Chapter Text
Zelda awoke to someone shaking her shoulder the next morning.
“Zelda, time for breakfast!” Aryll said cheerfully.
She yawned and nodded, getting up to dress in the clothes that Link had lent her. She still couldn’t believe the generosity they had shown her, giving her clothes, food, and a spare sleeping mat even though they hardly knew her. She followed Aryll out of her “room,” pushing aside the flap that sectioned off the girl’s sleeping quarters from the rest of the house. It wasn’t as private as a locking door, but it was better than sleeping out in the open as she had done while fleeing to the south.
Link was already awake, putting the finishing touches on their breakfast, talking to an older man about hunting. He looked up and gave Zelda a smile, which she returned with only a light blush.
“Uncle!” Aryll cried, throwing herself into his arms.
“There’s my little sunbeam!” He grinned, rubbing his knuckles on her head. He looked up at Zelda in greeting. “And it looks like our lovely sky-child survived the trip to the village.” He released Aryll to shake her hand. “Zelda, right? Just call me Uncle.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” she replied. “I hope I’m not imposing by being—”
“Shush!” Link said, shoving a bowl of rice and beans into her hands. “No more of that!”
Uncle laughed. “We like visitors, my dear, so no need to apologize. But you,” he grabbed the back of Link’s tunic, “Be polite to the young lady, didn’t I teach you better than that?”
Link chuckled. “Sorry,” he said to her, but she giggled, dismissing his apology.
The four ate breakfast, chatting about the hunting trip that Uncle had just returned from. Apparently Link had been with him, but rushed Zelda to the village when he found her injured. She almost apologized again for inconveniencing him, but stopped herself. They would just brush it off anyway. After their meal, she insisted once again that she help clean up the dishes, not wanting to appear ungrateful to their kindness.
“I hope you don’t mind hanging out with Uncle today,” Link said, gathering his sandals to leave for the day. “I have patrol duties this morning, and Aryll is apprenticed under the weavers, so we won’t be back till this afternoon.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Zelda said with a wave of her hand, “I’ll just help out around the house.”
“I wish you would rest,” he said, lacing his shoes. “You almost died a few days ago.”
“Really, I’m fine, Link,” she shook her head. “Your uncle and the herbalist healed me up, so I’ll okay.”
He frowned but didn’t argue, tying his hair back with a leather cord. “Just take it easy, okay?”
She smiled and nodded, waving off the two siblings, and the wolf who went with Link, for the day. She turned around and puffed out her cheeks. “So…Is there anything you need help with?” she asked Uncle, who sat by the hearth whittling a piece of wood.
“Oh there’s always something that needs helping with,” he replied easily, “Without a woman in the house, I’ve had to do most of the chores myself while Link and Aryll are out. Well, Link usually does the cooking anyway, so I don’t have to worry about that. You could help me with the laundry, though,” he said, setting aside his project.
Zelda beamed. “I’d be happy to!”
They went down to the river to soak the laundry in the warm water, scrubbing the articles with bars of soap against the rocks. The tattoos on her hands smarted when she touched the soap, but she paid them no mind, hurrying to finish washing her dress. Zelda was glad to finally get her clothes cleaned as they had become filthy during her trek from her village in Hyrule. She bit her lip and thought of her father.
He had to be worried sick. Though Zelda enjoyed spending time outdoors, her survival skills were lacking, which was no secret to her father or anyone else in the village. She wouldn’t be surprised if there were several search parties out looking for her now, hoping to find her alive, but prepared to find a corpse. It was a miracle that she had made it as far as Faron without starving or getting mauled by an animal. When the neighboring Zonai tribe had caught her and tried to sacrifice her, she thought it was the end. But then Link found her. Zelda smiled to herself.
He was truly unlike any other man she had met. Guys back home were either too timid, too arrogant, or, and she knew it was selfish, not very attractive. Link had been nothing but kind and sincere since she’d met him, and she wouldn’t deny that he was handsome. He almost reminded her of a knight back home, Pipit. Except quieter. And besides, Pipit was married to her best friend, Karane, so he was off the table anyway.
Link was likewise entirely different from her fiancé. Groose was the son of the Chancellor of a neighboring town, and their father’s had made a deal that Zelda would be wed to Groose, and his father would offer their little village his protection. Zelda couldn’t count how many times they’d been raided by bokoblins, so of course her father agreed. The Chancellor returned home and Groose stayed in her village in order for them to get to know each other, but he had no interest in her, besides forcing affection on her when they were together. If you could even call it affection.
