Author's note: I have decided to continue this story forward, through the hundred-year jump and to the final battle with Calamity Ganon. I already have it all written, so sit back and enjoy!

Chapter 5

Folding his arms across his chest, Link leaned back against the rough stone wall that barred him from entering Gerudo Town and blew out a long sigh, trying very hard not to be grouchy.

It wasn't easy. The heat out here was oppressive. Sweat had trickled down his back and managed to soak through both his undershirt and his champion's tunic. His damp hair clung uncomfortably to his neck and his forehead. The heat seemed to radiate off the expanse of sand before him, baking his skin despite the fact that he was standing in the shade.

It was cool inside the walls of Gerudo Town, or at least so he had heard. He could hear the trickle of water flowing not far away. Through the entrance he could catch glimpses of palm trees, their cooling green leaves spread out to provide shade to the women visiting shops. He'd even heard there was a bar inside that served drinks with ice in them. Right now he would pay a lot of rupees for something like that.

But it wasn't to be. "Voe" were not allowed to enter the town, and "voe" apparently meant him.

At least he hadn't been deliberately left out of things by Princess Zelda. After they had spent the morning touring Vah Naboris, which was currently parked in the sand on the other side of the town, Zelda had been invited to come inside the walls to see several ancient sites of archaeological interest. That was when Link had learned of the Gerudo tradition of excluding men from their town.

And at least Zelda was safe in there, even without him at her side. Siforu, Urbosa's head guard, was personally escorting the princess, and Link remembered from their sparring session back at Hyrule Castle how skilled she was with the scimitar.

Link repeated these two facts over to himself as he sweltered in the desert heat. But his grouchiness persisted, and it wasn't only from the boredom and discomfort of waiting out here alone for hours.

The truth was, it had been a long couple of weeks.

Link had believed that after Princess Zelda agreed to name him as her appointed knight, things would be better between them. But they weren't.

At first she had seemed resigned to his presence. They had traveled first to Rito Village and then to the Goron region, checking on the progress of Revali and Daruk as they worked out how to operate their respective Divine Beasts. True, she had marched a step in front of him the whole way to both locations, barely ever looking back at him, but she had chattered away as they traveled. She had a lot of fascinating things to say about the areas they were traveling through, about what she had discovered so far about the Divine Beasts, about the Sheikah slate and all the shrines she could see labeled on its map. He had absorbed it all with silent interest.

But as time had gone on, Zelda had become more and more terse in her communications. Sometimes she would abruptly interject a comment that had nothing to do with the topic at hand. Comments that seemed to be subtle digs at him. At one point she had taunted him about the fact that he hadn't heard a voice coming from the Master Sword, a revelation that hit him unpleasantly somewhere in the region of his gut. He hadn't even known that he was supposed to.

Ever since then, he'd been wondering uneasily if she was growing disappointed in him because he wasn't picking things up as fast as he should. And so he'd redoubled his efforts not only to practice with the Sword at every available moment, but also to keep his thoughts and opinions to himself even more than before, not wanting to give her ammunition against him.

Things had come to a head on their way here to the Gerudo region. They had made camp and Link had busied himself with starting a fire and getting dinner going. Zelda had wandered around for a while, lifting up rocks and branches to look for interesting insects or animals. She did that a lot, so he didn't think anything of it. But suddenly he looked up from stirring the pot to realize that it had been silent for an unusual length of time.

Zelda was gone. And so was Trigger, her horse.

He'd rushed around frantically for several minutes, trying to find her. But she wasn't anywhere nearby. Link's heart had stuck in his throat. Had she wandered too far, only to encounter a wild animal like a wolf or a bear? Or worse, a monster?

Eventually he had forced himself to calm down enough to think. When they first made camp Zelda had been looking at a nearby shrine on her map, one surrounded by the ruins of some ancient structure. She had wanted to go and look at it first thing in the morning, but Link hadn't been sure they had time to stop. It was important that they get to Kara Kara Bazaar before night fell, as crossing the desert wasn't safe at night.

She had suggested going to the shrine alone while he made dinner, insisting that she didn't need an escort, and he had told her in as few words as possible that this didn't seem safe, and he was sure her father would agree. She had dropped the subject quickly and he had thought the discussion was over.

He didn't want to believe the princess could be so impulsive as to go alone anyway, but with no other ideas, he had jumped on his horse, Ladybird, and headed toward the shrine.

To his relief, he had found her there. Safe and sound. Trying to get inside.

She had been furious with him for chasing her down. She had accused him of having no mind of his own for blindly following the king's overprotective orders. She had snapped at him to go back to the castle and tell King Rhoam that in person.

