not been a plausible explanation for this thus far. And more importantly, no one has been harmed."

"Thank goodness," Zelda felt a slight burden release from her shoulders, but her mind considered this information further. "Although, Impa. More watches makes sense, but I think we should do more than that. I would like our alchemist to make a list of the ingredients that had gone missing, and for us to resupply her with them. Furthermore, if she could detect what kind of potion or project based on the ingredients taken, it may give us a better idea as to what the possible intruder wanted to brew or do with them."

"Good points, I shall pass on your request," said Impa, nodding curtly.

"Anyway," she said, placing the tiara on Zelda's head. "Don't let this trouble you too much right now, I only thought it was important you should know. For now, you need to concentrate on this date. Do you have any plans on what you'll say to him?"

But Zelda didn't want to think about conversing with this man - she wanted to remain in her room, reading about the deer's habitat and perfecting her stone knife.

Impa sighed. "Princess, remember your duties. If you really have a glimmer of hope that he would trade with you, I would highly suggest you prepare your cards well. Be social, charming, and at least pretend to show interest by asking him questions. He's not bad looking either, you know. Dark hair, elegant complexion…"

"Sounds like you should go date him, not me," said Zelda cheekily.

The Sheikah swatted at her playfully, and Zelda grinned.

"There's one more thing." Impa didn't sound as grim this time. Quite the contrary, she had a strangely comical uncertainty on her face. "You see this potion I placed here?"

"Yes, I wondered about that. What is it?"

"Your father asked me to see to it with our alchemists to brew you this potion. You know, for… birth prevention. " And at the taken back look on Zelda's face, Impa continued irritably. "Look Princess, I had no wish to have these kinds of conversations with you. But your mother isn't here to do so, and your father seemed to think it was best that I would before him."

Impa proceeded, speaking fast as if reciting words from a piece of parchment and wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. "So you see, when a man and woman -" she broke off awkwardly, and Zelda was fighting not to break out into laughter. "Should they - Zelda please! Why is this so funny?"

The princess was shaking from a fit of giggles. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry. The look on your face, Impa, and how you're saying it. Yes, I know about all of this. I'm only curious as to why you want to bring this up now, when my phase started two years ago." She wiped at her eyes, which stained her makeup, but this was worth the trouble of reapplying.

"Yes, well," Impa paused. "Two years ago you weren't of age, within the rules of our kingdom, and had no contact with the foreign royal men up until recently. You are a grown woman now, but still with youth. You're in that silly, romantic phase where you'll make mistakes, and live in a bubble of irresponsible splendor."

The crease between Zelda's eyebrows furrowed. "You seem to assume much about me." Zelda wasn't one to flatter herself easily, but she felt she was quite responsible, with all things considered. "And my mistakes are mine to make. I don't need you and father to control every facet of my decision making."

"Don't give me that hint of sass, young lady," Impa chided her. "And we're not forcing every decision on you. You have done that yourself plenty enough. I'm only relaying the message from a concerned father and caregiver. It's not you we don't trust, it's the foreign royals. This doesn't make you completely devoid of reverting you to something you might regret. You could be seduced, you could have several glasses of wine and lose control of your actions- I could go on. Suppose you were to bear a child with a royal you had not wanted to wed? Again, don't mistake this as me thinking the worst of you. They are only preventive measures."

"I get the point already," said Zelda, in a well-mannered indignation. "I had already started taking the potion, before you even brought this to me. "Two weeks ago, when I had ovulated."

"I knew you would," Impa started, and paused abruptly. "Wait, what?"

Zelda stood up ."That's right," she said tersely. "Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to take my leave and get this over with."

When she was gone, Impa was left staring dumbfounded.

Author's note:

So this chapter was actually over twice as long when I was writing it. Worry not, because the rest of it will continue onto the next chapter, which means much of it has already been written. I'm still finalizing it though, so anything could still change if I'm not satisfied with it.

The reason I split it wasn't because it was too long, but because there's gonna be a lot of deep stuff coming up. I didn't want to take away too much from the scenes of this one. I put a lot of time into researching primitive hunting through videos and reading so as to make Zelda's learning with the clan more authentic.

I hope you all enjoyed! Do please leave feedback, if you have time, it's always encouraging.