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Chap. 47: The Calm Before

Zelda found Paya tending to the small shrines outside Impa's home when she stepped off the last of the long staircase, and felt her face heat as the tall, beautiful young woman looked up at her in return. "Oh, P- Princess! I- I didn't know you were in town!"

"I got in about two hours ago," Zelda replied, as she dropped to her knees next to Paya and pulled out one of her own spare rags to dip into the soapy water the Sheikah woman was using, "I needed to talk to Impa."

"Oh, I- Oh, Princess! You don't need to do that, I-"

"I know I don't need to," Zelda interrupted, smiling over at the other woman, "but I want to help. I... Maybe it's because I don't recall my past, but I feel a deep connection to those who do. You honor your ancestors, those who came before, and I want to help. I respect and admire them, too. And... well, I don't mind spending time with you, either."

"Oh," Paya squeaked, her face turning pink at the last bit. The cloth she had been unconsciously wringing dry was dipped in the bucket once more and she resumed cleaning the toad-shaped statues with jerky, nervous movements. "I- I suppose I shouldn't complain, then. But, well... a Princess, the Princess of Hyrule, cleaning our shrines, is..."

"Is no more or less than I would do for anyone living here still," Zelda finished quietly, "so it's definitely something I would do for you."

This time, Zelda's words seemed to stun the girl to silence. Instead, Zelda watched out the corner of her eye as Paya made a visible effort to focus once more on the statues. They worked together in awkward silence for thirty or more minutes, occasionally one moving around the other in a leap-frog fashion as one frog statue was cleaned of dust, leaves, and whatever else blew against them since the previous day.

Once they were done, Zelda stood to the side while Paya moved back down the line, offering a short, whispered prayer to each ancestor the statues represented. She only caught a few words here and there, not enough to get any sense of context or what the woman was praying for, if she was truly praying at all. Zelda didn't mind, though, she wasn't trying to eavesdrop at all.

After Paya had stood up and brushed off the grass and leaves from her clothing, she turned to Zelda and immediately blushed once more, "S- Sorry, Princess! I didn't realize you were waiting for me. I- you were waiting for me...?"

"I was," Zelda acknowledged with a not and a kind smile. She offered her hand, and asked, "Walk with me?"

Paya's blush deepened as her fingers slid between Zelda's, but the shorter woman gave her an encouraging smile, then tugged slightly to get her moving. They walked through the center of town, many of the Sheikah greeted Paya with obvious respect and fondness, and not a few gave Zelda kind greetings as well. She wasn't sure how many Sheikah Tribe people remained in Hyrule, though she was sure that Kakariko Village had the highest remaining concentration of them. The Sheikah's way of life was the topic of most of the quiet conversation as they walked through the Village where Paya had lived for her entire life.

It was fascinating to Zelda, how the Sheikah people who had once made such wonders as the Sheikah Slate she wore on her hip, and the Guardians, and the Divine Beasts that Impa had described based on the tapestry that hung behind her usual seat in the meeting hall, yet now preferred a simple life of farming, hunting, foraging, all while maintaining the strict discipline and quest for personal excellence that each demonstrated in their chosen fields.

In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say that Zelda was quite enamored with the culture Paya described, speaking both animatedly and at length about small details and facets of their warrior-scholar culture that even Zelda's inquisitive mind would not have thought to ask for days, or perhaps even years.

Neither woman really even noticed that their hands had stayed clasped together as they walked through the city, until Zelda stopped the casual stroll and turned her feet toward Enchanted, Claree and Lasli's shop. "Princess...? Why are we going in here?" Paya asked, suddenly nervous.

"I need to get some armor repaired," she answered simply, and kept walking.

She was in the doorway when Paya's hand slipped from hers.
Lasli was not yet outside, but Zelda could hear the sisters talking further into the small shop, so she turned and asked, "Paya?"

"I... I would rather not go inside," the woman replied, her stammer returning almost at once now that the subject of the Sheikah people's history and culture had passed.

"Okay," Zelda shrugged, "that's fine... would you mind waiting for me? I've been enjoying talking to you."