He couldn't do that, of course. He couldn't leave her out in the wilds alone. He hated ignoring her orders, but when an order was that unreasonable, what else could he do?

Yesterday they had traveled in almost total silence. He couldn't tell if Zelda was still angry, or ashamed of their fight, or both. He tried and tried to figure out where they had gone wrong, and to think how he should fix it.

Today had been a little better, touring Vah Naboris with Urbosa. The Gerudo chief's presence somehow smoothed things over. Zelda seemed more relaxed around her. Maybe they could just forget what had happened and move forward.

Link paced back and forth in the sand, listening to the muffled chatter of the Gerudo women shopping on the other side of the wall. The sun was going down and the oppressive heat was finally beginning to wane. Shouldn't Zelda be out by now? They had agreed to head back to Kara Kara Bazaar for the night, as it contained the only inn around here that would permit voes to stay.

He peered through the entrance, ignoring the disapproving frowns of the Gerudo warriors standing guard there. No sign of her.

He paced around for a while, but it wasn't long before this began to feel horribly familiar. Zelda hadn't given him the slip again, had she? After all, there was more than one entrance to Gerudo Town. She could have left another way. He didn't know why she would, as she had already investigated the shrine here, but even so, he listened to his instincts and decided to take a quick jog around the walls of the town.

When he came to the north entrance, he asked the guards there if they had seen the princess. The taller one gestured toward Vah Naboris and said the princess had gone back inside it half an hour ago to see Urbosa again.

Link restrained his annoyance with difficulty. That was when she should have met him at the south entrance! If her plans had changed, it would not have been difficult to send a messenger to let him know. Now the sun was going down, and they'd have to travel in the dark to get to the inn.

As he hurried through the entrance to the Divine Beast and began to search its labyrinthine innards, Link worked to calm himself. This wasn't as bad as the last time she had escaped him. This time, Urbosa was with Zelda, which meant at least she was safe.

Still, the precedent worried him. How long would it take her to figure out that she could not shake him?

And why did she dislike him so much that she wanted to shake him?

Link emerged onto one of the balconies of Vah Naboris, and found Urbosa sprawled out on a fine woven rug with several comfortable cushions... with Princess Zelda leaning back against her, head sagging, sound asleep.

Urbosa heard him coming and turned toward him.

"Ah! Well, you certainly got here fast!" she said with amusement, keeping her voice low so as to not wake Zelda. "I should have expected as much, from the princess's own appointed knight." She glanced down at the sleeping princess. "She was out on a survey all day today. Still as the sands now."

Link's lingering anger dissipated, seeing how exhausted Zelda looked by the yellow glow of the lantern. No wonder she had missed their rendezvous. It had been a long day. She somehow looked younger than she really was, sleeping in Urbosa's arms like that.

"So?" Urbosa asked expectantly. "Spill it, boy. Have the two of you been getting along all right?"

Link shifted on his feet uncomfortably, wondering how honestly he could answer that. It seemed like Urbosa was a confidant of Zelda's. What if something he said got back to the princess?

"It's okay. I know," Urbosa said after a beat, and her green eyes were all too knowing. "Your silence speaks volumes."

Link let his shoulders sag. So then it was obvious to everyone? That the two of them could not even do something as simple as travel together in harmony? How were they going to fight Calamity Ganon side by side, as things now stood?

"She gets frustrated every time she looks up and sees you carrying that Sword on your back," Urbosa explained. "It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny."

The statement, delivered in a cool matter-of-fact tone, hit Link like a ton of bricks. Could that be true? That it wasn't him Zelda couldn't bear to look at, but the Master Sword and everything it represented?

As strange as the idea was, he found himself hoping it was true. It would be a relief to know he hadn't said or done anything wrong after all.

And then the import of Urbosa's second sentence struck him, and his eyes widened. The princess, feeling like a failure? Then... were the rumors true after all? She really couldn't use her sealing powers?

"Don't worry, it's not like you carry blame in any of this," Urbosa said with a sigh. "It's unfortunate. She's put in more than enough time. Ever since she was a young girl, she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication. She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access this sealing power. And she has nothing to show for it. That's the motivation driving her research." She shrugged one shoulder elegantly. "I'd be doing the same thing."

Link stood there in shock. It was true. Urbosa could not be wrong about this. A lifetime of preparation, and Zelda had made less progress in developing her powers than Link had in the past few weeks.

No wonder... No wonder Zelda's behavior toward Link had been strange from the very first moment they had met. It must have been a blow to see him draw the Master Sword from the pedestal with apparent ease. She could not know how difficult it had been for Link to adjust to his new role. She couldn't know because he had gone out of his way to hide it from her.

