Yawning, I stretched, trying to convince myself to rouse from bed. A day had passed since Link and I discovered where the Yiga's hideout was. Natuma had led a group of Gerudo warriors into the Karusa Valley yesterday, confirming the location of the Yiga. They had run into a small group of Yiga along the way, but returned with minor injuries thankfully. Since then, no new plans had been made on what to do about the Yiga. And in actuality Urbosa probably wouldn't rush into battle against them, rather collect more information on them first.
Beyond dealing with the Yiga, Link and I had spent the day getting ready to leave Gerudo Town, knowing it was time we were on our way. We had stocked up on provisions and I informed Urbosa that we would be leaving today. She smiled, however I could see the sadness in her eyes. I too would miss Urbosa until next we saw each other.
A knock came from my door, and I groaned, not ready to get up. Lifting my head, I huffed, blowing my hair out of my face. I frowned as I looked at the door and then rolled out of bed and sluggishly made my way to the door. I had expected Link on the other end, thus was surprised to see Urbosa.
"Urbosa!" I breathed, a hand going to my hair, fruitlessly trying to put it in order.
"Sorry to wake you Zelda." She gave me an amused smile, "But I was hoping you would join me for tea."
"O-of course." I stammered, not expecting her request. "I'll be right there, just let me change."
Urbosa dipped her head, "Take your time, Little Bird." With that she left and I quickly rushed back into my room, throwing on my desert clothes. Braiding my hair, I left my room, finishing the braid as soon as I entered the main part of the palace. A small table had been set up next to the throne, two cushions on opposite sides of it. Urbosa was already sitting at the table, which had a teapot and two cups on it. Swiftly, I joined Urbosa, happy to have this one last moment with her before I departed.
"I'm happy you could join me." Urbosa lifted her cup of tea to me. I joined her, out cups clinking together. The tea was cold and had a pleasant aroma along with a sharp flavor that jarred me awake. Fire brew tea wasn't my favorite tea, but I had learned to like it, especially on early mornings.
"I'm surprised you're up so early, Urbosa." I said, my eyes looking over the desert, much of it still dark as dawn's light hadn't yet reached it.
Urbosa shrugged, "I woke up early and couldn't fall back to sleep. Too much on my mind."
I nodded in understanding. There was certainly much for her to think about right now. "What will you do about the Yiga?" I asked, curious.
"I suppose for now we will observe them. I'd rather not start a war with then right now when we are preparing for Calamity Ganon's return."
I nodded, taking a sip of my tea. "You are our ally, Urbosa. We can send troops here to help aid you if you do decide to fight the Yiga. They do wish for the return of Calamity Ganon and will stop at nothing to help him return."
"Thank you, Zelda. We probably will have to fight them then eventually." Urbosa sighed, "Hard times are coming."
"Yes. They are." I stared at my tea, feeling a hollowness in my gut.
"You're off to Tabantha next?" Urbosa asked, changing the subject.
"Yes. I must talk with Elder Kallo." I replied. "Although I am looking forward to seeing Master Falnor."
"Ah, your archery instructor. I'm sure it will be nice to see him once more." Urbosa took a sip of tea, "Will you ask Falnor to be the Rito Champion?"
I shook my head, "No. I don't think he is up for the role of champion. He's older now and has left battle behind. He only wishes to teach now."
"I see." Urbosa mused, contemplating, "And then there will be Daruk of the Gorons, and a Zora."
"That is the plan." I stated.
"And after that, what then?" Urbosa inquired.
"I plan on calling all the champions to Hyrule Castle to discuss matters. By then we will know the power each champion possesses and we can go over how best to use them as well as who should be positioned where."
Urbosa nodded. "Then I will patiently await to hear word from you to come to Hyrule Castle." She lifted her cup of tea once more and then downed it in one gulp. "Until then, good luck Little Bird and safe travels." Then her eyes looked past me, "And you take good care of her, Link." She winked and I turned my head to see Link was standing at the far end of the room, his backpack and sword with him, clearly ready to leave.
I turned back to Urbosa, "I guess it's time."
"Don't look so sad, Little Bird. We will see each other soon enough."
I smiled softly back at her. "I know. But I will miss you."