She shuddered and pushed the thought from her mind, striking up a conversation with Uncle to distract herself.
Link and Aryll returned from their duties mid-afternoon about the time Zelda had finished up tidying the kitchen.
“Zelda, what do you think you’re doing?” Link said incredulously when he saw her.
“Dusting?” She let the rag she was holding drop to her side.
“Uncle!” he whirled on him, “How could you let a guest clean the house?”
But Uncle laughed heartily, glancing up from his woodworking. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he said. “And I would never presume to tell a woman what to do.”
“Still, it doesn’t feel right,” Link argued. “She’s a guest.”
“Oh, can it, Link,” Aryll gave him a shove, “Zelda’s our friend now.” She held up her hands, showing off the tattoos they had each gotten the day before as proof. Link sighed heavily.
Zelda frowned and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t want to lay around being useless,” she said.
“Fine,” he relented, “Just take it easy for now. And by the way," he sat down next to Uncle, “I ran into Chief on the way home, and he invited us over for dinner. Says he wants to meet Zelda.”
Her frown twisted into a grimace. “He’s probably suspicious of me,” she said.
“…Not exactly,” Link said quietly.
“‘Not exactly’?” Her eyebrows rose.
“He’s mostly curious. I told him about your circumstances, you know with that guy you’re supposed to marry,” Link continued. “And he wants to make sure you’re…okay.”
“I believe his exact words were ‘taken care of,’” Aryll supplied with a grin.
“Yes, well, same difference,” Link said, turning his red face away from them.
“Well,” Uncle stood and put his hands on his hips, “Let’s not keep the chief waiting! Come on.”
He led everyone to the largest house in the village, with two massive statues of owls standing guard at the edge of the garden.
“Chief!” Aryll called, running up the path. “We’re here!”'.
A tall, portly man came outside, greeting them with a grin. “Welcome! Welcome! It’s good to gather once again,” he said. He turned his smile on Zelda and held out his hand to shake hers. “It is an honor to meet a daughter of the Sky. I am Kaneli, Chief of the tribe of the Owl. It is Zelda, if I recall.” He swept his hand toward the house. “Please everyone come in. There is much to discuss before dinner.”
They entered into a large central room with a hearth in the middle much like Link’s family’s house, but unlike their house, the chief’s home had permanent walls and doors leading to other rooms. Kaneli bid them to sit, ordering a young boy to brew them coffee. He chatted with uncle while they waited for the boy to come back, bringing a tray upon which was a steaming teapot and cups. The chief accepted the tray, carefully pouring a cup for each of them.
“Guests first,” he said, handing Zelda a cup.
“Thank you.” She raised the cup to her lips, but Link put a hand on her arm.
“You should wait for the chief to drink first,” he said with a chuckle.
“Oh!” Zelda lowered the cup to her lap. “I’m sorry,” she said with a flush.
Kaneli laughed. “I don’t expect a Hylian to be familiar with all our customs,” he said, continuing to pass out cups of coffee. “The reason you wait for the host to eat or drink first is in case the dish was prepared incorrectly, and we can send the food back to the kitchen before the guests have to taste something bad. It shows that I appreciate your presence and want to offer you only the finest.” He took a drink of his own cup and nodded. “Excellent brew.” The others drank from their own cups and Zelda quickly did the same, wincing at the bitterness.
“Now,” the chief set his cup down, “Why are you here, Zelda?”
She bit her lip. “It’s a very long story. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Why not begin at the beginning?” Kaneli said patiently.
Zelda sighed. “My village is very small,” she started. “We’re often attacked by monsters and pillagers, so my father, the mayor, asked for the help of a nearby town. The chancellor agreed to send a militia of troops to protect our village if father agreed to marry me off to his son. I…I just wanted what was best for our people, so I said yes.
“The chancellor sent his son to stay in our village so that we could become close but…” Zelda squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I learned that my fiancé was not a nice man.” She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, staring into her coffee cup. “A few days before the wedding, I ran away. I was okay until I reached the jungle, but then another tribe found me and tried to sacrifice me. I escaped before they could tie me up, but they chased me and I had to jump over the waterfall. I guess that’s where Link found me.” He nodded in agreement.
“That was likely the tribe of the Boar that caught you,” Kaneli said. “They don’t like outsiders. Usually kill them on first sight.”
“I’m very grateful that you all have been so accepting of me,” Zelda bowed her head, “Because I’m sure I’d be dead by now if Link had not been there when he had.”
