Chapter Eight
"Should I grab you your boots or something?" Zelda asked, helping Link over the threshold of the paddock – he was barefoot and unkept, having been ripped from his bed moments ago. Hair — a haystack, brushing the exposed collar of his tunic, which was helplessly loose. it slipped down his shoulder as they limped to a hay bale in the center of the stall. It wreaked of sodden horses – some of which took notice of them and nickered. Zelda plugged her nose, "I-If you'd wait here, Link. I'll grab those boots."
A crescendo of drunken roars interrupted! – stable guests beyond the tent canvas laughing heinously at the expense of the newlyweds they had presumed of the Princess and the knight.
Zelda and Link exchanged a glance of apprehension, dismissing the importance of footwear altogether. She helped him down to the hay bale where he rushed to groom himself - making decent his hair with a hasty swoop and tie before tying together the laces of his tunic. Next, he reached down for the rolled-up pant legs of his trousers but winced - his side aching.
"Let me help," Zelda offered, coming to a quick knee – a gesture she'd do for any of the champions, or at least, that's what she told herself. Should Urbosa, Revali, Mipha, and Daruk be present, she'd do anything for them, but honestly, no one made her heart dawn in the way Link did, and that had always been the truth. It was a sudden sunrise whenever he was around, heating her chest, giving light to the day, encouraging a sacred hope for a bright future, perpetuating a deep love for life. Undoubtably, Princess Zelda was in love with him, a statement she'd come to apply to every part of his being - whether he was the mute knight or the fallen soldier; the stumbling amnesiac or the victorious Hero of Hyrule; the recovering patient or the 'whoever-he-wanted-to-be" after they'd leave this stable for good.
Meeting his eyes, she flattened the pant leg around his calf but feared she had only pained him further with the gesture - he was tomato red, a blush that looked gory against the maroon of his tunic. His eyes snagged against the paisley patch in the shoulder.
"F-Forgive me," she stammered, "I needed something to do while you slept."
He looked stunned, massaging the expert stitching on his shoulder as petrichor wafted in with the winds of the rainstorm. A happy whinny stole their attention – a bay mare in the corner stall inviting them over with big, brawny nods. Zelda smiled in relief – a distraction! Link's horse. "Look who's here!"
It neighed. Link beamed. It stomped eagerly. He complied, stumbling forward to his feet, tripping against a stall's fence before Zelda could catch him - the dappled stud behind the rail nickered nervously.
"Are you alright?" Zelda tensed, catching his elbow, "Oh! Watch the bird scat on the rail!"
He steadied himself, appeasing her and the dapple with a kind nod before scooting along the length of the rail, avoiding the finch droppings to get to his pony.
"She must have been so worried!" Zelda laughed, watching the boy and bay reunite. It bopped him with an affectionate nuzzle, sifting through his hair until he bopped her back. "She was so helpful in getting you to safety, Link. She must have known which road to take to get you to the stable."
He smiled gratefully. He had always loved horses, hadn't he? – even before the Calamity when the only being he'd talk to was his personal mount. It was a chestnut steed, and no one could ever sneak up on him conversing with it, but Zelda was observant enough to see it happening at a distance. His mouth moving, his stoic facade slipping, emotions expressed in the solitary company of his only confidant. He had been in as much pain as the Princess during the years before the Calamity – it was only a hope that she could relieve him by summoning her powers.
Zelda frowned – Link taking notice. She pretended not to see, losing herself in the horse as finches fluttered above them, "Does she have a name?"
"I don't name them," he said after a long silence.
"Why not?"
He was quiet, gazing into the pony's eyes. It snorted, pulling him out of a dismal memory. He patted her neck, "I end up liking them too much."
"Oh. You've lost some."
He met her eyes, sharing the sadness. Zelda faltered in the blue, blinking back sudden tears as he looked away. She caught his arm, "They must have passed loving you, Link – that is certain. Horses have always loved you, especially this one. I can tell."
He peered over shyly, watching a tear fall.
"Sorry," she laughed, taking back her hand. She needed to stop touching him. Crying too. "It's all the caffeine, heightening my emotions. I must have drunk six or seven cups of it."
He looked worried.
She waved him away, "No, no, don't give me that face. I'm at my leisure with all this activity, but I wouldn't mind another cup."
His worries persisted, but she elbowed him out of it.
"Now that was the caffeine!" She laughed - when did the Princess elbow her subjects? She was enjoying the second wind of energy. "Can I tell you a secret?"
He nodded, taking her too seriously.
"It's nothing noteworthy," she laughed. "I've always envied your kinship with horses. I've never been good with them. Centuries ago, you tried to help me by training my steed during your off-hours, but it ended up liking you more than me."