No wonder she was obsessed with exploring the shrines and involving herself in every aspect of research into the Divine Beasts and the Guardians. She had a gift for science. At least there, she could make a contribution.

"She really is quite special," Urbosa said softly, brushing back a stray strand of hair from Zelda's forehead. She looked at Link with a hint of intensity. "You be sure to protect her with your life. It's quite the honor."

He wanted to tell Urbosa that he already knew that. He wanted to tell her that he had already vowed to give more to Zelda than he had been asked: not only his loyalty and his protection, but also his friendship. He saw now how thoroughly he had failed to win her trust. She had talked to Urbosa about the things that troubled her. She hadn't felt comfortable bringing them to Link.

Keeping his silence around her had been a terrible mistake.

He flushed with embarrassment over his failure, and could not think of how to explain it to Urbosa. He'd been protecting his own pride, that was all. There was no excuse for it.

Luckily, Urbosa didn't seem to expect an answer from him.

"The night brings a chill," she said softly. "It's probably time we take her in." Then Urbosa turned thoughtful. "Hmm. Or..." She put her hand to chin as her green eyes suddenly gleamed with mischief. She looked at Link meaningfully and then casually snapped her fingers.

With a terrific crash, a bolt of lightning jagged down from out of nowhere and struck the sands below. Zelda woke up with a start and instinctively got on her hands and knees.

"Urbosa! What was that?!" she cried out, instantly alert. "Did you feel that?"

In looking around for the source of the noise, Zelda's eyes fell on Link.

"Wait. What?" she blurted out. "How did you- What are you doing here?" A hint of anger crept into her voice. The same anger she'd shown when he had followed her to the shrine two days ago.

To Link's relief, he found that anger had lost its power over him, now that he knew what it was about.

Urbosa laughed with delight at the effect her lightning had had on Zelda. The princess froze in place, mouth open in surprise and confusion. "Wh- what's so funny?" she demanded of Urbosa.

Urbosa just shook her head, and continued to laugh merrily.

They arrived safely at Kara Kara Bazaar despite the lateness of the hour, thanks to Urbosa's generous offer to lend them sand seal sleds to speed them on their way. Yiga Clan members were sometimes bold enough to prowl near Gerudo Town at night, robbing travelers, Urbosa had explained, but they generally traveled on foot. Swimming in its native sands, a sand seal could outpace them as long as it was not already exhausted from a long journey.

Even so, Urbosa had taken a few minutes to soberly caution them both not to underestimate the Yiga. Despite their banditry they were no mere band of petty thieves; they were traitors to the crown, and openly declared their intentions to aid Calamity Ganon in taking over the kingdom of Hyrule. Their spies were everywhere in this region, and if they knew the princess was here it would be dangerous.

Link had time to think as the sand seals pulled them swiftly across the moonlit sands, and before long he had reached an uncomfortable conclusion.

He couldn't keep holding his silence around the princess.

He had apparently succeeded in convincing her that he had everything under control... which wasn't true. And that simple fact meant she wasn't comfortable confiding her own struggles to him. He could never be of help to her unless he was willing to let her see his own weaknesses.

It was a daunting thought. But he resolved to do it first thing in the morning. Right now Zelda was so sleepy that she stumbled in the sand as he led her through the oasis to the inn. The innkeeper clucked her tongue in a motherly kind of way, looking at Zelda, and then took her to the women's side of the sleeping area. Link poked his head in the room long enough to take note of all the entrances and exits, as Father had long ago taught him. The innkeeper indignantly shooed him away and whisked the curtain closed, pointedly motioning toward the voe side.

Link collapsed into his bed straight away –it had been a long day for him, too – until a thought crossed his mind that made him sit right back up again.

Zelda had slipped away from him twice in the last few days. Who was to say she wouldn't do it again tomorrow? Yesterday they hadn't had time to investigate the shrine near the bazaar. Those things were irresistible to her. And first thing in the morning would be her only chance to do it, if she was going to do it. He was sure she was too tired to try it right now.

What should he do? Maybe he should stay awake tonight. Listen carefully to see if she tried to sneak out early, before anyone else in the inn was up and about.

He was willing, but he had doubts about his ability to stay up the whole night without nodding off at a crucial moment. And even if he did, that would leave him sleepy all day tomorrow, when he needed to be alert as they traveled through areas that might conceal monsters.

From the other side of the curtain that hung over the entrance to the voe room, he could hear the soft murmur of feminine voices. It sounded like the innkeeper was checking in another guest. Getting an idea, Link waited by the curtain until the business was concluded and the innkeeper had bustled off, and then he slipped out.

