Zelda sat at the writing desk, looking at her reflection in the Sheikah Slate camera before deciding that the braid in her hair had been properly done. After adjusting the collar of the dress she had chosen for today, she turned off the camera and laid the slate back on the desk's surface. With a deep breath in an attempt to prepare herself for the day, she glanced over at the empty bed in the corner before standing and exiting the home. The moment she stepped out into the snow, she looked around and noticed her lover standing in front of the stables.

"Good morning," she said when she came within earshot. "Tending to the horses, are we?"

"Hey," Link said without looking at her. With a rake in his hands and a bucket at his feet in the snow, he shuffled around the hay and dirt in Epona's stable. "I felt bad. I forgot to feed them yesterday, so as an apology, I'm cleaning out their stables."

"That's mighty kind of you," Zelda replied, looking around before spotting the horses. While their caretaker was busy with their stalls, both the mare and stallion roamed the large cliffside yard, attempting to find loose pieces of grass to eat beneath the powdery snow. "I'm sure Epona and Storm will be pleased."

"I sure hope so, because this is not a fun job," Link chuckled.

"I could only imagine," Zelda said, watching as he shifted through the bed of hay. "I noticed you weren't in bed when I woke up. Are you… okay?"

"I'm fine," Link said, again without looking up from his task. "Better actually. I did some exercises to clear my head after you fell asleep. Also, thank you for bandaging my arm. It really helped the swelling go down."

"Of course," she said. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

The silence grew between them with only the sound of shifting hay and dirt from Link's rake filling their ears. Suddenly, Zelda glanced up at the sky.

"Dawn is beginning to pass, so I'd best be on my way," she said, beginning to turn away.

"Here," Link said, finally pausing his work. He reached behind him and pulled a small pouch off of his belt. After looking down at it to ensure it was the right pouch, he held it out to her. "Veggie rice balls. There's an Endura carrot in there, so it should give you some extra energy today. And don't worry, I just started this job here and haven't found anything, so I'm still clean."

"Link, I…" Zelda began, taking the pouch of rice balls into her hand. Unable to find any more words, all she could do was lean forward and peck him on the cheek before saying, "thank you."

"Yeah," he responded with a small smile. "Have a good day today."

"You too," she said.

After a moment of staring into each other's eyes, Zelda turned and went on her way. Link's smile remained as he watched her cross the bridge and disappear past the Bolson Construction company houses. Soon, however, his smile faded as he turned back to the stables and began to work. Gears had started to turn in his head. Thoughts that soon turned into ideas, and ideas that eventually turned into plans.

Maybe a quick visit wouldn't hurt, he thought to himself as he raked up and placed hardened horse dung into the bucket. It would be in and out. It shouldn't take too long…

Suddenly, he felt something press against his shoulder. He looked over to see Epona pushing her muzzle against him. Link sighed, pausing his raking to place a hand on her nose.

"You won't say anything, right, girl?"

...

Zelda stared down at the pouch in her hands as she walked through the roads of Hateno Village. It was still warm, meaning Link must have only made them an hour or less prior to when he gave them to her. The aroma of rice and carrots filled her nostrils as she walked, forcing the corners of her mouth to curl upwards. The only thing that pulled her gaze away from the pouch of food was the glimpse of a darker-skinned Hylian with white hair walking in her oncoming direction.

"Teli?" she asked as the two stopped when they each realized who they were crossing. "I'm surprised to see you! You were drunk all day yesterday. Where are you going?"

"I checked out," Teli said cheerfully, pointing back at the backpack that hung from his shoulders. "I can't stay there forever. This dashing Hylian has a business to run!"

"Oh, I see," Zelda said.

"Is that disappointment I hear?" Teli asked with a grin. "Are you going to miss my dashing looks?"

"That's… one way to put it," she answered. "No, I just haven't been able to thank you properly at all."

"Thank me?" the traveler asked.

"Well, you kept your promise and didn't tell Link about Robbie's note," Zelda said, her voice growing a bit quieter near the end of her sentence. "You also were the one who put the idea of me being hired at the inn into Prima's mind. I owe quite a lot to you."