Kaneli cocked his head, giving her a small smile. “We Owls are far more accepting than the Boars. We believe in fate. You ran from them exactly when Link decided to check his hunting traps, putting him in the right place to save your life.” He paused to take another drink of coffee. “A coincidence like that is no coincidence at all.”
“Besides,” Uncle interjected, “If a warrior brings a stranger into the village, we must trust his judgment. He would never bring harm to us, so that means we can trust you.”
“Do you really have that much influence so as to bring a complete stranger into the heart of the village?” Zelda asked Link. He only shrugged, but Kaneli and Uncle laughed.
“I trust his judgment no matter the circumstance.”Kaneli said. “Link is our tribe’s greatest warrior!”
“I remember like it was yesterday,” Uncle said wistfully, “He was only fourteen at the time and decided to take on the Hinox Brothers.”
“Uncle, don’t tell that story,” Link said, ruffling his hair.
“No it’s a good one!” Uncle said with dramatic hand gestures. “Link had heard the older boys telling stories of the three Hinox Brothers and thought he could take them on himself. Of course the older boys just thought he was a dumb kid, so they were like ‘sure, go on and kill the Brothers!’ I and the chief went along with everyone just in case, and, oh! You should’ve seen him!” Uncle grinned widely, getting lost in his story. “Guts and malice were flying everywhere, but Link didn’t get a scratch on him! That was the day I knew,” he laid and hand on a blushing Link’s shoulder, “That he would be Hylia’s greatest warrior.”
Uncle and Kaneli went on, telling more tales about Link, but Zelda could only stare at him. He didn’t seem like the kind of man they were describing. She could hardly imagine someone as kind and reserved as him wielding a sword against anyone. If Groose was in his shoes, he would be boasting right along with the other men. She wondered who would win a fight between the two, Link or her fiancé. Groose was six foot five and over too hundred pounds of pure muscle. Link was shorter than her, and, though he was muscular, his bicep was still smaller than the average person’s head. But Groose had never fought a Hinox (and she knew because he would’ve bragged about it) so Link could possible gain the upper hand.
“Ah, but I've gotten carried away in my stories as usual,” Kaneli said after a lengthy anecdote about Link taking on a hoard of lizalfos, “What do you plan to do next, Zelda? Return to Hyrule or continue on elsewhere? You can stay here if you wish, but with no family, you wouldn’t have anyone to claim you.”
“I’ll do it,” Link said at once.
“No, no, that’s really not necessary,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “Though I appreciate it, it’s best that I return home.”
“What?” Link breathed, frowning.
“I want to see my father again, and…it’s my duty to do what is best for my village.”
“So you’re just going to marry that man?” Link demanded, his face growing more devastated by the second.
“I have to do what is right.”
He had no response to that, slowing turning back to the fire and drinking from his cup.
“I’ll be alright,” she said, “There no need to be upset.” She leaned a bit in front of him so he could see her smile. “I’m tougher than I look.” He nodded and returned her smile with a small one of his own.
Kaneli’s wife then came in to invite Zelda and Aryll to help her prepare dinner while the men talked. Zelda thought she caught a wistful expression on Link’s face as he watched them leave the room, but she wasn’t sure if that was because he’d rather be helping in the kitchen or if he was sad to see her go. And that was a silly thought because he had known her for all of two days and probably just wanted to cook.
They didn’t see each other until about an hour later once dinner was ready and everyone gathered outside. Kaneli’s family was large, consisting of many aunts, uncles, and cousins, all shouting questions at her across the cozy bonfire as they ate, asking about her life in Hyrule. Zelda laughed with them, growing comfortable with the friendly atmosphere as the sky grew dark. She leaned her head on Link’s shoulder and let out a yawn.
“Feeling tired?” he asked.
“A little,” she admitted with a giggle. Link pulled her into his lap, and she let him, pressing her eyes into his neck.
This was entirely scandalous. She was engaged to be married, but was falling asleep in the arms of another man. Zelda found that she didn’t care. She could hardly describe Groose as loving, and she wanted to know what it was like to not fear a man’s touch. Link wasn’t exactly caressing her, just holding her casually, but he did allow his thumb to brush over her ankle. She smiled to herself.
Zelda yawned again, and Link chuckled, excusing the two of them so that he may take her home to sleep. The rest of the party didn’t have any problem with this, letting them go with well-wishes and promises to meet again at the Festival of the Goddesses, whatever that was.
She tightened her arms around his neck as he carried her through the village, letting the gentle rocking of his steps lull her to sleep. She stirred briefly when they arrived at Link’s hut, and she thought she felt something softly brush her forehead when he laid her down in her bed. She hoped it was his lips.