She peered up - he seemed too serious, hanging on her every word. She wanted to point and laugh, but she held it in. "Pets and other animals alike have always been harder for me – not like machines I can predict and program. So, you can imagine my surprise when your pony here didn't throw me when we rode out from the Castle – being so frantic and teary."
"Do you want to feed her?" He asked.
"I won't upset her, will I? I can't seem to stop crying."
"Of course you won't."
"I-I'm also jittery."
"She won't mind."
"Well, alright then." Zelda flushed. As if the horse understood, it nodded to the wheelbarrow of loose hay to their right. She waddled over to it, grabbing a fist full before returning. She extended a fisted hand, "It's been a while since I've done this."
"Flat," she heard – Link drawing near.
Zelda blushed, loving the nearness, "Hmm?"
His hand came under hers, "Try holding it flat."
"Oh, right, of course."
He lifted her hand to the horse's mouth, and with a mighty snort, it stole the hay! Zelda squealed, recoiling as the horse dragged away the mouthful of hay – chomping happily. .
"Y-You okay?"
"I'm just surprised!" Zelda laughed, grabbing another fistful of hay. The pony neared, burying its soft nose into her hand — its whiskers tickling the skin of her palm. "I've forgotten what this feels like."
"She wants more." Link laughed. It was a nice laugh - constrained, nervous, but happy.
Zelda patted her dark face, "It's a shame not to name her, Link. She's magnificent."
He stared for a while, sobering the Princess. Was she imposing? Before she could apologize, he let himself into the stall, "I-I couldn't think of anything fitting."
"Wait, Link. A-Are you sure you should be in there – your side?"
He gave a soft smile, pacifying the Princess, and pointed at the halter on the post closest to her.
Zelda complied, handing it over, "Both of you are resilient. I'll give you that."
He smiled, clicking for the pony - she humbly complied, directing its nose into the muzzle of the halter.
Zelda smiled, watching her, "What to name a capable, loyal, compassionate steed? She's a beautiful bay, much like the legendary Horse of Time. Could it be that Epona has finally reunited with her master?"
He narrowed his eyes – a sappy smile breaking as he pulled the halter over her fluffy ears.
"What? You doubt me?"
He shook his head playfully.
"It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Epona?"
He mouthed it silently, tying a spare rope around the chin of the halter, suppressing a huff. Was it an amused one? Pensive? Nervous?
"Are horses still your favorite?" Zelda asked after a long bout of silence.
"F-Favorite?"
"As in – favorite animal?" It was a naive question, sure – one reserved for little children, but a lesson learned from card-playing egged her on. Why not play? Why not win? Why not ask? "I could only assume that they were your favorite from way back then, and well – you've probably changed in the last century, and it would be nice… getting to know each other a little better, don't you think?'
He looked stunned, having followed Zelda's mouthful to the end.
"What? I'm not embarrassing myself, am I?"
His pony bumped him, bringing him back to reality. "No, uh—it's just that I've never been asked. I don't think I've thought about it."
"Oh."
"Horses." He said after a long pause. "Horses are my favorite."
Zelda nodded, but before she could threaten the silence with needless banter, he stole a shy glance. "W-What is yours, Y-Your Highness?"
Your Highness. He liked to call her that, didn't he? "My, what?"
He handed her the lead rope. "Y-Your favorite animal?"
Zelda blushed, taking the rope – she hadn't expected him to return the question. She gushed, feeling so much like a child with a new friend, "I – well, I'm not too experienced with animals, to be honest."
"O-Oh, you don't have to lead her if you're uncomfortable - "
"I don't mind if she doesn't!" Zelda smiled, braving a pat on the neck, "Is that okay, Epona?"
Link smirked.
"My apologies. I don't mean to name your horse."
He mouthed the name again.
"H-How does it sound?"
"Pony." He nodded decisively.
"Pony? - her name?"
"Pony." He smiled.
Zelda blushed – he had a nice smile too. He never smiled back then. Charmed, she averted her eyes, "I like it – simple yet meaningful."
"Pony." He rehearsed, rubbing her neck – as if to convince himself. He patted her neck once more, smoothening her shiny coat down to the withers. He cupped them for a steady hold on her back and clicked for her to walk on. The horse complied lovingly, checking on him twice as they took their steps out of the stall together.
"Is she… walking with you?"
"W-We've done this before."
"So this isn't your first time bleeding out in a stable?"
He grinned, "Second."
She frowned, knowing this somehow. A vision came to mind, but it was blurry. A memory? No, more like a dream. Pensive, she led the boy and his horse out into the center of the stable where that lone hay bale lay victim to bite. Pony munched happily. She snorted a thanks before chowing down again.