"Nonsense," Teli said with the slightest of bows. "From one beautiful person to another, I had to offer my assistance. You have nothing to owe me. Besides, I'll be back this weekend. I can't miss the Great Ton Pu Inn's weekend festivities."

"Weekend festivities?" Zelda wondered out loud. "Now that you mention it, Prima did say something about the upcoming weekend…"

"So she hasn't fully explained that to you yet," he said. "Well, she'll tell you when the time is right. I'll say this though, you'd better be ready."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Zelda asked as Teli passed her and began walking towards the village exit.

"You'll find out," he called out. "I can't have Prima scolding me for scaring you off. I'll see you this weekend, Zelda."

Teli waved a farewell as he disappeared down the road. Zelda watched as he vanished before turning and continuing toward the inn with her mind full of questions about what the weekend had in store for her. The moment she stepped inside the large building she noticed Prima had already started the day's work. After confirming with the innkeeper that today should be more or less the same as yesterday, she attached the pouch of rice balls she had been holding to her hip and made her way to the closet that held the broom. To her surprise, cleaning had gone a lot faster than before. Thanks to the numerous times Prima had made her reclean everything the day before, Zelda only had to redo her work three times, and was done by midday.

"Look at you," Prima said with a smile after checking Zelda's work. "See? I told you you'd get the hang of it."

"Well, if having to redo the work three times instead of five is considered better, then I'll accept that as progress," Zelda replied cheerfully.

"It is progress," Prima assured her. "Though, I will say you may have gotten it done in only two go-arounds had you been more focused."

"You noticed?" Zelda mumbled, pulling the broom she was holding close to her chest. Prima nodded.

"You've been a lot quieter today," she explained. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh, I don't want to bother you with my own personal issues…" Zelda said, looking away.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Prima insisted, taking a good guess on what the topic was about. "What's going on?"

"It's… Link," Zelda answered, causing a grin to spread across the innkeeper's face. "He's been a bit… distant."

" Distant, you say?" Prima asked as her curiosity grew. "Distant in what way?"

"W-well… I'm not sure you'd be able to really sympathize with him, but you could say that he's-" Zelda began, however, the large front doors to the inn opened.

Both of the women turned to see a man step inside. He was an older person with darker skin. Though his hair had grayed, the mustache and beard stubble was still dark. While most of his body was covered in thick leather and padding, the collar of an orange and green sweater could be seen around his neck. Similar to Teli, a backpack sat on his back with a circular wooden shield and a traveler's sword that hung from the side.

"Oh no," Prima whispered, internally cursing the timing of her customer's arrival before putting on a believable smile. "Hello, Joute! Welcome back to the Great Ton Pu Inn!"

"Hello, Prima," the man named Joute said before taking a whiff of the inn. "Ugh… It smells like people in here. I'd prefer it to smell like horsies."

Horsies? Zelda repeated internally.

"Well, people do stay here after all," Prima said in an upbeat, yet noticeably irritated tone. "Are you checking in for the night, Joute? I doubt you would come to just say hello."

"I have actually," Joute said, stepping towards the counter that the innkeeper was now walking behind. Zelda jolted at his presence: he smelled exactly like a horse that had been traveling for weeks straight. "My horsey needs a bit of care. I usually don't trust anyone but myself to do it, but my best horsey seems to like your touch."

Horsey? Best horsey? Zelda again repeated internally. How much time does he spend with his horse?

"I'm… glad she does…" Prima said through gritted teeth, still trying to keep her smile up. "We try to provide excellent care here at the inn, not just to our guests, but their… horses… as well."

"Good, good…" the man mumbled. Suddenly, he turned his attention to Zelda. "A new girl…?"

"You haven't heard the news?" Prima asked. "Well, probably not since it doesn't have to do with horses… To make it simple, this is Zelda. She'll be helping out here at the inn from now on."

"I see," Joute mumbled. He walked over to the new employee (who did her best not to react to the horse smell) and peered down at her. Zelda had never realized just how small she, and Link, were compared to even those of her own race. "How do you feel about… horses ?"

"I-I… um…" she stuttered. She glanced over at Prima, who shrugged. "I-I don't have much talent when it comes to handling horses, but I appreciate them nonetheless. My… My lover really likes horses, and he's taught me how to care for them."