A Rito woman was heading for the women's room, her beak opening wide in a long yawn.

"Oh! Hello!" she said, spotting Link. "Another traveler! What's your name? I'm Kenli."

"Link."

"Is this your first night here?"

"We stayed here last night, too."

"Oh! Can you tell me whether this inn has hammocks to sleep in? I forgot to ask."

Link shook his head. "Only beds."

Kenli looked disappointed. "I won't sleep a wink," she said with a sigh. "I never can in a bed. I don't understand why you Hylians like them so much. May I ask what your business is here? The Gerudo won't let you in their town, or didn't you know?"

He explained briefly, and Kenli's eyes went wide with excitement.

"The princess? Here?" Her eyes darted toward the sleeping area. "Oh, I'm all aflutter! I've never seen a real princess before! And you are her protector? What a fearful responsibility for one so young!"

He nodded seriously. "It's hard to watch over her when we're put in different rooms."

"Oh, yes, of course it must be," Kenli said sympathetically. "But the Gerudo are very strict about these matters, aren't they?" Her eyes brightened. "But maybe I can help! I'll be in the room with her! Shall I? Oh, I would like to help!"

They were exactly the words he was hoping for. "I just need to be awake when she is."

"Oh, that will be easy!" Kenli chirped. "I'll hardly sleep tonight anyway, not without my hammock. If the princess wakes up, I'll just come and get you, shall I?"

"Thank you." Link tried to hand her a rupee, but she pushed it away immediately.

"No no, it will be my pleasure! Everyone at Rito Village will want to hear that I got to help the princess! Me, myself! Well... good night, then!"

"Good night."

Feeling a little better about things, Link laid back down in bed, although he decided to sleep with his boots on, just in case. Probably he was being overly cautious, but if nothing happened after all, at least this way Zelda would never know what he had done.

He rolled over and rested one hand on the sheathed Master Sword beside him, and slowly his eyes slid shut.

He awoke to the feel of feathers brushing his face.

"Link!" a voice whispered in his ear. "Link!"

He sat bolt upright. Kenli was bending over him. A faint light was coming through the curtained window; the sun was just rising.

"The princess just climbed out the window of our room," Kenli whispered to him, sounding puzzled. "Strange, isn't it? She didn't even say good morning to the innkeeper who showed her such hospitality! Is she always-"

Link didn't hear the rest of her question, as he was already scrambling out the door, Master Sword in hand. Anger pulsed through his veins as he burst outside and ran through soft sand that pulled unpleasantly at his feet, slowing him down. Why? Why was Zelda so stubborn? Daruk had said something about her having such a strong personality that she couldn't see the range for the peaks. Link hadn't quite understood that comment at the time, but now he was starting to.

He glanced all around the oasis, which was deserted this early in the morning, but didn't immediately see her. Still, it wasn't hard to guess which way she went. He ran in the direction of the shrine. No doubt he'd find her at the door fiddling with the Sheikah slate again, safe and sound but annoyed to see that he had followed her so quickly. And he had wanted so much to start off the day on a better footing with her.

He rounded a clump of palm trees and saw her.

Zelda was running across the sand, almost toward him, but she didn't seem to have noticed him. She was looking behind her as she ran full speed, mouth open in fear. Instantly he went on high alert, although he couldn't see what she was looking at; there were palm trees in the way.

He saw motion out of the corner of his eye. Two figures were running toward her from two other directions. Thin men in tight red and gray clothing. Their faces were covered with strange masks, painted white with a stylized eye, and their black hair stuck up in high ponytails.

They were both clutching wickedly curved sickles that gleamed in the early morning light.

Link felt his stomach drop. They matched Urbosa's description of the Yiga Clan. And they were definitely heading to intercept Princess Zelda.

He drew his Sword and put on an extra burst of speed, even as Zelda looked forward and spotted her two pursuers. She skidded to a stop before running into them, but then glanced back and gasped loudly; a third masked figure had leapt out from behind the palm trees, menacing her with a sharp sickle of his own.

Zelda cried out wordlessly as she backpedaled and abruptly fell down in the sand.

Link had never been so desperate to get to her. It seemed to take an eternity to get there. His vision had narrowed so that all he could see was Zelda sprawled on the ground, fearfully looking from one attacker to the next as the three of them closed in on her, casually spinning their sickles in their hands.

Link gasped for breath, running as best as he could in the deep sand, Master Sword clutched in his sweaty hand. He wanted to shout out but couldn't seem to. Everything was happening so fast.