"W-Were you gravely injured?" Zelda asked.
"S-Sorry, Your Highness, I don't mean to worry - "
She narrowed her eyes, "Oh, it was meant! Look at you, looking so proud. Which scar was it?"
He flushed, not expecting the apt observation. He pointed to his left foot, "Impaled."
She squealed.
"I-I'm sorry."
"No, I asked!" She laughed, thanking the coffee for the second wind. A gust blew through the stable entrance, stealing their attention. Beyond the threshold, the rain had become a thin drizzle. "Would Pony appreciate a walk around the tent? Oh – you need boots."
Link waved her off shyly, "Don't mind."
"That's not how you impaled your foot, was it?"
He shook his head, grinning down at his feet as they walked outside into the rain - perhaps there were worse fates than being bootless according to the Hero of the Wilds, who had woken up almost naked in the wilds two years ago. But was anything worse than being presumed the husband of the Princess of Doom? Hollers and breaking glass were heard by the front desk on their right, so they banked left.
"S-So, you still like horses." Zelda pitched, hoping to drown out the teasing, "Now don't misunderstand me. It's not that I dislike animals. I just prefer to study them in a controlled environment." A red-faced finch caught her eye, bobbing just above them on the tent's seams. It flitted off as they neared. "I'm fascinated by flight patterns, adaptations, and environments that cause things to change. For example, the finches here are far redder than their ancestors one hundred years ago."
Link stared – a forlorn look coming over him.
Zelda noticed, "Are you alright?"
He nodded, "I wish I remembered them."
"It's fine that you don't." She whispered, meaning more than just the finches. "Maybe it's better."
"Is it?"
"I think so."
A look on his face implied a deeper pain. She shared it, thinking of the champions. A tear slipped, "I can't stop remembering things. Thinking of them."
Pony noticed her first, but she didn't seem to mind. Link followed suit, but Zelda spun away from him, fearing the pity of the last surviving champion, "You know what? I take it all back. Frogs."
"F-Frogs?"
"Frogs are my favorite."
He looked amused, a shy smile breaking through the concerned gaze.
"D-Do you want to know another secret?"
He nodded eagerly – it was cute, charming Zelda. She spun back around giddily, walking backwards. "Well, I-I used to catch them when I was child. I'd hide them in my sleeve and smuggle them past the guards and servants into my room."
"W-What would you do with them?" He asked, tripping.
Zelda caught him by the elbow, "Fill the bath. Watch them swim – be careful!"
He blushed – Pony turned, punishing him with a nip at his hair.
"She's keeping you in line."
He patted the pony's nose, stammering, "D-Do you have a favorite kind?"
"Of frog?"
He nodded.
"Absolutely!" She hadn't expected him to ask. Her brain spun with at least ten different kinds, "I fancy the hot-footed frogs. Perhaps for nostalgia's sake, since they were the frogs of the castle garden, and come summer, I'd fall asleep to their croaking. I think that's why I had them in the bath. I figured they'd croak all year if I saved them from the frost."
"A-And did they?"
"Well no," she frowned. "The servants obviously found them come bath time, and that might have been for the best – after all, they only croak during mating season, so it would have been a failed experiment altogether. But, I had plans for a self-sustaining terrarium with plants ordered in from Faron, but I needed to impress the court and no one would understand a powerless princess spending her time with frogs." She sighed, only realizing she had something deprecating when he peered up. She turned away, "B-But, they're obviously fast! A challenge to catch. Big buggy eyes. Fantastic coloring."
"Green?" She heard.
"Bright green! – with orange feet."
"I-Is green or orange your favorite, Your Highness?" He asked, Pony egging him on with a nod of her big, brown head.
"Favorite what?"
He shied away despite the pony's prompting, "Uh – f-favorite color?"
She beamed, "Are we disclosing all of our favorites now?"
He blushed, averting his gaze.
"I fancy a blue or a green! How about you, Link?"
He peered up furtively, "Green."
Her eyes were green – she tried not to read into it, coming back with another question, "Favorite season?"
"S-Summer."
"Why summer?"
He shrugged.
"Come now." Zelda laughed, "I need a reason."
"W-Why not summer?"
"Not everyone likes the summer. It's too hot."
He shrugged again, "I don't need to shelter in caves?"
"That's the only reason?"
"No snow?"
It was then that the rain picked up. Zelda scooted him and Pony beneath the narrow shelter of the tent flap above them, "How about rosy mornings? Cold drinks during the blare of midday? Hydromelons? Jumping into a cool pool?"