"I see…" he mumbled. "You have a good lover. I love horsies. Love 'em more than people. People… smell funny… and talk all the time. But horsies? No… They just ride. But you and I could probably get along like Prima and I."

Zelda swore she saw Prima roll her eyes out of the corner of her eye.

"Well then," Joute said, turning his attention back to the front desk. "Twenty for a bed still?"

"That's right," Prima said as the smile returned to her features. After placing a red rupee onto the counter, the traveler adjusted his backpack and headed up the stairs. The moment he was out of earshot, the innkeeper sighed. "His sheets are going to need to be double washed, and to make things worse, the stable will need to be cleaned along with his horse."

"Do we provide those types of services?" Zelda asked curiously.

"We do, and I usually don't have a problem with it," Prima explained, placing an elbow on the counter and her chin in her palm. "But Joute's horse is… special. Because he takes such… good… care of his horse, it'll only accept stabling in a clean stall. It's also very particular about who it listens to. I didn't expect to have to deal with Joute today. I don't have the time for that horse…"

"Is it something I can take care of?" Zelda offered. "I saw Link cleaning our stables earlier. It didn't look that challenging."

Prima raised her head from her palm.

"Are you sure?' she asked. Zelda nodded. Prima stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Well, if you can handle that, then the weekend won't be an issue for you."

"You've mentioned the weekend before," Zelda probed. "What happens on the weekend?"

"I'll explain tomorrow," Prima said. "That's when weekend training begins. For now, I might as well tell you how cleaning the stables goes. And let me warn you now: Joute's horse likes to go in the stall before cleaning…"

After getting a quick rundown of how the stables and Joute's horse should be handled, with a pep in her step, Zelda headed out the inn.

"The way she put it makes it sound fairly simple," she said to herself as she walked down the stone staircase. "All I need to do is get all the old horse excrement from the hay with the rake. That shouldn't be too hard. Link said it wasn't fun , but he never said it was difficult."

The moment she stepped onto the road, she noticed a large horse sitting ownerless near the broad tree on the other side of the road. It was a beautiful mare that was decorated with a white coat and large teal spots. Zelda took a second to admire the beautiful horse before turning her attention to the stable that sat on the inn's side of the road. Just as Prima had told her, a rake was leaning against its walls. Stepping over to the wall, Zelda took the tool in hand.

"Another wooden handle," she told herself as she inspected it. "Well, I've already gotten pretty used to the irritation thanks to today, so this shouldn't be an issue. Now then…"

Taking a bucket that had been sitting near the rake, Zelda walked over to the first stall. Immediately she recoiled, dropping the bucket as she brought a hand to her nose and mouth.

What is that smell? she asked herself as she took a step back. She squinted at the hay that lay on the stall's ground before noticing a dark spot that had been roughly covered up. Her eyes grew wide before she turned around and looked at the mare.

"Is this what Prima meant?" Zelda asked herself as she turned back to the ordure pile. "I thought she meant the horse just liked to go inside the stall to check and see if it was clean, not to… go … How have I never noticed this smell in our stables? Does Link ensure I never have to?"

Her eyes teared up as she began to cough. She took a few more steps back to gather herself.

"Okay," she told herself, taking a breath of fresh air. "Stop this. You're not a princess anymore, so stop acting like one. People have to… deal… with this sort of thing on a regular basis, and I am no different. I told Prima I would handle this, so I will."

After a nod and a quick huff, Zelda stepped forward and adjusted the bucket she had dropped to stand upright. Holding her breath for as long as she could to avoid the foul odor, she shoved the rake into the ground under the hay.

Okay… she told herself as she stared down at the ground. All I have to do is lift and drop it into the bucket. Simple… Simple…

With as much resolve as she could, she shoved the rake into the hay.

Now, just lift…

She tugged upwards, yet to her surprise, the rake didn't budge. Zelda furrowed her brow in confusion. Again, she tried to pull the rake upwards, and again, it did not budge.

What is going on? she asked herself as she grew frustrated.