Now all three were within arm's reach of her. The closest to her lifted his sickle high, sunlight flashing off the metal. Although Link couldn't see his face, it was clear that he was relishing this moment.

The sickle began to come down, and Zelda cried out and instinctively turned her face away.

Time seemed to slow. Link shouldn't have been able to make it in time, but somehow he did. His shout rang out as he closed the distance and slashed with his Sword in a rage that consumed every fiber of his being.

The masked man fell without a sound, landing heavily in the sand. A few seconds later, his sickle hit the ground too. He didn't move.

Breathing heavily, Link locked eyes with the remaining two attackers as he took a stance between them and Zelda.

No need to speak. They seemed to understand his intentions well enough.

The pair of them shifted on their feet uneasily, sickles half-raised. Link glared, Master Sword in hand, wordlessly daring them to move. They took a few hesitant steps backward, and then abruptly turned and fled.

Link kept his eyes fixed on them as they ran, in case they were foolish enough to come back, but a few seconds later he heard running steps in the sand behind him, and he turned to see a pair of Gerudo guards racing past him, chasing after the two remaining attackers. They must have seen what was happening from their guard post. It was clear they had no intention of letting the assassins escape; the Gerudo had long ago lost patience with the trouble the Yiga Clan caused in their territory.

Link turned to check on the princess. Relief coursed through him when he saw that she was unharmed, although she was still sprawled in the sand, staring up at him as though she had never seen him before.

A third guard came running up to them, skidding to a stop in the sand.

"What happened?" she demanded in a thick Gerudo accent.

"I... I was almost to the shrine," Zelda managed to answer her in a faltering voice, although her eyes kept straying back over to Link. "I looked all around first to make certain no one was around! I was sure it was safe! And... and then a man just popped up... right out of the sand! I don't know how he-"

The guard sighed heavily. "They build trapdoors in the sand. And they wait for their prey to walk by." She looked at Zelda with clear disapproval. "Foolish princess. You should not wander around without your bodyguard. You are fortunate that he is vigilant."

She nodded curtly to Link, and then strode over to the body and dragged it away. The next dune over, they could see that the other two Gerudo guards had managed to capture the remaining attackers. They were being marched, limping, toward the guard post at the point of a scimitar.

Zelda bit her lip and looked down, green eyes shining with unshed tears. Link didn't know what to say. He was so relieved she was all right that his knees were threatening to give out. Another part of him wanted to turn and give her the same scolding the Gerudo guard had just delivered.

And a third part of him was painfully aware that he had just killed a man.

He had never done that before. Monsters were one thing – they were savage, mindless killers – but underneath his painted mask, a deliberate inversion of the Sheikah eye symbol, that man would not look much different from the peaceful Sheikah who lived in Kakariko Village.

Link couldn't regret doing it, even if he didn't much like it. Another moment and Zelda would have been killed. The Yiga Clan had chosen the path of the traitor and all the consequences that came with it. He had done what was necessary, and no more.

Despite his certainty, he could feel his hands shaking.

Silently, he offered Zelda a hand up.

Soon enough, they set out on the road heading east. Zelda insisted she was fine despite the fright she'd had, and there was no further reason to delay their travel. But no sooner had they arrived at the mouth of Gerudo Canyon, just before they reached the stable where they had left their horses, she stopped him with a touch on his arm. He turned to look at her.

"Link, I..." she began, looking nervous.

She struggled for a long moment, twisting her hands together, and then finally managed to say: "You have shown me a level of loyalty that I... feel I have not earned."

She blew out a shaky sigh. "I... I apologize for my behavior this morning. And before that. I have been childish and selfish, and I endangered you as well as myself. I have no excuse. I do not believe I deserve your forgiveness, but I... I hope you can offer it. I will try to do better. I... I will be better. I promise."

She pressed her lips together tightly and looked down for a long moment.

"That's all right," Link said.

She didn't look up right away. "Don't say it unless you mean it," she said, her voice shaky.

"I made a mistake too," he said softly.

She laughed without humor. "You?"

"I'll try to be better."

She didn't seem to understand, but she nodded anyway, as if anxious to please him, and they resumed walking.

"Tell me... tell me about your mother," Zelda said not long after they had retrieved their horses from Gerudo Canyon Stable and began riding through the winding canyon. The deep shade here was a relief after the last few days of traveling through the open desert.

He looked at her blankly. "My mother?" Zelda had never asked him a personal question before.

"I didn't get to speak to her long, the day she came to the castle. What is she like?"