"And I will miss you too." We stood, walked around the table, and hugged. From there I ran back to my room to collect my things and once that was done, the three of us were once more all in the throne room.
"Goodbye Urbosa." I waved to her, my throat aching as I held back tears.
"Goodbye Little Bird. Goodbye, Link." She returned my wave and to my surprise, Link gave a small wave too. Then I turned away and began to descend the stairs, leaving the familiarity of the palace behind. While I did this, Link went to the other side of the Palace, ready to slip out the back and meet me in front.
The courtyard was very quiet this early in the morning. I made my way through it quickly and before long, the northern gates were in front of me, two Gerudo guards by them. I nodded to both of them and they gave a small wave. And then my eyes fell upon Link, who was waiting by the tent set up outside Gerudo Town.
Seeing me, he ran over to me and I grinned at him, happy to have him at my side. "Let's go." I said and then we started walking back towards the stables.
We spent most of the day traveling back to the stables. We stopped for a while at the Kara Kara Bazaar to get out of the heat and cool off, but we were soon on our way again. By late afternoon we had arrived at the stables, the cool air of the canyon a wonderful reprieve from the intense heat of the desert.
Once back at the stables, I talked with the stable owner while Link went to check on the horses. Retrieving the rest of the stuff from the owner, I deposited it onto two beds I had got for the night. Then I went to find Link, excited to see Icefire once more. He was probably mad at me for leaving him for so long.
Rounding the corner to where the horses were kept, my eyes instantly found Link and our two horses. His horse, Epona, was gently nudging him, happy to see her owner. Icefire also looked happy to see a familiar face. Smiling, I walked over to them and as Icefire turned his head to look at me he let out an excited neigh. I laughed and quickly began to stroke his nose, happy to see my white stallion.
"It looks like they missed us." I said to Link as Icefire nuzzled me.
"We did leave them for a while." Link mused.
"I'm just glad Icefire isn't mad at me." I voiced, "He doesn't like being left behind."
"Epona doesn't either, although she doesn't usually get mad at me." Link responded, his hand scratching Epona's chin.
We stayed with the horses for a bit longer, but eventually returned to the stables. Link busied himself with cooking while I reorganized all my belongings, shifting the stuff I brought with me to the desert back into my saddle bags. Once this was finished, I went out to join Link around the fire, who was almost done cooking.
Handing me a bowl of food, the two of us sat around the fire, enjoying the hot food and the cool breeze blowing through the canyon. Looking down at myself, I realized I was still in my Gerudo clothes. Next to me, Link also was still in his desert clothes; it appeared we had both gotten quite used to wearing them.
"I assume you're familiar with how to get to Rito Village?" I asked Link, trying to start a conversation. Although we had spent most of the day together, we had barely talked.
Link nodded, swallowing a bite of food. "Yeah, although I've never traveled there from here."
"It's pretty simple. We just have to follow the road out of the canyon and then we'll be spit out back into Central." I informed, stirring my food. "Are you looking forward to being back there?"
"Yes, I have a few good friends there too... although one is more of a rival."
"Oh?" I inquired, curious to learn more about the knight.
Link shrugged, "Yeah, his name is Revali. We used to train a lot together when I lived in Rito Village." Link's eyes glanced at me and he arched an eyebrow, contemplating something. "Actually, the two of you will probably get along pretty well."
"Revali and I?"
Link nodded, "Yes. You're both great archers and you might... appreciate his opinions about me."
I furrowed my brows, "His opinions?"
Link scratched the back of his neck, looking away from me. "You'll see for yourself."
I stared at Link for a moment, but then shrugged, letting the topic go. He was correct, I'd probably meet his rival soon enough. Although my interest had been piqued; what was this Rito like? He must have been quite skilled to rival Link. As a Rito, his skills would be none less than phenomenal, however as far as I knew Link was an average archer, or at least he made it seem that way. If this Revali truly was Link's rival, then he must have been skilled in an array of weapons as well. It would be interesting to meet someone as talented as Link. I wondered if he was as quiet as Link.