He stared, letting rain drops drip down his tied hair.
"None of that?"
He broke his gaze. "I-I've never thought about it, I guess." He searched himself, an answer churning as he looked out into the dreary distance where the mist was teeming through the yellow-dappled hillsides, "But, uh, wild foals – they come this far to graze on the mustard weed during summer. I think I like that most."
"There we go," Zelda melted - of course, he would notice the foals.
"Yours, Your Highness?" She heard over the drumming of the rain.
"Winter." She hummed, clicking them onward beneath the canopy, "It wasn't oppressive from the castle hearth. A book made it cozy."
He nodded, looking awkward – perhaps thinking of some other subject for small talk.
She beat him to it, "Favorite kind of weather?"
"Oh. Uh - sun."
"Don't have to set out a tarp, right?"
"Or make a fire." He grinned, catching her humor.
"Practical." She droned, "What do you dislike most about the wilds? Rain?"
She hadn't expected him to take the question seriously, but it hardened his demeanor. Held-breath. Head low, he peered into the distance again.
"Link?"
"I-I guess not knowing." He frowned, "Not being prepared. Getting stuck … and, uh, s-sometimes I thought you could see it."
An uncomfy silence settled in – a pregnant pause, weighing on his shoulders. He gave in, "C-Could you see me?"
She slowed them into a halt. "I-I don't think so."
He nodded, looking almost disappointed. It prompted her on, "Well, perhaps there's more to it. There are times when I swore I could - "
He was staring.
She stammered on, "... Swore I knew things. L-Like, when I saw the ruins of Mabe while riding through, I felt like I had seen it before, but the shock was visceral as if I were seeing it for the first time. And so on, I've just learned about Hateno from the locals, but its state seems familiar, as if I had already known what's become of the fort. You say that you've impaled your foot, and I feel like I know how it happened when I clearly wasn't there. But, you know what? As I say it out loud, Link, I'm more unsure."
"S-So, you couldn't see?" He frowned.
"I don't know. What if you quizzed me?"
He blushed, looking uncomfortable but dedicated. A heavy sincerity came over his expression. He stared at his feet. "I-Impaling my foot - "
She winced.
"S-Sorry."
"No, no, on with the quiz."
He nodded, "Y-Yiga, they like to use spikes to fortify their hide outs."
Her eyes went wide, "And you fell through a bunch of crates."
He froze.
"Jumped onto them to break a fall?"
"But, they had shipments of spikes."
She squealed, seeing it happen. "Oh, Link, I'm so sorry."
"Y-You saw?"
"I think so? Give me another question.
He complied, "Clearing the bokoblin camps last fall, I-I thought I heard you. I had just severed my – "
"Thumb." They said together.
He looked at her in horror.
She flushed, "Was it your thumb?"
He nodded eagerly, rubbing the scar on the digit.
"Maybe I'm just reading your mouth. How about another?"
"I, uh - exploded a bomb too early recently… and fell down a gorge and – "
Her eyes went wide, seeing the event, "... y-you broke an arm."
He cocked his head, "Which?"
"Was it your left?"
His face went white.
"Right or left, it's a fifty-fifty chance, Link."
"I, uh – " he started again, watching his feet, "This one is more tame."
"Thank the gods."
He half-grinned, "I came across an auction last year after crossing into Hateno before they closed the Lanayru Pass and I - "
"Bought a house." She said immediately, taking a second to actualize it. "That's right! You bought a house in Hateno! But it was an odd occasion, wasn't it? After all, outsiders can't get into Hateno, can they?"
"No, I had to sneak in to get to the Sheikah on the other side," he blabbered uncharacteristically, talking to the goddess who already knew his everything, "... and because I was there an had the money, I guess I qualified, and everyone assumed I was a citizen."
She nodded him on, loving his voice when he rambled.
He gulped, "S-Some landlord wanted it, so it was fixed at a high rate, but I had the money and - "
"And you bought it because it reminded you of your family."
Link tensed, staring at her like a specimen.
"I don't know how I know that!" She backed away, fanning her hands, pulling Pony onward. It nickered, wanting another munch of the sodden grass despite Zelda's clicking, "I really don't mean to pry, but I think we can assume that the goddess's powers possess an omniscience to be borrowed when in stasis, but it has deteriorated since the battle, Link, and I don't think I could recall anything else without your help."
He trailed after her, gripping Pony's withers.
"But, maybe it was a lucky guess? – after all, you had family in Hateno and would visit during the – "
His eyes went wider, stopping the horse.
Zelda turned, "What's wrong?"
He pointed to himself.
"D-Did you not know?"