He was still daunted at the thought of speaking freely and openly to the princess, but this seemed like a safe enough topic. And he had promised to be better. So he did his best and told her, haltingly at first, but more easily as time went on, all about Mother, and what she was like, and what she did at Lon Lon Ranch. And then, of course, Zelda insisted on knowing what was the best food Mother made, and suddenly Link found himself eagerly describing Mother's creamy soups, and her rice bowls, and her mouth-watering desserts, and her hearty breakfasts, until he abruptly stopped the flood of words, admitting a bit sheepishly that he had just listed a dozen or more dishes as her "best one."

Zelda laughed a little, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she regarded him with interest.

"I had no idea you were so passionate about food!" she said. "I thought perhaps you hated doing the cooking for us all this time! Unfortunately, I would be useless at taking a turn. I do enjoy a good meal, but I'm afraid I don't know how to create one."

"I like to cook," he said. "Didn't you ever go into the royal kitchens and watch Kotter work? It seemed like you were friends with him."

"I am," she quickly agreed. "And I have watched him cook, but I suppose watching and learning are two different things."

She began to tell him more about Kotter, and then the conversation turned to others on the castle staff that she knew, and then somehow he ended up telling her about all the ranch hands he had grown up with.

It was so different from their previous trips, when he had simply let her talk about her passions uninterrupted, that the day went by shockingly fast. Before they knew it, it was time to make camp, and when Link began to make dinner, Zelda asked him almost shyly if she could help a little. It turned out to be true that she didn't know much about it, but she was willing to try, and soon she knew how much water to add to rice and how hot to make the coals, as well as the importance of continually turning a spit to ensure an evenly roasted skewer of meat.

When Link awoke the next morning, rolled up in his blanket beside the smoldering fire, he found himself looking forward to the day more than he had the past few weeks. Zelda, too, seemed to be in a brighter mood as they prepared to go. As soon as they were underway, she asked him what it was like to be a squire to his father. This time, he was able to warm up to the conversation a little quicker than before, and the morning passed pleasantly.

At the noontime halt, Zelda buried her head in the Sheikah slate's map to study the route ahead of them, as was her habit. After a few minutes of intense focus, she seemed to realize that she had shut him out, and then she made a point of showing him the map, even letting him hold the slate himself for the first time. She showed him how to use the controls, and though he was slow and clumsy with it, eventually he learned how to switch back and forth between the map and the slate's other functions. He looked through the images she had taken of the places they had visited so far, and complimented her on their beauty. He especially liked the one she had taken yesterday morning of the sun rising over the oasis at Kara Kara Bazaar.

"I suppose they are nice enough to look at," she said, modestly trying to deflect his praise and not succeeding very well, "but they aren't really very useful. Not like the map."

"They'll help us remember the days when you took them," he pointed out, handing the Sheikah slate back to her. "Isn't that useful?"

"I suppose so," she admitted thoughtfully.

They mounted their horses once more and urged them forward down the road.

"Link?" she asked him, and she sounded suddenly hesitant. "May I ask you a question?"

"You've asked me a lot of questions today."

"Yes," she said, laughing nervously. "But... I've been wondering. You said that you enjoyed taking journeys with your father, because it gave you a chance to have long talks with him. But..." She fiddled with Trigger's reins, and then forced herself to stop that. "You didn't want to talk to me while we were travelling. At least not before. Am I... am I difficult to talk to?"

Link froze in his saddle. Here it was: his opportunity to explain his own failures to her. Now that it came to it, his reluctance tugged on him. But Zelda had been trying so hard the last few days to show interest in his life, as if to make up for her previous indifference. It was his turn to bend for her.

"I'm supposed to have courage," he said slowly.

A frown creased her forehead. "Link, you do have courage!" she interjected. "I watched you fight a Lynel!"

"That was easy," he said. "Talking about myself is... is... is hard."

She frowned even more deeply. "Talking about yourself is harder than fighting a Lynel?"

When she put it that way, it sounded silly.

"...yes?" he finally said tentatively.

She looked at him in confusion. "Explain that."

"When... when I was given the Master Sword, it was... confusing. It was..." He swallowed. "It was hard. I realized then that I- I couldn't say anything about that. I needed to be strong, and bear the burden without complaint."

"Why?" she demanded with a sudden passion.

"Because if- if I can't look courageous, no one else in the kingdom will be able to find their courage, either!" His voice rose without intending it. "Their lives depend on me figuring this out! And I haven't really, not yet!"

"Oh, that I understand very well," Zelda said, and there was a world of meaning in tone. "Yes, I understand that very, very well." A note of her old bitterness crept back into her voice.

There was a short silence.