My attention was brought back from my thoughts as I saw Link standing up, a hand going to his mouth to cover a yawn. "Well, I think I'm going to head in. Care to join me?" He asked, offering a hand towards me. I extended my arm, taking his hand gingerly. He gave a slight pull and a second later I was on my feet, my eyes locked on the handsome knight before me, making me blush. "What time did you want to leave in the morning?" He asked.
I cleared my throat, trying to calm myself, "I'm in no rush to get to Rito Village. We can leave later in the morning or early afternoon tomorrow."
Link nodded, "I guess we'll be camping out then. We probably won't make it to the Tabantha Bridge Stable."
I grinned, "Well this makes up for not camping out in the desert."
Link laughed lightly, "Is that so?" He thought for a moment and then added, "Actually, I think I have a place in mind we can camp at along the way. We should make it there tomorrow. I think you'll like it."
"What is it?" I asked.
Link smiled at me, his blue eyes glistening, "Now that's a surprise, Zelda."
We left later in the morning, eating a nice breakfast first and then packing all our stuff. I finally changed back into my normal attire and Link was once more in his bright blue champion's tunic. With that we saddled our horses and were off, making our way through the canyon at a decent pace. It was a pleasant morning, but it was hard to enjoy it as I was on alert, scanning my surroundings. After the events that had transpired with the Yiga, I was quite certain when we had originally come through the Canyon Pass, the flash of crimson I saw was a Yiga member. Had they been tracking me since then? Or even before? How did we know they weren't tracking us now and would continue to do so as we made our way through Hyrule?
I sighed. There wasn't much we could do at this point. I glanced at Link who was riding at my side. A smile graced my face and a feeling of reassurance flowed through me. If anything did happen, I felt confident the two of us could handle it.
Eventually the rocky cliffs on either side of us opened up and Digdogg Suspension Bridge came into view. The wooden boards clanked as the horses trotted over them. Looking to the East, I saw the Great Plateau, rising high above most of Hyrule. A waterfall spewed from the River of the dead and plummeted into the waters far below us.
"Have you ever been to the Great Plateau?" I asked Link, my eyes fixed on the gray brick walls that encased the area next to us.
Link turned to me, not expecting my question. His blue eyes darted to the fortress beside us and he shook his head. "No. Isn't it sacred?"
"I don't know if I'd call it sacred, but it is an important piece of Hyrule history. Ancient tales say the kingdom of Hyrule originated there. But as of right now, we sometimes use it to train the Hylian military and use it as a fortress to retreat to in case of invasion." I expounded. "In the past it was a place of worship; the Temple of Time is located on the Great Plateau."
Link nodded, his eyes coming to look at me, "You certainly know a lot about Hyrule."
"It's called an education, Link." I replied, "Did you not have to take history lessons?"
Link thought for a moment, a finger coming to his chin, "I guess not. I spent most of my childhood traveling with my father, so the only formal education I got was reading and writing. The rest of the time I spent training."
"Hmmm." I said, "You kind of lucked out then. Although it's important, history was a rather dull subject."
Link arched an eyebrow, "There was actually something you didn't like learning about?"
"Are there weapons you don't like to use?" I retorted.
Link laughed, "Fair point. I suppose there's a few weapons I don't care for."
"Like what?" I asked, "What weapon isn't good enough for the Hero of Hyrule?" I teased.
Link's eyes widened, a small smirk playing at his lips. "Hero of Hyrule?"
"That's what they called the ancient Hero who defeated Calamity Ganon 10,000 years ago." I explained, "You wield the Master Sword just as he did, thus it seems a fitting title."
"You could also be the Hero of Hyrule." Link countered.
I shook my head, "I'm the Princess from that tale. She had Goddess-bestowed powers like I'm supposed to have. Which makes you the Hero of Hyrule." I pointed a finger at him, a wide grin on my face. "Perhaps that should be your new title: Link, the Hero of Hyrule!"
Link gave an unease look, his hand coming back to scratch his head. "I'm not so sure about that."
"No?" I laughed.
Link shrugged, his cheeks reddening. "You're just as much a hero as I am."
My eyes met Link's. I felt heat rise to my face and looked down at my reins. "I don't think many people would agree with you." I muttered, not expecting his complement.