"Of course," Paya said with a relieved smile. She bowed quickly to the princess, then took two steps back before, red-faced as she had been before, turning around. Zelda watched her walk across the small dirt road to lean against a tree there, a strange expression on her face.

The princess herself could not decide what it was, as she entered the shop again. Nerves? Pride? Fear? Anxiety? Jealousy, perhaps? If so, she could not imagine why.

Claree and Lasli were both attractive in their own way, she supposed, but Zelda felt herself much more drawn to Paya. Even Sagessa was a far better prospect for Zelda's growing lust and confidence in her burgeoning, apparently renewed, sexuality.

Inside the shop itself, she found the sisters discussing pricing as they changed a few of the small tags they kept on the display pieces. "Excuse me," Zelda greeted cheerfully, "Are you ready for customers, yet...?"

"Oh!" Claree jumped, and both girls grinned, "I didn't realize it was so late! Yes, of course, M'Lady! You can come in. Are... Did something happen to your armor? I'm afraid we can't simply replace it if it was stolen, or..."

"No, nothing like that," Zelda told her, waving her hands, "I actually need it repaired."

It took her a minute to pull the pieces of shredded Sheikah Stealth Armor out of her satchel and lay them out on the wide counter Claree indicated, but both of the Sheikah women gasped as they realized just how much damage their current masterpiece had taken. "I... I... I don't know what to say," Claree whispered, "It's... almost like there's more rips than there is original fabric."

"What were you fighting?" Lasli asked, equally stunned, "How did you survive?"

"It's not that bad," Zelda scolded, half-seriously, "But a bunch of Bokoblins and a couple of Moblins."

Claree pointed at one gash, her eyes narrowed as she looked up at Zelda, "This would've gutted you. It's across your entire abdomen! How are you alive? Show me your stomach!"

That was not something Zelda wanted to do, but the suddenly suspicious, judging look of both sisters made Zelda sigh, and undo the three buckles needed to lift her current traveler's tunic up that high. "Satisfied?"

"There's not a scar," Lasli whispered.

"That settles it," Claree pronounced, "You cut up our armor on purpose! My pride and joy! My masterpiece!"

"Wh- What?!" Zelda spluttered, "I did no such thing!"

"Of course you did," Claree protested, "Look at this! And this one, here! You'd have lost an arm, almost! Or this one, a stab just over your lung? Do you have scars there?"

"W- Well," Zelda murmured, "No, I... I don't."

"And why's that? Because you weren't actually fighting! You must've cut it up yourself!"

"No! I swear, I didn't. I- I was healed, alright? By magic."

Lasli snorted.

Claree sniffed haughtily, her nose in the air, "I find that unlikely. Magic can heal small wounds, but that... that sort of healing would take the likes of the Ancient Sheikah to manage! Even if you somehow survived, you weren't here even two months ago, there's no way you'd have healed from injuries like that so quickly. No way at all."

"I swear, I did. I... I can't explain why, or how. It's secret. But I'm telling the truth. Now can you repair it, or not?"

"R- Repair?!" Claree spluttered, "Of course I can repair it! It's going to be costly, though. You'd almost be better off buying another set! But I don't have another female set ready, so repair it'll have to be. Judging by the extent of damage, it's going to run you, at minimum, eleven hundred rupees."

"E- Eleven?! Surely you're joking," Zelda protested, "That's more than two-thirds of the original cost!"

"I am aware, I set the prices myself," Claree reminded her firmly, "but that's as low as I'll go. It might take longer than I think, or extra thread. In that case, I'd have to raise the cost accordingly. Look at this damage. This isn't the sort of thing you are supposed to just patch up! I'll need to replace entire sections of this armor, and fabric of this quality is not easy to make. Lasli could spend days just making the parts for this armor, and if I have to do it it'll take even longer."

Zelda felt a familiar vein in her forehead start to throb, but she hissed, "Fine. Eleven hundred. I'll be back in about... two weeks. I want it fully repaired, as good as new."