"Link, why didn't you say something to me?" she asked then, her voice softer. Almost pleading. "I thought you were handling everything perfectly. I thought- I thought there was something wrong with me, that I couldn't handle things as well as you did!"

"I'm sorry," he told her, his voice feeling raw. "I told you yesterday: I made a mistake, too."

"Link..." Zelda said slowly. "There is no one else in the entire kingdom of Hyrule who is carrying a burden like the one we've been asked to carry. Perhaps... perhaps it would be all right if we did complain about it a little. At least to each other, out here where there's no one else to hear. Not talking about it hasn't exactly brought us good results, has it?"

"I guess not."

Zelda let out a long, slow breath. "I've been so absorbed in my own problems, I failed to notice yours. What is it, exactly, that you feel you aren't handling well? Because I think you've done all right. You've used that Sword to save my life twice now."

"That's the easy part. It's everything else."

"Such as?"

"I'm... I'm supposed to give hope to everyone. And I don't have the words. I don't know how to do and say all the right things to people. Not like you can. So I don't say anything, because at least then I won't say the wrong thing. You don't know this, but... my father has never really fit in with the other knights. He didn't have the right words. They looked at him, and they just saw a country boy. He didn't have Castle Town manners, he didn't know how things worked there. My father should have been in the Royal Guard years ago, he was good enough, but no one noticed him for the longest time. They couldn't see him as he really was. He didn't have the words, and- and- and neither do I. I'm only here because the Goddess chose me. No one else would have."

Zelda absorbed all of this in silence, careful to not interrupt him. Only when he had finally fallen silent did she finally answer.

"I see. I understand now," she said gently. "And oh, Link – would you let me help you? I think I could. I have been learning to say the right things since I was very small. It comes easily for me now. I can teach you. I am sure you could learn. And really," she hurried to add, "if it makes you feel any better, I don't think everyone expects as much from you as they do from me. You won't have to give speeches or lead ceremonies. Just a few words, carefully chosen, might be enough. I can teach them to you."

He nodded gratefully.

"Yes. Good. What about tonight, when we've made camp? We could start then."

"Yes, thank you."

They walked on in silence for a few minutes, their horses' hooves clopping softly on the road.

Finally, Link cleared his throat and asked: "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You said you didn't have things handled either. What has you worried?"

He felt that he already knew the answer to that question, based on what Urbosa had told him, but he hoped to hear it from Zelda herself.

She looked down at her saddle horn, the corners of her lips pulling downward. "You must have heard the rumors by now," she said softly. "The gossips say that I have not been able to master the sealing power of the Goddess. I am sorry to say that it is quite true. I... I have never been able to muster even a spark of power." She hung her head and wouldn't look at him.

"I have tried everything," she continued, a delicate flush moving up her face. "Studied every book I could find in the Royal Library, tried every technique I could dream up, threw myself into daily routines to prove my devotion... But nothing ever happens. My mother died before she could teach me much about it. I don't... I don't even know what to try next." Her voice almost faded away by the end.

"I'm sorry. That must be frustrating."

He wished he could offer to help her the way she had just offered to help him. But what could he do for her? She had studied these matters from a young age. It didn't seem likely that he could come up with anything she had not already thought of.

A long silence stretched out, and belatedly he realized that he had slipped back into his old habit of answering in his head and not out loud. Quickly, he remedied that.

"I don't know how to help you with that," he told her. "But I would like to."

"Oh, Link, even if you can't fix it for me, it is quite a relief to have it out," Zelda said, letting out a sigh. "I have feared so many times that you must privately despise me for this."

"I don't," he said firmly.

"It's good to know that. You must have thought I despised you. I haven't behaved well lately."

"I know you don't."

"Well, thank goodness we've straightened that out, at least."

She cheered up a little after that. They both did. It hadn't been a comfortable conversation, but it seemed to have un-knotted something inside them. They were able to spend the rest of the afternoon talking of lighter things, and when they made camp, Zelda made good on her promise and began to teach him the proper things to say in different situations with different people, according to the unwritten rules of castle life. It turned out that there was more to it than just words. She also taught him how important posture was, and making eye contact, and even giving a friendly pat on the back when it was appropriate. Link found himself wondering how different things would have been for Father in his career, if only someone had taken the time to do this for him.

"We'll be sure to have you practice these things on someone the next time we stop at an inn or a stable," Zelda said, a smile lingering on her face. She seemed to have actually enjoyed giving the lesson. And she was a good teacher; everything was explained clearly but without condescension.

They unrolled their blankets beside the fire and began to get comfortable for the night. They laid there in silence for a time as the stars overhead winked down at them. Link's mind wandered over all the things they had discussed today, until suddenly something struck him.