"Zelda." He called my name, making me look back up at him. "They're wrong." We stared at each other for several long seconds.
Finding my voice, I whispered, "Thanks Link." We fell quiet then, butterflies swarming in my stomach.
"For as much time as I've spent in Zora's domain, I'm actually not a big fan of the trident." Link finally spoke. His words seemed out of context, however I quickly recalled my original question before we got off topic.
"Tridents?" I paused, not sure what I was expecting him to say. "I don't think I've ever used one."
"Have you used a spear?" Link asked.
An image of the lizalfos fight flashed in my mind. "Briefly."
"It's similar to using a spear." Link informed, "But the weight is different. It's a little awkward on a trident if you aren't used to them."
"I see." I replied, happy to learn more about Link.
He arched an eyebrow at me, "I know you seem to be a fan, but I don't care for brass knuckles either."
"You don't really seem like a hand-to-hand fighter." I remarked, "So it makes sense you wouldn't appreciate them."
Link laughed, "That's true. My hand-to-hand combat is probably my weakest skill."
My eyes lit up at this, a smile growing on my face. "Is that so?"
Link eyed me curiously. "Does the Princess think she can take me in a fight?"
"I can dream."
"You're better at archery than I am." Link offered.
"I'll take it." We both laughed. Looking ahead of us, I saw the Outskirt Stable coming into view. We had left behind the Canyon and now vibrant vegetation adored the landscape. Green seemed so foreign after weeks in the desert. But it was a welcome change - the lush green grass, the sway of green leaves... all of it was so breathtaking.
We continued on past the stables, the sun high in the sky. The road eventually veered West, the Gerudo Highlands looming before us, their snowy tops shrouded in clouds. Directly in front of us was the Safula Hill, a small rocky mound of earth with a small, grassy valley between it and Satori Mountain.
The horses chantered onwards, their hooves thudding against the Manhala Bridge as we left Central and entered Ridgeland, Dalite Forest coming into view. The forest looked strangely refreshing to me after being in the desert where there was nothing but open sand sporadically scattered with cacti. I took a deep breath, simply enjoying the ride. To my left, Satori Mountain rose, covered in trees and bushes. I had never been to Satori Mountain before, but had ridden past it several times; on all occasions I could not help but marvel at its beauty. The mountain was bursting with life, every inch of it covered in some form of life it seemed, from scraggly grass to plump trees and supple mushrooms.
I shifted my sights away from Satori Mountain and towards the road ahead, the outline of Sanidin Park coming into view and beyond that was Hyrule Castle. The sun was sinking lower in the West, thus Link and I would need to find a place to camp for the night soon. Perhaps setting up camp near the Park would work for tonight. However it was then I remembered that Link mentioned he had a place in mind to camp.
As we came upon Sanidin Park, I tugged at my reins, slowing Icefire down until he stopped. Beside me, Link did the same, Epona stopping next to me. The road curved around a tall statue of a horse rearing back on its hind legs, the horse proud and strong. The park was quite lovely, the grass bright green and a little water fountain was farther behind the horse, under the shade of two trees. It had been awhile since I visited Sanidin Park, however it seemed the same, always unchanging. A pang went through my chest. Coming here always made me think of my mother, for she had often brought me here as a child. Some of the few memories I still had of her were the two of us here.
"Zelda?" Link called my name, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Where did you want to camp tonight?" I asked Link as if nothing had happened. "We should probably start thinking about setting up camp.
Link looked at me for a moment longer, but then he responded, "I know a nice place on Satori Mountain we can camp. My father used to take my sister and I there. It's not far and our horses can make it up too."
I blinked at him, my eyes shifting to the mountain behind him. "I've never been up there."
"It's very pretty. I think you'll like it." He smiled.
I nodded, "Well, lead the way." With that Link spurred his horse into motion, walking through the park. I followed close behind. Once through the park, we veered left into the valley, and as we neared the base of the mountain, I saw what looked like a pathway, not too steep that the horses couldn't climb it.
