No author note today.
Hyrule fields stretched out before Link, the sensation of grass underfoot a familiar yet distant memory. Glancing backward, he could almost see himself entering the desert for the first time with Ganondorf and Nabooru. Little did he know that those moments would evolve into a family bond. Departing Hyrule as an orphan and a thief, he returned as a prince—a Gerudo, and perhaps still a bit of a thief at heart.
Before their departure, Nabooru had given Link a crash course in Hylian "etiquette," an abundance of rules governing interactions with Hylian nobility. While Link was eager to revisit Hyrule, the current location wasn't his first choice. The plan was to leave for meetings with other races in two days.
Ganondorf, too, had his share of Hylian etiquette lessons with Nabooru, and the experience was nothing short of torture. Additionally, they had to be cautious of the prevailing racism. The Hylians might seize any opportunity to stir up trouble on their own territory and put the blame on the Gerudos. Link's duty was straightforward: stay close to family and report any uncomfortable situations or taunts. And, of course, no one was to utter the phrase "What could possibly go wrong?" aloud due to superstition.
Leaving the desert meant entrusting the fortress to Koume and Kotake, and Link couldn't discern which of his parents was more anxious about the two witches temporarily taking charge.
As they journeyed, Ganondorf offered Link the option to return to Kakariko. Link, without hesitation, declined. The fortress was left early in the morning, making the desert crossing easier between the lingering cold from the previous night and the encroaching daytime heat.
On the way to Castle Town, they stopped near a river for a meal. The Gerudos had brought dried Molduga meat and hydro melons, and although acquiring food in the desert was not difficult, obtaining it was a different challenge.
From their vantage point, the Gerudos observed the diverse wildlife of the Hylian lands—birds, foxes, and even a deer running among the trees in a nearby forest. "Link," his father called out, "How about we practice some archery?" The young Gerudo eagerly borrowed one of his sister's bows.
Nabooru scolded Ganondorf for hunting on Hylian grounds, to which Ganondorf retorted that a few missing birds wouldn't be noticed by the Hylians. Link, skilled with a variety of weapons, favored swords but was proficient with bows as well. With Ganondorf's guidance, Link aimed at a pair of wild birds near a pond.
"Take your time," Ganondorf advised. "If you plan this correctly, you can get the second one before it flies away."
Link nodded, nocked his first arrow, and let it fly. Without waiting for the first to hit, he immediately nocked the second. Though he was late, Link corrected his aim and, just above the second bird's position, released his second arrow. The first bird was struck, and the second, in panic, attempted to fly away but fell to Link's arrow.
"Hahaha! Great performance, son!" Ganondorf praised, ruffling Link's hair as he went to retrieve their trophies. "We'll have to eat these two right now; we can't bring them to Castle Town."
As they collected the birds, a group of horses with Hylian riders approached. Ganondorf signaled Link to stay close. The soldiers, led by a noble, encircled them. The noble, with a disdainful glare, admonished Ganondorf and Link for hunting on royal grounds, threatening arrest and a night in the dungeons.
Ganondorf chuckled, noting the noble's racism, "I hardly believe your king will be bothered by two birds that he wasn't going to eat or hunt himself. Speaking of him, if you were to put two of his guests into the dungeons, you might find yourself in trouble."
The noble, gritting his teeth, questioned Ganondorf, "Do you know who you are talking to, Gerudo?"
"No, and honestly, I care little. Should I know who I am talking to?" Ganondorf continued to taunt, while the other Gerudos gathered around protectively. "I am Ganondorf Dragmire, king of the Gerudos."
The noble hesitated briefly, observing the increasing number of Gerudos surrounding them. "You aren't above our laws, Gerudo, king or not! Only the king of Hyrule is above his own law."
"Is that so?" Nabooru interjected as she approached, drawing her scimitar dramatically. Gesturing at the soldiers laden with wild animals, she added, "If the laws apply to anyone, then there should be no exception."
The noble, panicking, galloped away with his soldiers. "Prick," Nabooru muttered. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you for your intervention, sisters. It seems our hosts do not want to endure our presence more than necessary. Once we're done eating, we shall depart for Castle Town. Do not fear, though; this snake hisses a lot, but I won't let him bite us." Ganondorf reassured, a confident resolve in the face of the noble's hostility.