She could feel the breath she was holding beginning to run low. Out of desperation, stepped closer and gripped the handle more towards the head. With another tug, the rake finally came up, yet thanks to the force of her pull, hay, dirt, and unfortunately, fresh dung came flying upwards. With a yelp Zelda backed up, dropping the rake as gunk splashed across her dress and face. She coughed and spat onto the ground, doing everything in her power to ensure nothing would get into her mouth. Doing her best to wipe the horse remains from her face, she stumbled around with her eyes closed before tripping over the bucket she had placed down. With a thud, she fell face-first into the snow, staining the white powder with brown.

Slowly, Zelda began to lift her face from the snow. She pushed herself to her knees as frustration filled her chest. Link was right: this most certainly was not fun.

"Are you alright, Princess?" an older voice asked.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," she answered begrudgingly, wiping away snow and whatever else she didn't want to think about from her face. "I just tripped is all— wait, princess ?"

Zelda looked up from the snow to see an old man standing over her. His hair had entirely grayed and wrinkles had covered his face. With an arch in his back, he stared down at her with droopy green eyes.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Princess," the older fellow said as Zelda pushed herself to her feet. "I actually live at the inn you've chosen to assist."

"You live there?" Zelda asked. "As in, you don't simply rent a bed?"

"I do not. As a matter of fact, the clerk in there happens to be my daughter," the older man laughed. "My name is Leop, and I used to run the Ton Pu Inn. I've been here since I was born during the Age of Burning Fields."

"The Age of Burning Fields?" Zelda asked, but the old man shook his head.

"A story for another time," he said. "You wouldn't know of it since you disappeared during what my own parents called The Calamity. No, what I've come to talk to you about is your raking technique."

Zelda frowned. She wanted to hear more about the time the man was referring to, but she forced herself to let it go.

"C-can you tell me what I'm doing wrong?" she asked quietly as embarrassment flushed her cheeks.

"You're sticking the rake too far into the ground," old man Leop explained. "The ground will fight back if you shove it so far into the dirt. Prima had the same issue the first time around. You have to slide the head between the ground and the horse's remains, which shouldn't give you much resistance."

"I-I see…" Zelda responded, looking down at the ground. It was her own fault.

"Don't feel bad, everyone has to learn," the old man chuckled. "This is one of my daughter's least favorite tasks. It's most likely why she's not out here showing you herself right now."

"I can't entirely blame her," Zelda said as she gave a futile attempt to wipe the remains from her dress. "This… This isn't very enjoyable…"

"Well, working isn't all fun," Leop chuckled. "No, working out here in these parts can be quite the challenge. My parents told me stories of how royalty would live in a gigantic castle with towers and elegance I couldn't even imagine. I'm sure this little village is nothing compared to that. You know, I'm surprised the old princess of Hyrule is choosing to work. You could be mayor of the town, if not more. We are your people, so why do you choose to work?"

"That's…" Zelda mumbled. "That's not something I want, or even deserve, right now."

With a sigh, she looked up and around at the village.

"These aren't my people, not really. I haven't done anything for them in their eyes, and to a degree, they wouldn't be wrong. I can't rule over people that don't know me, less know the kind of person I am. I'd prefer to join the community rather than simply take it over."

"I see…" Leop answered quietly. "It seems my parents were wrong about you."

"Wrong about me?" Zelda repeated. "Can I ask… what they said?"

"Again, a story for another time," the old man said as he began to walk away. "I thank you for helping my daughter here at the inn. You're one special girl. Remember to always show the guests why the best place to rest up in all of Hateno Village is the Ton Pu Inn."

"Uh, y-yes!" Zelda called as the hunched-over man began to walk away. "Well, if we're providing this kind of service, then we must be the best. Still…"

Her thoughts began to travel back to the words the old man had left her regarding the so-called Age of Burning Fields, and whatever it was the man's parents had said about her. His parents lived through the Calamity, meaning they were her people; people that she had let down. She could only imagine what was said about her. This only reminded her that not every Hylian remembered her fondly.

After standing in the snow for what felt like an eternity, Zelda shook her head and took the rake back into her hands. She had a job to finish.