We started up the incline, rocks on either side of us. The path ahead turned right and we continued to climb, the sky turning purple overhead as the sun neared the horizon. Three pointed rocks came into view, their peaks just visible, positioned so they formed a triangle. My eyes fell back from the peaks and rested on the path before me. Little shrubs, mushrooms, and flowers decorated the pathway as we went, some growing out of the rocks besides us.
Soon the peaks grew as we neared the top of the mountain and the incline began to flatten. Reaching the top, I let out a gasp, awe filling me. Before me was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever laid eyes upon. There was a small pond which shimmered yellows, oranges, and purples, reflecting the sunset. The water was crystal clear, revealing a sandy bottom scattered with various sized rocks. The surface of the pond was littered with pink petals, which fell from the colossal tree on the other side of the pond. It was a truly marvelous tree, the trunk thick and sturdy with rugged, dark brown bark. The branches of the tree were adorned completely with pink cherry blossoms, the petals fluttering in the wind. The ground beneath the tree was covered in a blanket of pink petals, however some tufts of green were still visible in areas.
To the left of the beautiful tree were the three rocks I had seen earlier that jutted towards the sky. A small pathway was between them, leading somewhere out of view. To the right, there was rocky terrain splattered with grass, which dropped away at the edge of the mountain. Before us was a picturesque view of most of Hyrule. Straight ahead was Tabantha, the giant rock pillar that Rito Village was built around was but an outline in the distance. Beyond that was the ice glare of Hebra Mountain.
Dismounting, I looked behind me, gazing in wonderment at the land before me. Dueling Peaks was just across from us, appearing from this far away to be two halves of a whole that was mysteriously cracked eons ago. Past Dueling Peaks was the soaring peak of Mount Lanayru, home to the Spring of Wisdom. My eyes stared at the peak for several seconds and then gilded northwards, stopping on the ominous volcanic mountain that the Gorons called home: Death Mountain. The glare of red lava was visible even from this distance.
My eyes continued to wander, taking in the astounding beauty of Hyrule. There were many times in my life I loathed being a Princess and the responsibilities it put on me. However, gazing out at Hyrule now, I felt a strong wave of affection for the kingdom and would do whatever I could to protect it.
"Zelda?"
I turned back, finding Link had dismounted Epona. His eyes were on me, a small smile on his face. "It's gorgeous, Link." I whispered.
"I'm glad you like it." With a firm shake of my head, I grabbed Icefire's reigns and turned away from the view, my eyes quickly glancing at Hyrule Castle as I did so. Leading Icefire around the pond, we stopped on the other side of the Sakura tree. With haste, I pulled the tent from my saddle bag and found a level place close by to set it up. Link quickly found some branches to start a fire and before long the tent was up, the horses were grazing by the pond, and a fire was roaring to life.
The last rays of daylight were disappearing as the sun sank lower, the soft glow of the fire the only other light source. I walked over to Link, who was busy cooking dinner, which appeared to be some kind of stew with mushrooms, radish, carrots, and rice. It smelled heavenly.
Wandering over to the three large stones, I walked directly through the path that cut through them. My eyes wandered to the sky, the glow of several faint stars appearing. From my peripheral, I saw something glowing blue, however it was for but an instant. Turning in the direction I had seen the glow, I crept over to the spot as stealthy as I could, summoning all my years of Sheikah training. Crouching next to one of the giant rocks, I peered around the edge, my eyes instantly finding their query.
What greeted me was something I had never seen before, and I stared dumbfounded for several long seconds as I tried to figure out what exactly I was looking at. The creature was small, looking almost like a rabbit, however it glowed brilliant blue and its head was different from a rabbits. The ears were more like wispy fronds and the animal's face was flattened, like that of an owl.
Watching the luminescent being, I wished I had the Slate on me for I had never seen anything like this animal in my life. I yearned to know what it was. And what made it glow like that? So much brighter and more dazzling than the luminescence given off by fireflies. I felt my fingers itch at the prospect of discovering the mystery. Bioluminescence was a fascinating subject and I believed had important applications, such as nature-powered lighting. The reaction fireflies used was so small, thus scaling it up was a challenge, but perhaps understanding the mechanism this animal employed-
The sound of a twig snapping brought me back to reality. The glowing creature before me heard it too, it's flat face looking up in alarm. It stared in my direction for a moment and then scurried off, much to my dismay. I pouted, but it was then I recalled the trig snapping and wondered what had caused the noise. I grabbed my bow and looked behind me.