They arrived at Castle Town as dawn painted the streets with a sense of urgency. A group of guards halted the Gerudo delegation's entry, causing a delay of at least twenty minutes. Despite the slight annoyance, this time, they were spared the wait at the castle gate.
As the sky grew increasingly cloudy, rain began to fall just as they reached their destination. The King of Hyrule himself, a towering man with a white beard named Roham Bospharamus Hyrule, welcomed them. "King Ganondorf, in the name of Hyrule, I welcome you into our kingdom. I hope your journey went well."
The Gerudos were led into the main hall, where Link stayed close to Nabooru while Ganondorf exchanged pleasantries with King Roham. Glancing around, Link noticed Hylian castle staff whispering amongst themselves. Although he couldn't hear their words, the encounter with the noble earlier didn't instill confidence in their thoughts about his people.
"Our trip went well; your people are... very polite," Ganondorf remarked, referring to their earlier hunting session. King Roham frowned, interpreting it as an insult or perhaps aware of the tension. Either way, Ganondorf's anger seemed justified.
"I have asked for rooms to be prepared for your people. Also... I heard that you found your queen," Roham directed his attention to the Gerudo Queen. "Lady Nabooru, I presume. It's an honor to host both leaders of your people. I apologize for not being present during your wedding; I wasn't made aware." Ganondorf mentally cursed at the king, asserting that he was not invited anyway.
"We are the thankful ones, your majesty. You accepted to meet with us again. My husband and I hope we can come to an agreement and eventually establish a long-term partnership," Nabooru spoke politely. "Please do share my thanks with the queen of Hyrule."
Roham's face hardened. "The... The queen passed away a few months ago. She developed an unknown sickness and, sadly, didn't have the strength to endure it. She... she passed away without a lot of pain."
Nabooru looked at Ganondorf, realizing he wasn't aware of this event. "I apologize for mentioning her. I did not mean to bring back painful memories," the Gerudo queen said.
"I do not blame you; the desert is far away from our lands, news travels slowly," the king remarked, noticing the small figure next to Nabooru. "Who let a child—" then he noticed Link's clothes. "Is that—"
Ganondorf stepped between Link and Roham. "This is my son, Link. I shall apologize again; there are a lot of things you seem to be unaware of."
"Let me guide you to the dining hall. We can probably discuss the preliminary tonight, but it's getting quite late." The king gestured at a staff member to approach. "Your guards will be escorted to the kitchens, and once they are done eating, they will be escorted to their rooms." Ganondorf's sisters weren't pleased with the idea of being separated from their king after the morning's events.
Nabooru spoke to them in Gerudo, assuring them that everything would be alright. After some comforting words, the guards were escorted away from the main hall. "Everyone is feeling quite nervous. I hope you understand, being in a foreign place..."
The king was surrounded by a couple of royal guards, their bodies covered in metal plates. Gerudos didn't use a lot of armor pieces; they needed to move quickly, and the desert heat made heavy armor unbearable.
Through the large windows of the hall, Link could see the castle's gardens, a luxury his people couldn't afford—a dream for some to be able to grow plants in the desert, providing unlimited food for everyone. As they walked, the Hylian castle proved as confusing to him as the Gerudo fortress. The young Gerudo paused for a second, feeling observed. He turned his head toward the windows once again.
A figure almost as tall as him was watching through the window—a girl wearing a cloth in her hair with the emblem of Hyrule, dressed in white and pink, with deep blue eyes. The girl appeared startled when Link noticed her, prompting her to run away. Link felt confused; had he scared her? Was it wrong to stare like this? After all, she was the one staring at him first!
"Link?" His father called him, and the young Gerudo caught up to the group. "Do not get lost; you don't want to get in trouble, right?" He nodded negatively, though his attention remained fixed on the peculiar girl looking at him from the gardens, around the same age as him.
The Dragmire family took their seats at the King's table, with the king naturally occupying the head. For a few minutes, Ganondorf and Nabooru reported on their struggles to maintain food reserves at the fortress. In exchange for aid, they offered to trade their surplus of monster parts to Hyrule. However, the Hylian king informed them that Hyrule wasn't actively concerned about a monster invasion, rendering the monster parts less useful.
Nabooru skillfully moderated the negotiations, and an agreement was reached. The king accepted the trade on the condition that the monster parts were refined before importation. This meant the Gerudo rulers would need to make arrangements for production, requiring more space and new schedules.
