I Live to Serve

Chapter #7: Do You Know Where the Princess is?

Paya's makeshift bed on the floor was empty when Link awoke the next morning.

How she managed to slip out without waking him up was beyond him; Link was typically a very light sleeper. A year in the wilderness had taught him one thing- always be alert. A single moment of unawareness could result in death. This extended to sleep. One had to avoid it altogether when outdoors, and sleep lightly when in the comfort of an inn or house. You couldn't ever be too careful.

But Link wasn't in his normal state of mind. Nothing about his behavior for the last week and a half was typical of the Knight. the combination of the fainting spells, abnormal sleep, and general disorganization left Link feeling like even more of an imposter. Or perhaps this was who he was, all along, when there wasn't some mission to hide behind?

No matter. He had already decided that he would return to his previous normalcy; a new set of tasks awaited him. Regardless of the answers to his stupid questions about who or what he was, he would be helping people. He could tolerate being an imposter if he was a helpful one.

Link pulled all of his possessions off the floor where Paya had nearly placed them. His Master Sword felt unusually heavy as he slung it over his back. His body tensed at the weight of all of his equipment- what the absolute hell. It felt like all of his strength had withered away during his sleep. Maybe he was just hungry.

The wooden floorboards beneath him creaked as he crossed over to the stairs. First order of business: food. He thought over his options for breakfast as he sunk down the staircase. He made effort to walk with his back straight, with dignity like Zelda always did. The woman had been in an otherworldly battle for 100 years, but Link had noticed how she never failed to carry herself with grace. He was determined to emulate that. so when Impa called out a greeting, he felt a little bit more secure with himself as he met her with good posture and a look of determination on his face.

"Good morning, Impa," he replied when she greeted him. The elderly woman looked at him with a look he could only describe as puzzled.

"Good morning, Hero," Link refrained from cringing at the title. "Did you rest well?"

Link responded with a curt nod. He wouldn't respond emotionally like some sickly child speaking with a concerned family member. "Do you know where the princess is? I need to speak with her." He would, of course, have to tell Zelda of his plan. Regardless of whether or not she needed him, he had a responsibility. She was essentially the queen now, and as her... former knight, he did have some amount of accountability. He was certain she'd take it well- it wasn't as though they had some unique relationship. Perhaps before... but Link wasn't the Link she had known before Ganon. He recalled the snipets of memories that he had seen... and perhaps there had been something there. Before. He could only hope that she understood that things weren't quite the same and didn't have many qualms about the situation.

"The princess has left, Link."

Link's eyes snapped back up to Impa's. Her puzzled look was now one of slight concern. He remained silent, jaw visibly loose.

"She set off for Zora's domain. She's determined to establish a diplomatic relationship as soon as possible," Impa let a beat go by. "She said that she thought it best you take time to recover. she left a note- Link, are you alright?"

Link's face had grown stoic as Impa had begun to explain. Not an ounce of emotion pulsed through the Knight at the news. Zelda had left. she'd left a note, some afterthought. A letter to justify leaving without even saying goodbye. a seed of anger began to expand on his chest. All of this work, all of this pain, all of this sacrifice, to be met with a note... He swallowed the bubbling feels. he wouldn't allow for a burst of fury. What had he expected? Her to stay and coddle him back to proper health? A drawn out, emotional fairwell? He wouldn't have liked that- and this was easier anyways, wasn't it? one less thing to do. A task checked off his checklist.

He didn't respond to her question. He didn't even look up at her as she held out a piece of paper to him. he didn't say another word before he stepped outside of the door and closed it, ignoring Impa's calls out to him.