"Fine," Claree sniffed back, and started to pull the various pieces off the counter and set them in a basket she had below it. "I'll get to work as soon as we finish adjusting prices a bit. You're lucky you spent so much last time... I don't like having my hard work wasted like that."

"I didn't waste it, that armor saved my life more than once," Zelda told her sternly, quite fed up with how she was being treated, "and I appreciate it for that. Even the Great Fairy thought it was a good suit of armor. Good enough to bless herself, no less. But I don't appreciate the accusations of wrongdoing. It shouldn't matter how it got damaged. What should matter to you is that it is damaged, and I'm willing to pay to have it repaired. So get to it."

Claree huffed, but didn't say another word as Zelda turned, gave Lasli a curt nod, and stomped out of the store.

Paya must have read her expression easily, because she didn't say anything as Zelda walked at a much more brisk, purposeful pace than before up the road again. Eventually, they made their way up into the hills toward the Ta'Loh Naeg Shrine, where Paya gasped as she saw that the color of the glow had changed. "P- Princess? Did you know it's not- well, it's never been that color before."

"It was orange when I went in," Zelda told her quietly, "and after I came out, it was blue. All the Shrines have done that. Two- no, three Towers, too. Orange until I finish them, and then blue afterward. For the Shrines, so far at least, that's involved solving puzzles or challenges, and then speaking to the mummified remains of one of the Ancient Sheikah Sages. They... do something. I'm not sure what, but it heals all of my wounds, in what feels like moments. I come out of the Shrine with no memory of travel, but feeling refreshed and invigorated, too, as if I've had a full night's sleep. Sometimes, even more."

"Amazing," Paya whispered.

Zelda nodded, then walked further still, down the rarely-used valley that lead into the Sheikah's small graveyard.

It was dotted with statuary too, some of the same familiar frogs, some more human-like. Many of the older ones were piled up, stacked neatly and carefully, against both walls. The stacks were hundreds high, and dozens deep in some places, a testament to how long Kakariko Village had existed, given the longevity of its people. At the far end of the area, a small stone line marked the edge of where it was probably safe to stand. Beyond, the slope rapidly dropped off down into a wide wetlands dotted with small islands, trees, and even a few small village ruins Zelda could see through the miles their elevation allowed them to look.

There, she took several deep, calming breaths, and then murmured, "I used to think Claree and Lasli were alright. They did not treat me well, considering how much money I spent the first time I was there, and how much I'll have to spend next time."

"I'm sorry," Paya replied, almost whimpering, "I... I tried to warn you, but I couldn't get the words o-out. They... W-Well... they aren't b-bad people. They just..."

"Greedy?"

Paya shook her head quickly, "N- No, that's n-not it. They're very... particular? Yes, that's the right word. They don't like people damaging their work."

"I see."

Zelda almost missed Paya's next words, "And they don't seem to like me, much."

She blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

Paya squeaked as she realized she had said that last part out loud at all, quiet as it had been, "Um- N- Nothing! Nothing, Princess. I was just, um t- talking t-t-o my- myself. That's a-all!"

"Talking to yourself about them not liking you," Zelda replied.

Hesitantly, Paya nodded, looking down and away at the wetlands.

"Why not? You're very likeable," she said.

Paya shrugged, and seemed to close in on herself, "I don't know. I've never understood. We- we used to be friends, as children. They were older, and I always looked up to them. Then, when I was sixteen or so, things... changed. I never did figure out why. Grandmother always told me they were probably jealous, but wouldn't elaborate past that."

"Of your mind? Did you get special training? Was there- well, any reason you can guess at?"

Zelda was genuinely curious, but Paya could only shake her head. "Nothing I've ever thought of. I'm sure Grandmother's right, she usually is. But I've no idea why they would be jealous of me. They are both pretty, popular, and do quite well. I'm the Elder's granddaughter, and may well be the next Elder... no one else has ever been taught the history of our people by Grandmother herself. At least, not so far as I know. But that's not reason to be jealous, it's a very big responsibility."

"I agree," Zelda acknowledged, "And neither of them seem like the type to want it, or even think they do. It must be something else."