"We have an agreement, then. Tomorrow we will put the details on paper. For now, please make yourselves comfortable. I haven't had guests in weeks. I asked our chefs to prepare something... traditional. I thought you would appreciate enjoying familiar food even away from your lands," Roham explained. Nabooru thanked their host, though she held reservations about the Hylians' knowledge of Gerudo culture.
"However, it seems my daughter is—" The doors of the dining hall opened, revealing the girl from the gardens. She quickly walked by her father's side. "Zelda, where have you been?"
"I apologize for my absence, father. I had to send urgent letters, and I was... delayed in the gardens," the princess explained. Her father dismissed her explanations with a wave of his hand. "You may sit now."
The princess nodded and took her place to her father's right. Facing Ganondorf, her attention was mostly on the young man sitting between his parents. As food arrived, the chiefs attempted a somewhat serious effort with gummy fruit paste. King Roham attempted to eat some with a fork and knife, but the rest of the dinner was easier for both cultures to approach. Despite ongoing negotiations with Nabooru as a referee between the two kings, everything proceeded smoothly.
Link was thankful the king didn't pay much attention to him, but the princess stared at him with intensity. Should he look up and meet her gaze or focus on his plate? The king fell silent, and his gaze fell upon the Gerudo prince. "It seems you have ensured your bloodline will continue, Ganondorf. However, you got married only recently. It is a tradition for Hylians to... preserve themselves until marriage. Is Link—?"
Ganondorf glared at the Hylian king, suspecting an implication that Link might be a bastard child. "I must correct you. Link is not born from me; he has been offered a chance to join our ranks, and he succeeded. The circumstances of my wedding with Nabooru aligned with my intention to pick Link as my heir. I consider him my son, and our people respect him as their rightful prince."
Roham was shocked, as was his daughter. "You mean... Link is Hyl—" The Hylian king continued before being interrupted by the Gerudo queen.
"Our son is as Gerudo as we are. You may be our host, King Roham, but I will ask you not to pressure us or Prince Link regarding his origins." Nabooru glared at the king, making it clear that disrespecting her son would not be tolerated. In response, King Roham whispered a quick apology before recomposing himself in his seat.
"Please excuse my father's rudeness," Zelda spoke in clear Gerudo. The Dragmires didn't expect the young princess of Hyrule to know their language. Judging by Roham's expression, he likely believed his daughter had just uttered gibberish.
Link realized that Zelda was in a difficult position, reminiscent of his encounters in Kakariko. "It—it's nothing," the Gerudo prince forced himself to reply aloud in Gerudo before switching to Hylian. "D-Do not feel obliged to speak Gerudo with us. It's—it's your home, I-I can and sho-should speak Hylian."
The situation became awkward. Link wasn't supposed to speak, and neither Ganondorf nor Nabooru took the initiative to reply to the princess. The stuttering only made Link look like an idiot who couldn't speak Hylian properly.
"No, really!" Zelda raised her voice. "I-I would prefer to use your language, since we might have to meet each other—" The princess couldn't find the right words to finish her sentence in Gerudo.
"More often?" Link suggested.
"Yes!" The princess beamed, though she froze as she realized she wasn't behaving as she should. Her father coughed loudly, signaling to Zelda that she had to stop instantly. She complied and leaned straight back in her chair. "We will discuss your 'education' later, Zelda," the king concluded.
Nabooru sent a puzzling look at her husband, but Ganondorf didn't respond. Link and Zelda did not get the chance to speak again during dinner. Once it ended, everyone was invited, if not sent, to their respective rooms for the night.
On the way, Ganondorf spoke to Link in Gerudo to ensure nothing would be reported to Roham's ears. "Good progress, more than fifteen words in a single sentence." The Gerudo king ruffled his son's hair at the same time.
"Dad..."
"Do not 'dad' me. I am very proud of you, but be careful about the king. If he is as kind as he is with his daughter, then I'm sure he would not hesitate to hurt us if he felt like it."
Link looked up at his father. "Why does he treat her like this? She hasn't done anything wrong." Ganondorf would never speak to him with this tone unless he did something really stupid, like going on a Molduga hunt alone. Even then, his father would just be worried; Nabooru would try to kill him for sure, though, just to teach him a lesson.