"Zelda?" he asked, rolling over to face her.

"Hmm?" she said sleepily.

"You said today that you did daily devotions to the Goddess."

"Yes, I do."

"I've been with you every day for weeks. I never noticed you doing them."

"Well no, you wouldn't. I have memorized large portions of the sacred texts," she explained softly. "I recite them to the Goddess morning and night. But I do it silently to myself, if I am not in my own rooms at Hyrule Castle. Otherwise, I would disturb others. The passages are long and it takes quite some time for me to get through them."

"Was it your idea to do that?" he asked curiously.

"I can't remember anymore. I have been doing it for many years. I think my father and I worked out the routine between ourselves."

"Oh."

She seemed to read something in his tone. "Why? Does that seem strange?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I never prayed like that. Not even at the Springs. But I guess I haven't read the sacred texts."

Zelda frowned, and sat up in her blanket. "You don't speak the sacred words from ancient times? Well, wait. How do you pray?"

"I don't know. I just... say what's on my mind."

"What? Just like an ordinary conversation?" she demanded, sounding a little shocked. "To the Goddess?"

"I... try to speak respectfully."

"Is that how all the squires are taught to make their devotions?" She seemed wide awake now, and very interested.

"I don't know. I guess my parents did it that way."

Zelda grew thoughtful. "How interesting. You prayed this way even at a Spring? Which one was it?"

"All of them."

"All three of them?" Zelda was startled again. "The Springs of Power, Wisdom and Courage? But they are so widely spread across the kingdom! Traveling to all of them must have been a great sacrifice of time and effort. Most people only visit one in their lifetime, I think."

"My father takes his responsibilities seriously."

"I suppose that is just as well, considering what your destiny turned out to be," Zelda said slowly. "But how strange, that your father should insist on it even before he knew your calling."

"You must have visited the Springs, too."

"Yes. Well, the Springs of Courage and of Power. I am not old enough to visit the Spring of Wisdom. I will come of age soon, and then I can try." She paused for a long moment, and then confessed: "Father has sometimes wondered if perhaps my powers will be granted to me there. Throughout history the Wisdom aspect of the Triforce has often been connected with the mortal incarnation of Hylia. It would be fitting."

"But you haven't waited for that?"

"It would mean cutting it a bit fine. Suppose Calamity Ganon arrives before I come of age?"

It was a disturbing thought. Zelda's birthday was only a month away. Surely they would have more time than that to prepare.

Mentioning Ganon had somehow killed their enthusiasm for the conversation. They laid back down, and eventually they fell asleep as the smoke from the dying fire rose upward.

When Link woke up, he found Zelda already sitting up, wide awake and seemingly waiting for him.

"Link!" she cried, sounding excited, and he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looking at her curiously. Usually he was the earlier riser. But already her hair was freshly braided, and she had even laid some sticks on the ashes of the fire to get it going again for breakfast.

"I've had an idea!" she burst out. "A wonderful idea! I... I want to try it your way. Praying at the Springs, I mean. Last time I went, I stood in the cold waters for hours, reciting as much of the sacred texts as I could, and it took so long and yet nothing ever happened. It was frustrating, to say the least. I had prepared for months beforehand. Perhaps... perhaps I was trying too hard. What if I went back, and this time I simply told the Goddess what was on my mind? Like you do? I thought that sounded strange at first, but the more I think about it, the more I think perhaps she would like to hear what I have to say. After all, the texts that I recite are so very old. They are really the prayers of others long gone, I think. Perhaps she would like to hear mine for a change. What do you think?"

Link took a moment to sort through the flood of words, and finally he nodded.

"It's worth trying," he said.

"We are closest to the Spring of Courage," she said, holding up the Sheikah slate, which currently displayed the map. "How long would it take us to get there, do you think?"

"From here?" Link asked, taken aback. "You mean you want to go now?"

"Well, why wait? If we go back to the castle first, my father will be sure to ask me if I have made any progress yet. He always does." He could practically see the panic rising in her eyes, until she suppressed it with an effort. "This way, even if nothing happens at the Spring of Courage, at least I will be able to tell him that I tried something new. And... and perhaps something will happen at last."

They were supposed to go to Zora's Domain next to check on Mipha's progress, but Link could not think of any practical reason why they couldn't take a detour. He was anxious to spend time with Mipha, but of course his personal wishes weren't most important right now.

"A couple of days," he answered the princess at last. "We'll have to leave the horses at Highland Stable and travel the jungle on foot."

"Wonderful!" she said eagerly, and jumped up to pack her things.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's note: I would love to get some feedback. Let me know what you think so far!