"M- Maybe. I just don't know what."

"I'm sorry, I wish I could help. And maybe teach them a lesson in treating their customers better. But I don't want to make more trouble for you."

"Oh, I- It's no trouble," Paya chuckled, "I've made my peace with the fact that they don't like me long ago. I don't even really wonder about it, anymore. I just... well, that's why I didn't want to go inside. They would just stare with narrowed eyes again, and mutter things under their breath."

"I can imagine that would be hard," Zelda nodded, then tried to change the subject. "This is a nice view, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Paya agreed almost too quickly, no doubt glad for a reason not to keep on the clearly sensitive, emotional subject, "I've always loved it here. Apart from being another connection with our past, our history, it's one of the quietest spots in the Village, and I have plenty of time to think whenever I come here. That and bathing are really the only moments of quiet I get."

"It must be tough, always having responsibilities," Zelda murmured, "I'm... not sure I'd be looking forward to that, even if I still had a kingdom to rule, if the Calamity had never happened."

"Well, I hope you change your mind," Paya said with a shy giggle, "because if you don't, when the Calamity is defeated, we might be in trouble. There is no one else who deserves to lead us all."
"I'm not sure I do," Zelda whispered, her mind flashing to moments of doubt, of weakness. Of her own body betraying her, giving in, enjoying it as first the Yiga, and then Bubmin, made use of her drugged state. Worse, and more recent, as the black Bokoblins on Hateno Beach did the same, again and again, and how her body had screamed for more even as her mind had screamed for them to stop. "Sometimes, I wish I could just live in a small, quiet village and spend the rest of my days in peace. But I know I can't. I just... I don't feel ready."

"Maybe you aren't," Paya replied wisely, and Zelda herself jumped as the taller woman put her hands over Zelda's, and pulled them into her lap. "Maybe you aren't ready now. But you will be. I believe in you. Grandmother believes in you. We all do. Yes, even Claree and Lasli."

Zelda sniffed, as Paya reached up with one gentle finger and wiped a tear away. "Come on, let's go back home. I can convince Grandmother to make a hearty Pumpkin and Carrot Stew, I'm sure you'll love it. You can set out tomorrow, if you must go."

"A- Alright," she whispered.

They stood, and Zelda didn't hesitate to pull the taller woman in a hug. The gesture surprised Paya at first, but soon she was awkwardly wrapping her hands around Zelda's waist too, as the blonde took what comfort she could from the other woman. "I'm glad we're friends," she whispered at last.

"F- Friends?" Paya whispered, as if the word was nearly foreign to her, "I... I'm glad, too, P-Princess... I'm happy to be your f-friend."

The hug went on for a long time, as Zelda grew increasingly aware of how much Paya was fidgeting. But she didn't want to let go. At first, it had just been comfort she sought. But as time passed, she grew more and more aware of how glorious Paya felt against her. She was taller than Zelda herself by a good margin, so that as they hugged, the shorter woman's head was pressed directly against the scant cleavage Paya's uniform showed, and her breasts, large and full, seemed to surround and hug Zelda's face and neck.

Yes, it was starting to turn her on. She sighed, and stepped back. She couldn't go to fast, not without risking too much. Besides, Paya was already nervous at how long their embrace had lasted. "Thank you," Zelda told her, "I... really needed that. All of it. The walk, the conversation, the... the talk up here. The rest, the view, everything."

"I'm glad I could help," Paya told her sincerely, her face red once more. "Anything I can do to help you, I will."

Zelda smiled, and they started walking back toward the village without a word. Conversation eventually resumed, but Zelda found herself distracted until they had passed the Shrine once more. "Oh, I think I might have just figured out what Claree and Lasli were jealous of. You said they're older, right? A few years?"

Paya nodded, and gave Zelda a curious look, "Yes, that's right. For a Hylian, it would be about... two, perhaps three years older in comparison."

Zelda grinned, and pointed at Paya's voluminous chest, "They were probably jealous of those beauties you sprouted so young, then."