"He has his reasons, I suppose. Perhaps he wants to make sure she becomes a serious queen. But you have a point; he is being too harsh with her."
Roham had ordered two chambers to be prepared. Ganondorf and Nabooru would stay together, and Link would be in the room right next to them. He didn't feel at home; the air was cold, the night had a gloomy aura, and all the fancy Hylian furniture gave him the impression of walking on glass.
It had taken a few weeks for him and his father to realize he couldn't sleep in a bed. Even unconsciously, he would always search for solid, flat ground to lay down. The cold stone floor of the room was even more repulsive than anything. He wouldn't be able to sleep tonight for sure, and he was still hungry.
Link left his room as silently as possible. He could hear guards roaming through the halls of the castle. What was the point of wearing armor if intruders could hear you approaching from miles away? Turns out he forgot Hyrule castle was a maze. At least he had a good memory, and backtracking wouldn't be too hard.
"Hey! Who goes there?!" Link froze for a second. He looked behind him and saw a soldier. This one wasn't wearing much armor. The Gerudo prince cursed himself; he forgot about the royal guards—the elites, most likely. These ones weren't wearing armor but instead a stylish dark blue uniform made of light leather.
He ran away in the first direction available. If he couldn't hear the guard before, the steps of his heavy boots were a loud and clear reminder that if he was caught, his father would kill him. Why did he run in the first place? What an idiot! He could have explained the situation and prevented all this nonsense.
Too late now. Link saw a pair of large doors with one barely opened. He slipped through and closed it behind him, hoping the guard didn't hear him closing it and would lose track of him by searching into the next corridor. He pressed his ear against the door; the royal knight stopped near it, panting. The armor wasn't as light as Link assumed. The royal guard grunted and ignored the door, just as Link had hoped.
He turned his back against the door and went limp, slowly descending until he was sitting down. He let out a deep breath and opened his eyes.
The princess was also in the room, staring at him with visible shock and confusion on her face. She had a lantern in her hand and a book in the other. Link managed to prevent himself from yelling and quickly stood up. The Gerudo prince analyzed his surroundings and discovered that he ended up inside the castle library.
"Prince Link?" She approached him cautiously, raising her lantern to make sure she wasn't mistaken. "It-It is you!" He was dead; the princess would report him, and— "Thank the goddesses! I thought you were a guard for a moment." The young Gerudo prince allowed himself to go limp once again. "A-Are you alright?"
"Y-you won't-won't report me?" He asked, if not begged, the princess.
"Report you? For what?" Zelda offered her hand to Link. He accepted her help and tried not to pull on the princess. Her skin was soft, but the tips of her fingers were rough, not from manual work, of course, but perhaps from... scribbling? Turning pages?
"I-I'm wandering in the castle alone at night. It's-it's wrong..." the Gerudo prince explained, attempting to suppress his stuttering.
"Well..." the princess showed him her book, titled "Legends and Tales of the Kingdom"... "Volume 7." The longest collection of books in the Gerudo fortress barely consisted of four volumes. "I am not supposed to be up either, so I assume we can both agree to say this meeting never happened."
Link would not get a second chance like this one. The princess would probably just get scolded by her father, but him? No, he would follow her offer. Now all he had to do was to go back to his room and pretend nothing happened.
"You couldn't sleep?" At this point, Link noticed Zelda hadn't let go of his hand yet. "I usually sneak out of my apartments at night to go read a book or look at the sky... do you—do you want to stay for a bit?"
He wasn't holding her hand anymore; she was holding him back. "I-I shouldn't." Her eyes were begging him to stay, though, even for a few minutes. "B-but if you wish, we can—we—we can meet again to-tomorrow du-during the ne-nego-gociations." A compromise. Nabooru would be proud of him; Ganondorf would say he was taking a risk.
The princess was beaming, though. She let go of his hand and went to grab a book. "This is one of my favorites. If you still have trouble resting, you should go through a few pages." It was a book about poetry, "Ballad of the Champions" by someone named Kass.
"I-I can keep it for the night?" Zelda may not know it, but books were just as precious as jewelry in their cultures.
"Yes! I will take it back tomorrow; no one will notice, do not worry." She pushed the precious item into his hands, stunning the young prince for a second. Zelda then grabbed him by the arm and guided Link through the library. "Your room must be quite far; let me help you!"
