Gerudo City
"Apologies," Zelda said immediately. Link had told her that Rija had known about him being a voe instead of a vai, but no one else did. "You do know of the interesting vai at my side?"
"Yes, I know that particular 'vai' is a 'voe'," Rija said. "I know it very well. Your Knight is welcome, as long as he doesn't reveal his identity."
Tradition. Zelda bowed. "Thank you for understanding." Link refused to let her just go into the city on her own. He'd rather dress up and break their laws then leave her be, so she had to make sure Rija knew.
"What's that?"
Zelda pulled herself back up, noticing the gesture Rija was giving her.
"That wound. You have a wound?" Rija had seen something. "I could only see some while you bowed, but you have a deep wound. A healer should look at it."
"It's being taken care of." Oh no. Now someone besides her guards knew about the wound. "An accident. It will heal."
"How would Link ever let you get into an accident?" Rija knew Link well.
"I moved away too fast with different guards at the time." Zelda hated to roll over on the other two, but it was a tough situation. "They tried. They were volunteer guards before I started to pay them, but they weren't trained for the same kind of combat."
"Well. I hope it heals." Rija looked at her funny. "Which creature made that mark, if I may ask?"
Nothing makes these marks. Anything that could would have torn her apart. "We were surrounded with many different monsters," Zelda said. "I don't know which one did. It will be healed soon though, I'm sure it's starting to scar already." Zelda, you liar. This is not right, I should not lie. But I cannot just tell her the truth. I don't know her. She had known Urbosa. She didn't know Rija. Not one bit. Enough digging and the truth would come out. Zelda bowed, though not as low, and politely said goodbye. She swiftly left the city with Link right behind her.
They had both gone back to the Daqo Chisay shrine, right outside the city. "That was too close," she said to Link before they left.
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Center Hyrule:
They both had arrived near Center Hyrule. "Just too close," Zelda finished. "I can't risk bowing." She felt her marks through her outfit. It was just too dangerous. "I need to find different clothes for Gerudo's climate, that will still hide my top when bowing better." She looked at Link. "Yours most definitely wouldn't work. The belly would be fine, but the top is cut too low, it would show everything." Hmm. "Maybe I could buy a top and modify it? While it looks suspicious in a way, if I keep the belly area open it may look less like I'm trying to hide the top area." Link gave her a funny look. "What?"
"Ayye." Link didn't like that. "King Rhoam would have killed me if you did that before."
"If I think it's a better idea to bow safely with enhanced clothes, then I should," Zelda fought him on the idea. She watched his eyes wander around her clothes, probably seeing if she could modify them. "I know how to design and create clothes, Link." She had even designed the champion's clothes. "It would be better to modify Gerudo clothes, instead of change this outfit. There will be too many questions about why I changed it." Link had to admit she was right about that.
It had been so quick. They were still standing on the shrine, Link was used to fast travel, and Zelda couldn't blame him.
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Outside Gerudo City
"Oh, your back?"
Zelda looked around herself. Link was leaving back to the entrance like it was nothing to him. Meanwhile, of course the guards remembered the princess. Why was she coming back they would want to know. It was in their eyes as she passed them with Link. As they went into the city, more people looked at them until they came to the clothing lady. "I came back for an actual outfit. I decided it would be more customary to visit with your own traditional garments."
The clothing lady sold her the outfit, but still. The guards watched them more closely as they left this time.
"Maybe we should go to the bazaar," Zelda suggested as they went out. Link shook his head. They guarded those entry ways 24/7 even a change would notice that they came back and strolled over to the shrine. "One day and people will already know."
Link didn't respond but headed toward the shrine.
It was bound to happen. Zelda knew that.
She just didn't want it to happen that fast.
Royalty at the speed of light. The articles coming out were all about the traveling. Link said it was going to happen, no one traveled anywhere that fast, but it didn't even take three days to discover their secret. People around Hyrule were coming to the castle to request her to visit certain spots where people had lived that were far outside the normal distance to keep them informed. Zora's Domain had wanted her to find great spots of luminosity stone at night atop the towers. Gerudo wanted her to visit different areas to see if she spotted any hidden yiga clan members and could write down their location so they could be stopped later before they hurt someone. Rito Village and Goron City had not asked anything of her, but it was only a matter of time.
She was also expected to start visiting the areas to oversee all of the reconstruction. Everyday. It was all just a jaunt away. It honestly was, none of those tasks were hard or seemed hard to do. It was a great way to prove the royalty of Hyrule was on top of everything.
However. The more she associated, the more she opened herself up, the more she interacted, the bigger the chances her secret would be found. And for every good thing she did for the world, the articles from Nutcake Girl still made people wonder. Now they were wondering how she traveled through ancient technology if only the Chosen Hero was supposed to travel through it. Why couldn't Link take anyone else? At least, it helped explain her presence at springs.
But one good thing out of so many things that could go wrong. It's under your clothes. No one can see under your clothes. She told it to herself daily. She had even fixed a Gerudo outfit that allowed her to fully bow without showing off anything.
She was showing Hino, Brigdo, Nekk and Link it that night. She bowed and looked up. "Anything at all?"
"Nope," Hino said with Nekk.
Brigdo and Link didn't speak right away.
"Are you sure nothing is showing?" She asked again. She looked at the outfit.
"N-no! You look stunning in it, is all," Brigdo settled with. He smiled awkwardly.
She looked toward Link. Of course, he didn't like the belly showing. Royalty shouldn't be showing like that, to him. When she was younger though, her and her mother wore those outfits more often than he knew.
Link didn't say anything. Just a disapproving look.
My father isn't here to kill you, Link, so could it kill you not to baby me?" He wouldn't risk saying anything. "Is it safe enough, Link?" That's all she wanted to know.
Link stepped forward and looked. He wouldn't touch it. Too close. He finally gave a slight nod of his head.
"I won't bow more than needed." She could promise him that.
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Goddess Spring
Link kept his back turned, the top of his sword on the ground and held it ready for anything. Especially with the extra noise Princess Zelda was making. This visit would not end as well.
"Please. Please understand," he heard from behind. "Please, this isn't enough. This is so much less. My devotion has stayed steady, I am continuing to pray and ask for help. I am here, for you, and for the kingdom."
Link heard it respond.
Nothing lasts forever, unless it is meant too. You are healed enough, to continue your journeys.
"I can see the malice upon my shirt. The wounds never heal but you always remove it. If anyone were to see it, it would be the end of me. Please. Please."
Link could hear her reaching the end of her rope. The goddesses were not letting this go anymore.
"It's a little less clean," she said to him, coming around him, now fully dressed. Yet, there were smudges of black. "Usually I change into a different outfit. Something cleaner. This time, I can't even tell I did."
Link noticed it too. Towards the time where she wanted to pray at the springs, the familiar black and pink often stained her clothes a little. He could still see it. "It will come out." He tried to say something to make her feel better.
"I know, Link, but if they get stained black and pink every time, then it doesn't matter if it comes out." She touched the top of her clothes and pulled her hand away. A small amount of malice stuck to her fingers. "If it were his, it would kill someone. It doesn't even burn me. That never made me feel good."
Link touched her hand. The malice didn't burn. "Evil makes it burn." That made sense. "You aren't evil."
"The goddess spoke to me like I was a child, begging for a toy. I ask for help not to be a bother, but because I don't know what else to do." She touched her clothes again. It was soaking deeper. "They want me to do something, to take care of it myself, but they won't tell me how. Who even knows about malice and monsters beyond fighting them for their lives?"
Who knew about monsters? Hmm. If the goddesses thought there was something she could do, then there was only one person they could go see.
A man that only came out at night.
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