Paya's answering shriek of embarrassment sent birds into a panicked flight clear across the Sheikah's valley. Somewhere to the east of the two young women, a much older one cackled in sudden delight. If anyone else had been in the house, they might have heard her murmur, "That's my girl... you do you, Zelda."

For nine hours, Zelda enjoyed a mostly-leisurely stroll down the great, twisting canyon that contained the road between the Dueling Peaks Stable and Kakariko Village. Her only worry was the Bokoblins that had captured her, nearly raped and tortured her, on her previous trip. There had been more than one Blood Moon since then, but she saw no sign of them this time. Was it a moving group? She hadn't seen a camp, before, because Bubmin had rescued her before she reached it. Now, she was sure she could handle at least some of even the larger group. More, if her Slate had the charge to use the upgraded Runes.

But she saw no sign at all, not even tracks. She did pick up more ore, more mushrooms, and even shot a couple of herons for a little fresh meat to add to her stores, but the only real threat she had came from the trio of blue Bokoblins that had, months ago it seemed, stolen Hestu's priceless maracas. There was no chest in their camp, and of course the massive Korok was long gone to his forest home, but she still made sure to shoot two of the blue beasts dead before engaging in combat with the last shield- and club-wielding survivor before she passed by.

No traveler caught unawares should have to deal with them, so Zelda would do it herself.

Fortunately, her plan of attack, putting arrows into the first, nearer two from high above on the ledge she had used last time, was just as effective as before, and she was quite able to handle a lone blue Bokoblin these days. It had cost her the twisted, jagged Lizal Blade's edge against the creature's shield, and its own club was a very poor replacement, but at least the travelers would be safe for a while.

The far worse threat was the handsome, green-haired young man who was scanning both directions of the road as she neared the bottom of the canyon, in sight of the Kakariko Bridge.

He wore a decently-equipped traveler's pack, Zelda could tell as she approached, a light blue tunic, and off-white or cream breeches tucked into soft leather boots, while a simple broadsword hung at his waist. The man waved as Zelda approached, and swallowed.

He was very handsome...

She felt her mouth start to water. Was he well-endowed?

Was he washed, clean? Would he taste delicious in her mouth? How would it feel for him to plunge himself to her depths...?

"Good day," she greeted once she was close enough to be heard clearly.

The man smiled and waved again, calling back, "A good day to you too, miss!"

Further conversation waited until Zelda was much closer, and she asked, "Er, excuse me... I noticed you're keeping a close eye on the roads. Anything I should be aware of...?"

"Oh, uh, no," the man chuckled disarmingly, "I'm not actually watching the roads at all. You see, about a year ago, I was walking along here at night, visiting some family. There was a blinding light in the sky... But when my eyes finally were able to see again, I found myself looking up at a shimmering object that floated overhead. I couldn't look away, it was just so... fascinating. Have you ever felt anything like that?"

Zelda blinked, something in his description sparked a memory in her. Not an old one, but a new one, after she had woken up again. "I... yes, actually. A streak across the sky, for me, though... I chased it down, into great danger, and found what looked like a small star."

"Me too!" the man shouted, making Zelda jump in his excitement, "The light flashed as I reached it, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in my bed, covered in sweat!"

"Wow," Zelda murmured, her eyes wide.

"What... What do you think it means?" the man murmured, "I've come back once a month ever since, trying to see that light again. I'm desperate to figure it out. My friends and family think I'm mad, but... what do you think it means?"

"I would say it was just a dream, if I haven't had a similar experience mys- Hey! What are you- back away!"

The man's sword had almost flown into his hand as it moved toward her neck. "You see," the green-haired, handsome face twisted into a hateful smile, and he stepped toward her despite her warnings and drawing her newly-acquired club, the familiar Sheikah shield slipping onto her other arm, "At first I thought it was just a bad dream. But the bed I woke up in, well... it wasn't my bed. It was a bed full of liquid in an empty room, and when I looked in the corner, there was a weird, glowing device. Does that sound familiar... Princess of Hyrule?"

The illusion fell away, and with it, all remnants of the burgeoning lust she had felt.

One thought filtered through the princess' mind in an instant.

Yiga.