"But-But you—" the Gerudo prince silenced himself. He was about to say her dress would get in the way before realizing that the princess was just wearing a nightgown.
"No buts!" Zelda stopped in front of a big shelf and tried to reach out for a large book that was placed too high for her. Link gestured at the princess to take a seat on his arms. "Oh, thank you!" She was so light. Zelda pulled on the book before placing it back; a mechanical sound was heard. The princess dropped down away from Link and signaled to move away from the shelf.
The heavy furniture moved by itself, pivoting away from the wall to reveal a hidden passage. The princess stepped forward and raised her lantern to reveal a spiral staircase. "Father doesn't know about this one; it leads all the way down under the castle. Conveniently enough, it's connected to most of the important rooms in the castle." Zelda explained as she entered the passage. "Don't stay here! You could get stuck behind."
Link trailed after the princess; she was acting way too casually about this situation. "Y-you think it-it's fine for me to-to know about this passage?"
The heavy furniture shifted on its own, swiveling away from the wall to reveal a hidden passage. The princess stepped forward, raising her lantern to illuminate a spiral staircase. "Father doesn't know about this one; it leads all the way down under the castle. Conveniently enough, it's connected to most of the important rooms in the castle," Zelda explained as she entered the passage. "Don't stay here! You could get stuck behind."
Link trailed after the princess, who seemed oddly casual about the situation. "Y-you think it's fine for me to know about this passage?" Zelda giggled in response.
"I can't say why, but... I know you are a good person, and you are my friend... we are friends, right?" The princess slowed down, her lantern casting light on the canals under the castle, obscuring the path both in front and behind them.
"We-We can be... I just... don't want to bring trouble." Link hesitated as the princess looked back at him with a smile.
"If you are referring to my father's reaction, you do not have to worry about it. I won't pressure you to tell me about your past, but... it was quite surprising to hear you used to be Hylian. I wanted to tell you during dinner. I do not care at all about your origins; my father might, but it doesn't mean anything to me. I can see it in your eyes; you care a lot about your people."
Link gasped, realizing he had lost track of time during their walk. "You-... You were the one watching me from the gardens."
"Yes, I hope I didn't scare you."
"N-no, though, why-why were you observing us?"
Zelda's face hardened. "I felt... something strange. My family is quite sensitive to magical energies, specifically the women. My father says that we carry the bloodline of the goddess Hylia."
Link suspected that his grannies did something before they left for Hyrule, as they were the only ones who used magic regularly. A few Gerudos could, but it was only minor. His father, though taught by Koume and Kotake, had never been seen using magic himself. "Must be my dad; he is ve-very strong... but he never uses magic."
"Actually, I felt it from both of you." Link, surprised, doubted his own magical abilities. The princess must be mistaken; even Koume and Kotake told him he couldn't use magic without a catalyst. Link decided not to elaborate further. "This should be the right branch." Zelda pointed to a narrow staircase. "Just go up, and you should end up in your room."
"Th-thank you, bu-but what about you?"
"Me? I do it almost every day; I know my way around the tunnels." The princess giggled before going on her own way. "Have a good night, Link! And see you tomorrow!" She disappeared into the darkness, leaving Link to ascend the staircase. The secret passage indeed led him to his room, hidden inside one of the pillars. He wondered if this could be useful back at the fortress.
Link considered reading Zelda's book, but the idea quickly vanished as exhaustion took hold, and he couldn't stay awake.
The next day, the young prince woke up early, as his parents and he had been invited by the king for breakfast. The meeting was brief, lasting no more than ten minutes, as both parties were eager to complete the paperwork as swiftly as possible. The presence of the Gerudo prince and the Hylian princess was unnecessary for this part of the proceedings, so both Link and Zelda were dismissed.
"Sav'aaq, Link," the princess greeted him in Gerudo.
"G-Good morning, Princess," he replied in Hylian.
"Princess? Please, Link, call me Zelda... unless you wish to stay on a title basis?" Link shook his head, finding it more natural to use their names.
"I-I have to check on my sis-sisters," he told her. "They-They should be at the training grounds. C-Could you show me the-the way?"
"I didn't know you had sisters! Were they feeling sick yesterday? They weren't present at dinner," Zelda gestured for Link to follow her.