A figure suddenly appeared from around one of the rocks and I quickly grabbed an arrow. "Zelda?" A familiar voice called, making me relax. My fingers let go of the arrow my palm had just enclosed around, the arrow falling back into the quiver. "Dinner is ready."
"Link, do you know anything about glowing rabbit-like creatures?" I asked, taking the knight by surprise.
"You mean blupees?" He supplied.
"Is that what they're called?" I asked, growing eager.
Link laughed, "It's pretty rare to see one, but they are known to live on Satori Mountain." He waved a hand at me, "Come, let's go back to the campsite."
I nodded, quickly following behind Link. As we returned to the campsite, the aroma of food wafted through the air, making my stomach grumble. We sat around the fire and Link dished us both brimming bowls of stew. I blew on mine before I began to eat, the contents hot. "So what are these blupees?" I asked, taking my first spoonful.
Link shrugged, "They're legendary creatures, very rare to come across and only appearing at night. I saw several during my time camping at Satori Mountain with my father and sister. But it's been many years since I've seen any. My father used to say they bring good omens."
"Well we could use good omens." I said, stirring my stew. "But what's so special about Satori Mountain that they live here?"
"I think blupees can be found in other forests, however they seem to be more prevalent here. It's probably because this is the home of the Lord of the Mountain."
"Lord of the Mountain?" I inquired.
"I'm surprised you've never heard of it. It was a common children's tale." Link started, "According to the fable, Satori Mountain is the home to a mythical creature that glows blue just like the blupees. This being has been named the Lord of the Mountain. It is said the Lord of the Mountain watches over the Kingdom of Hyrule and the creatures of the forest. Sanctuary can also be found on Satori Mountain as the Lord of the Mountain permits no evil in his domain."
I listened to Link's story, wondering if such a creature actually existed. "Have you ever seen the Lord of the Mountain?" I asked as Link finished.
"No. The Lord of the Mountain is elusive and avoids humans for the most part. You'd have to be really stealthy and hide on the mountain for days until he showed himself." Link answered.
"That makes sense." I said, "If I was the Lord of the Mountain, I'd want to avoid humans too."
"Oh really?" Link arched and eyebrow.
"I mean, if I stumbled across some strange creature, I think one of the last things I'd do is check to see if it was friendly." I replied, taking another bite of stew.
"Fair. The biologist in you would want to study it." Link smiled, his voice teasing.
"You're probably right." I said, "After the initial surprise of seeing the blupee, I wanted to figure out what made it glow."
Link laughed, "Can't just accept magic as the answer?"
I looked at Link dully, "Everything has an explanation."
Link shrugged, standing up to refill his bowl. "Sometimes things don't need to be explained. You can just enjoy them as they are. Like when we saw Farosh."
"Yes, but the dragon's abilities can be explained by scientific principles." I countered, "For instance, in Farosh's case, his ability to harness electricity could be similar to Voltfin trout, which have an organ that stores electrical currents they collect during thunderstorms."
"Wow, that explanation just sucked the wonder out of it." Link said, his eyes wide.
I frowned, "Just because something can be explained doesn't mean it still can't be appreciated. In fact to me, it makes it even more wonderous."
Link gave me a thoughtful look, "I suppose that's true." He smiled, "But I prefer the magic explanation."
I sighed, "Of course."
Finishing our stew, we quickly cleaned up and then sat around the fire, staring up at the sky above which was mostly clear except for a few wisps of clouds. The moon was but a thin crescent, it's reflection illuminating the pond next to us. A soft breeze ruffled the branches of the sakura tree, petals dancing around us.
"It's so pretty up here." I murmured, captivated by the Mountain.
"Yes." Link agreed. "My sister and I always loved coming to Satori Mountain to camp."
"Did your father take you here often?" I asked.
Link smiled, "Not as often as we would have liked."
I gave a slight laugh, "I can understand that. I'd want to come here all the time."
There was a pause in our conversation, but after a moment, Link suddenly spoke, "We could come back here, if you want."