He shook his head, an urgency rising in him. Pony noticed, nuzzling his hair.
"Y-You're mother is from there."
He cussed, "D-Do you know where?"
"I-I, uh - no, I don't think I do." It pained Zelda, seeing him peel himself away. "D-Do you remember anything about your family?"
A dismal shake of the head.
Zelda neared, "D-Do you want to know? I can help you remember, but maybe it's best not to know."
He peered up kindly, searching her. She felt naked beneath his gaze, wondering what was going through his mind after two years of memory loss, strife, and survival. Perhaps such information felt like a luxury, but he tabled it with an averted glance, clicking on his horse.
"A-Are you okay?"
He changed the topic instead, "F-Favorite place, Your Highness?"
"Favorite place?" Zelda wheezed, "What's my favorite place?"
He waited patiently, wanting to know more about her. She felt the kind intrigue, turning to remember her answer, "My study. Is yours Hateno?"
He nodded, "T-Though it's not a perfect place."
"Nowhere is." She smiled, "Any friends?"
He cocked his head.
"Other than horses."
He tensed.
"Come now, you've made at least one friend in the last two years, correct?"
He fell deep into thought.
"No one in Zora?"
He shook his head.
"You have surviving acquaintances there, don't you?"
"I don't remember much… so people become..." he trailed off, pardoning himself with a nod.
"Oh." She noted his expression, a dismal silence settling in.
"There's a neighbor in Hateno." He said, surprising Zelda, "He hunts deer. Carries conversations. Doesn't ask questions."
"Oh! – that's nice. What's his name?"
"Dantz – I don't know him very well though."
"Hunting deer," thought Zelda, thumbing her chin. "It reminds me of another question. Hobby?"
"W-Wait," he blushed, pointing.
"Oh? Me?" She squirmed, not having many to call her own beyond the champions, "Other than the Calamity?"
He froze.
"S-Sorry, that's the coffee talking."
He nodded, "S-Sorry."
"No, it's a bad joke!" But, she debated telling him the truth. "A princess without powers on the eve of the Calamity… well, friendship wasn't entirely encouraged, but I wanted nothing more than to bring you and the champions peace."
He drew closer, sensing something she only realized until it was too late. A tear fell.
"Y-Your Highness?"
She ran away from him, wiping her eyes, "H-Hobby? You never answered your favorite hobby!"
"H-Hobby?"
"Everyone has a hobby, don't they?"
He shrugged.
"Y-You must have enjoyed something in the last two years."
"C-Cooking."
"Cooking! You're still cooking?"
He looked up at her – the same surprise in his eyes.
"Yes, you'd cook your own food during missions and offer me a portion. It was very... kind." She fell deeply into a memory, looking up from a deadened campfire after another failure of a day to find kind eyes slipping past a knight's stoic facade. He held out a bowl of stew.
"F-Favorite meal then?" She heard.
"That you'd make?"
He blushed, "D-Doesn't have to be."
"Anything you make was my favorite. There's something about the spice and texture, though I'd be interested to see what's different should you ever entertain the thought of cooking for me again."
"I-I can do that."
"W-Will you?"
"W-What would you like?"
"Palm-fruit curry." She answered, smiling — he was so kind.
Link bit his lip, leaning into his horse dramatically
Zelda flushed, "What? Did I say something?"
"No," he laughed, shaking his head. He stared down at his feet again, "T-That's my favorite too."
Zelda blushed - she was deeply in love with this man. "W-Well, maybe I could help you find the ingredients, or set the table, or clean?"
His eyes shook, as if she had said something so profound - a gesture caught by a small crowd dead ahead of them. Five or six bar-mongers were leaning out of a tent window, teasing them with a crescendo of ones and awes. They whirled around, pushing Pony in the other direction.
Zelda had almost forgotten, "I don't know what to do about that honestly."
Link nodded.
"I'm at least relieved that our identities can remain hidden for the time being. And it seems like this storm is concealing our secret. No one has come in with reports about the castle. But nevertheless, I apologize for the situation."
"Y-Your Highness?" She finally heard.
She turned hotly, "Hmm?"
"A-Are they wrong?"
"Who?"
He averted his eyes, "T-The guests."
"W-What do you mean?"
"Are they wrong about - " he tried to say it, but couldn't. "I-I worry I'm missing something."
Zelda huffed, understanding, "Oh."
He clicked Pony on, pretending not to hang on the pregnant silence.
"T-They're wrong, Link." She started, disappointing herself. Why not play cards? Why not win? Why not live? Why not love? She met his eyes bravely, "But they're not wrong about my feelings."
Author's Note: Get it Zelda!