"N-no... my-my sisters aren't my sisters as f-family. They are part of our pe-people. We call each other sisters."
"Oh, hahaha, I see. You have a lot of sisters then." He nodded once again. "How does it feel to be surrounded by so many women?"
Link pondered for a moment. He never really minded; Ganondorf and Nabooru had guided and conditioned him to the symbolic sibling relationship among all Gerudos. He never saw any of his sisters as anything other than members of his people. He understood what the princess meant, though. He hadn't seen any female soldiers since they arrived at the castle; the only women who worked here were all maids. "I don't think it feels that special," the prince answered.
Upon reaching the training grounds, Link found his sisters lined up near the edge of a small platform used by the guards for sparring sessions. A Gerudo was currently engaged in a sparring match, demonstrating immense strength against a Hylian soldier.
Zelda watched in awe at the display of strength by the desert woman. The prince and princess approached the ring so Link could greet his sisters. They explained that while the guards had been polite, they were curious about Gerudo training, leading to an invitation for a joint session. "Hylians have similar methods, but these metal armors handicap them a lot."
The Gerudo who had been fighting prior to Link's arrival decided to take a break, having faced three different Hylian opponents. "I'm not disappointed; there is some good husband material here." The young prince blushed and decided to move away with the princess since his sisters were all fine and getting acquainted with the castle staff.
He wished he could have introduced Zelda, though. "What did she mean by... husband material?" He blushed even harder when the princess asked the question. "Unless I misunderstood." Seeing the Gerudo prince cringe only confirmed what Zelda had heard, and she didn't press for more details.
Both of them were aware of this subject, of course, at least the essentials, but not from the same cultural background.
Zelda had offered to guide Link for a little visit to the castle's gardens. The garden, as the young princess summarized, served no purpose apart from soothing one's thoughts.
Link shared a bit about the desert; they didn't have any gardens, and the prayer halls and other meditation places in the fortress served the same purpose. "So many guards... you fear that som-someone might attack?"
The princess shrugged. "My father is very concerned about ensuring the security of his family. But personally, I think he is mistaken; he can hardly distinguish between an actual threat and a growing one." Zelda and Link entered a circular part of the gardens with a single window directly connected to the throne room. It had only one entrance, surrounded by tall white walls. "It gets lonely here... my father doesn't allow me to go on trips outside of the castle, and my only friend is Impa. She is a Sheikah, a member of a warrior clan sworn to our family. But she is the heir of her clan, so we rarely get to see each other."
"What do you do when she visits you?"
"We mess with the guards, nothing evil, just-... innocent jokes." Something mischievous in her tone hinted to Link that not all their jokes were as innocent as the princess pretended.
"Ah, Princess! What a chance to find you here!" A loud, pompous voice interrupted them. It was a young man, just about two or three years older than Link. He was tall and well-built, with red hair shaped into the most despicable haircut Link had ever seen. Malice was evident on his face. "So sad to see your father is putting you through the presence of such barbaric individuals."
"Lord Hergo..." the princess greeted, hiding her disgust and moving closer to Link. "As far as I know, you weren't invited today, and I will order you to not cause a political incident."
"Incident? Me! Zelda dea-"
"Princess," Zelda snapped at Hergo when he didn't use her title.
"Right, as I was saying, I only meant to remind you in the first place why we aren't negotiating with the Gerudos. They are a band of thieves that wouldn't hesitate to take your life for a green rupee." Link contained his rage; the trap was obvious. This rat, this snake, was taunting him, and it was working.
"Lord Hergo, I have been polite enough to not call the guards yet. You should leave before I let them handle your case." Zelda stepped in.
"Princess? I didn't think you would stoop so low as to defend this... thing." Zelda's hand moved up; Link caught her by the wrist.
"Link?!"
"Do not hurt yourself, pr-princess. He isn't worth it... you wanted to show me something?" Link reminded her. When he felt Zelda lowering her arm, he let go.
"You are right... Lord Hergo, I'm sorry to inform you that I revoke your invitation to the summer festival." The princess announced, invoking all the authority she had... as a nine or ten-year-old with no actual charges.
"W-What b-but-"
"Begging now won't make me change my decision. I have hardly met anyone as intolerant and antagonistic as you." Zelda turned on her heels and grabbed Link's hand on the way. "Come along, Link; we have a lot of things to do today."