My eyes glanced up at Link, his blue irises dancing with the light of the fire in them. "I'd like that." I replied, knowing that my father would never allow it, but the thought of coming here with Link to get away for a while was tantalizing. It felt like Link and I were in our own little world atop the mountain, gazing out at all of Hyrule.
My eyes once more shifted to the knight across from me, his legs crossed and hands back, supporting him up. The dark purple hilt of his sword glistened in the firelight and his blue eyes were looking at me, a soft smile on his face. And then for some reason, I felt the urge to talk about something I hardly ever talked about with anyone anymore, even Urbosa.
"When I was very young, my mother used to take me on adventures. We never went camping like you did, but we would ride together and the Sanidin Park was a place we frequented." Memories of my mother's face filled my mind, the echo of her laughter faint. Biting my lip, I cast my eyes away from Link, looking out into the black evening, trying to find something interesting to look at. I wasn't sure why I had brought my mother up. I hardly ever talked about her anymore.
The silence between Link and I lengthened, making me regret bringing up the delicate topic. Then, "If I may ask, what was the Queen like?" Link's voice was soft, and glancing back at him, I saw sympathy in his eyes. I suddenly felt much calmer.
I swallowed, staring at the fire, recalling the pieces I had left of my mother. "She was a very strong person." I started. "She seemed to always know what to do. People have told me she was a great leader and fostered healthy relationships between the clans of this land. But I don't really recall much about her as the Queen. I just remember her as my mother." I paused, my throat aching. "She always listened and encouraged me."
I stopped, afraid the emotions inside me would overcome me. It had been so long since I thought about my mother - her golden hair, her bright smile, her calm demeanor, her gentle voice.
I took a deep, shaky breath, trying to get ahold of myself and the turmoil inside. As I did this, I heard a shifting noise and before I realized it, Link was sitting next to me, his hand lightly pressing on my knee. "I appreciate you sharing that with me." He said soothingly. "I know you must miss her a great deal."
I nodded, "I do." My voice cracked. Link's hand squeezed my knee. "It's been a long time since I've talked about her." My eyes looked over at him, meeting his twinkling orbs. "Thanks for listening."
He gave me a soft smile, making my chest swell with warmth and my heart flutter. "Any time Zelda. I'm always here if you want to talk." I stared into his blue eyes, feeling myself getting lost in them. There was something about Link that made me drawn to him, like moths to firelight... his presence was so calming and warm. I felt safe around him, and I didn't mean physically safe, although that is what his job was; rather he made me feel like I could be myself and share the unspoken thoughts and burdens I carried with him... and he would accept me for them. Despite my failures and shortcomings, he still accepted and respected me.
And that's all I ever wanted.
To be acknowledged and understood. Even if I wasn't good enough. Even if I never awakened this accursed power. I just wanted someone to still accept me as I was and recognize that even if I failed, I had still tried as hard as I could.
"Are you alright?" Link's voice sliced through my thoughts, bringing me back to the present.
"Ye-Yes." I stuttered, swiveling my head away to look at the fire, heat rising to my face. It was then Link released his hand from my knee and I felt him start to stand up. Before I realized what I was doing, my hand reached out, grabbing Link's blue tunic, stopping him from leaving. Link looked back at me, a questioning look on his countenance. "Sorry." I whispered, my hand instantly releasing his shirt.
Embarrassment radiated through me. What was wrong with me?
"I can stay." Link suddenly said. Not trusting my voice, I nodded. And once more Link was sitting next to me, his shoulder brushing against mine. More heat went to my face, but I felt better with him by my side.
Silence consumed us, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It seemed like there was nothing else that needed to be said and we could just relax in each other's presence. The fire crackled in front of us and a chilly breeze blew across the mountain, making me shiver.
Tomorrow we would set out for Rito Village and find the Rito Champion... someone swift like the wind. I sighed hoping I would be able to find whoever Hylia intended to be the Rito Champion and receive the Power of Air. I was curious to see what kind of abilities that power gave.
But that was tomorrow's battle. For tonight I would just enjoy the scenery of Satori Mountain as well as the presence of the knight beside me. Perhaps this knight was becoming more than just a friend to me.