An hour had passed before the stable looked to be what she would consider clean. The hay had been reorganized and from what she could see, all the ordure had been removed and placed into the bucket she had again set up, except for the stains that remained on her dress. With a sigh of disgust, she took the bucket in hand and carried it to the side of the stable to place it and the rake back where she had found them.

"Alright," Zelda said apathetically, turning around to face the white and teal horse. "Now you just need to get inside the stall."

With a deep breath, she walked over and reached out a hand for the horse's reins. The second her fingers started to close, however, the reins moved. Zelda blinked as she looked at her empty fist. Again, she reached for the reins, yet for the second time, they moved.

"What in Hylia's name?" Zelda cursed as she looked up. The horse turned its muzzle away from her. "Okay, you, I've had a hard enough time cleaning that stall for you. Now let me take you to it."

She again made to take the reins, and again, the horse moved, but this time it had fully turned around and began to walk away from her entirely.

" Excuse me? " she yelled. " Where are you going? Hey! "

The horse ignored her and kept walking down the road. Beginning to panic, Zelda hurried after it. She quickly jogged past it before blocking its path, holding her arms out at her sides. In response, the horse stopped.

"Take the time to soothe your mount…" she mumbled.

With a deep breath, she slowly reached her hand out to the horse's muzzle, but before she could touch it, the horse recoiled before trotting around her.

" What? But, I…?" Zelda questioned as she watched the horse trot through the village. "Why are you being so stubborn? I cleaned the stall for you, so why— Wait a moment… I had to clean the stall because you don't like… Are you being this way because I'm dirty?"

Rage began to boil in her chest. She hurried down the road before again stopping in front of the horse.

"Now you listen here, you nag, " she growled. "I just spent the past hour of my life cleaning a stall that you had the nerve to spoil! It's your fault that I am covered in your own excrement! Now, I don't care how fair you'd like to keep your coat, you are following me into that stall. "

She quickly reached out and grabbed the reins, causing the horse to whine. It tried to pull away, yet Zelda kept her grip firm as she tugged back.

" No! " she yelled. "I refuse! You're going back to that stall!"

Both continued their tugging match in the middle of the road. On the side near the houses, the two ladies who had been gossiping earlier in the week stood in front of a stall as they watched the battle rage on.

"What in the world does that girl think she's doing?" Nikki asked as judgment filled her features.

"It seems to me like she's trying to be something she isn't," her friend, Amira, answered. "Look at her, losing her temper with a horse. The elders insist that she's a princess, but all I see is a stubborn, delusional girl."

"I wonder how long she'll last trying to do work she isn't built for," Nikki replied. "Especially during the weekend. What was Prima thinking when deciding to take in someone like her to help the inn?"

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Amira answered as she watched Zelda lose her grip and fall back into the snow. "Let's just hope she doesn't ruin our weekend fun…"

...

Humming a peaceful tune with a quill in hand, Prima continued her work at the counter as she entered calculated funds for the upcoming month. Soon, however, the scratching sound of the nib to paper began to slow as her thoughts started to travel. It had been a few hours since Zelda had disappeared from the inn to clean the stables. She knew how Joute's horse could get at times. Growing nervous, she set the quill down and walked from behind the counter. The moment she crossed the room and opened the door, she recoiled as a foul odor slammed against her. With tears forming in her eyes, she covered her nose and mouth before looking at the woman who was standing in the doorway up and down.

"Zelda?"

"I… I was able to finish the cleaning, and got Joute's horse into the stall," Zelda said in a low tone. The sparkle in her eyes had vanished, leaving nothing but a dull, lifeless aura. "I'm sorry it took so long. There were a few… mishaps."

"It's fine! It's… fine," Prima answered from behind her mouth as she looked at her dress. "Well done… Um… Is that-?"

"Yes, it is," Zelda answered lifelessly. "You were right. Joute's horse likes to go in the stall before-"

"Okay, yes, I-I got it," Prima interrupted, taking a step back and holding a hand out. "Thank you for handling that. Why don't you go home early today? You— You earned it."

"Thank you," Zelda answered dully. With a small bow, she turned and headed down the steps.

"I am so sorry," Prima muttered under her breath. "Did I break her? Oh, I hope she comes in tomorrow, I wanted to hear more about her relationship… Curse you, Joute…"