XXII: Escaping Duties

Before the Calamity

Link's POV:

Zelda told me that night that she needed to return to the Castle at some point to see her father. We decided that we would depart for Central Hyrule in the morning.

Ever since I told her why I was silent all the time, it felt like she had a part of me that nobody else had or... knew existed. It was a strange feeling- having someone who knew one small thing about you yet they knew more than anyone in the world knew.

When Zelda was in danger, I retracted into silence. It wasn't because I didn't want to talk to her... It was because the burden of failing to protect her that I carried grew heavier the more times she was threatened. I wanted to carry it silently... I didn't want her to worry.

Zelda was by no means a burden. In fact, she lifted some of my burdens. It was nice to have a friend. I just couldn't let her in sometimes... I often felt like the silent darkness and pain I carried inside of me would dim her radiant light. I didn't want to plague her with the darkness that haunted me.

However, she was a piece of work. I grew more and more worried about her, for she kept running away from me. The second that I let her out of my sight, she almost gets killed by the Yiga, and even when I'm trying to comfort her, she runs from me then. I want her to be happy but I need her to be safe.

In the morning, I woke at the Gerudo Canyon Stable. I saddled Storm and Epona before Zelda woke up, and I cooked her a fruit cake for breakfast. I believed she told me once it was her favorite food...

I waited eagerly for my friend to wake up. When she finally did, she gratefully accepted the fruit cake and we soon rode off through the Gerudo Canyons on our way to Hyrule Castle.

The start of a ride was always slow. It took Zelda a while to get in rhythm with her horse, but once she did, it was quite peaceful for the both of us. We rode along together for what seemed like an hour before either of us said anything.

After a while of admiring the scenery, Zelda spoke.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, Link."

I looked at her, signaling for her to elaborate.

"With everything that's going on, it... it feels like an escape with you. I clutch onto that. There are few places in this world that I can escape my duties. I'm sorry that I-" she paused, followed by a sigh. "I'm sorry that I tried to make you escape your duties so I could escape mine. Please, I hope that you will forgive me."

I looked down and thought for a little bit. I had a lot to say but I still felt guilty for nearly failing to protect her earlier, so I kept what I wanted to say mostly to myself.

"It's ok. You shouldn't blame yourself for this," I said. I truly wanted to talk to her. It was almost like it wasn't my choice to not talk to her... like I was being drowned by some force inside of me that wouldn't let me speak.

"Maybe," Zelda said with a soft smile, "Maybe, I'll get you to open up bit by bit. There's no need to rush." She looked at me with a hopeful grin lacing her face. I smiled too. That sounded nice.

Zelda liked talking to the travelers. As they frequently came on foot, she would stop to speak with them and ask them about their journey. They often looked shocked to run into the Princess of Hyrule, and even more shocked that she actually spoke to them. Sometimes, she insisted that I traded with them. She was so lively and excited when she could escape the constant pressure of harnessing her power. It was sweet.

Traveling took a toll on us after a while. We grew weary from hours in the saddle, and I began to keep an eye out for places where we could take shelter. Eventually, I spotted a cave that we could rest in until the morning.

"Let's stop here," I said as we neared it. Zelda agreed delightfully and dismounted Storm. I tied our horses to a tree with enough slack so that they could graze. Then, I removed the saddle packs and walked into the cave.

"Not really suited for a Princess," Zelda laughed. I looked at her, wondering if she meant that she didn't want to stay there. She immediately read my face and said, "No, no! I'm not complaining at all. In fact, I'm rather excited! It's just not my usual shelter, that's all."

We only had space to pack one cot, so of course Zelda would use it. I set it up in the corner of the cave and scanned for any Keese. I found none, so I dropped to the floor and built a fire for warmth. I turned around and saw that Zelda had changed her clothes. It didn't get extremely cold at night where we were- I sensed we were probably 3 hours away from Hyrule field. However, it was still wise to dress warmly.

I sat, gazing into the flames as time seemed to disappear. I got lost quite easily sitting by the fire. 

I looked up and noticed that Zelda fell asleep. Knowing that she was out, I lied down next to the fire and drifted to sleep. I kept the Master Sword close by.