Hero by Heart

Chapter 31

When Link eventually pulled back, Zelda couldn't help but grin, as a blush warmed her cheeks. She had not expected that to happen at all, though she would never complain about it.
     Link smiled at her, as he took a second to regain his breath. His face was flushed as well and Zelda felt her stomach flutter at how handsome he looked in the light of the stars that were now shining in the open sky.
     She gently brushed a finger over his cheek, as she admired the glimmer in his eyes and the perfect smile that played on his lips.
     Very softly she leaned in and placed another kiss on his lips, before pulling away and chuckling softly. She grabbed his hand and they started making their way back to camp, the moment forever a secret between them.

As they reached the edge of the trees, Link bent to pick up his dicarded batch of logs and branches to take back. Zelda quickly picked up some more twigs, since she did not want to return emptyhanded.
     Link noticed what she did and chuckled, handing her a few of his branches. When Zelda looked up in surprise he just shrugged, before indicating with his head that she should continue.
     She nodded and started walking again, Link only half a step behind her.
    When they entered the little circle of firelight, Zelda placed her load next to the fire and took a place in the circle, in the gap that had remained between the warriors, big enough for both her and Link.
     She could see the looks the Gerudo were giving them, as they were sniggering behind their hands, but she just smiled and looked down at the small plate of food that had been offered to her. This reaction was nothing more than she had already expected and for once she realized that she did not really care.
     These women seemed to accept them, to even be amused by the whole situation. There was no judgement or scepticism. Zelda felt like she was accepted as a valuable human being on her own, instead of as a part of Link. Exactly what she had wanted, but what she feared would not happen.
     Eventually the comfortable silence was broken by Merina, who pulled out her sword and began sharpening it, rhythmically disturbing the silence with long strokes.
     That seemed to be the indication for everyone to get busy with their own things, leading the group to be under a busy but cozy atmosphere.
     Kotta and Laine started sparring together and Zelda looked at them for a while, a longing look in her eyes as she remembered Link's promise.
     Just then, he appeared before her, reaching out a hand to pull her up.
     Zelda beamed a smile up at him, before taking his hand and following him to a small clear patch of grass.
     Kotta and Laine momentarily stopped their training to see where they were going, like the others that turned their eyes on them.
    As Link stopped in front of her, Zelda focused only on him, shutting out everything else.
     Now the knight handed her a short broadsword, blunt and rusted, but it was only for practise.
     'This is to give you a sense of the weight and movement, but hopefully without harming you in the process.' He chuckled, as he took a step back.
     Zelda gave him a little smile, as she swung it around a bit, getting used to the feeling. The sword was quite heavy, but she could manage.
     'Okay,' Link started, 'remember what I last taught you? Let's go over that again first.'
     He showed her some moves and Zelda copied, trying to focus on the feeling of her memories.
     After a while Link seemed satisfied, as he slowly started elaborating on the movements, occasionally letting her slash at him. She never hit him though, for he was too fast and always had up his guard.
     As the night drew on, Kotta and Laine came closer, observing and now and then commenting.
     It turned out that they had some different techniques and Link was more than willing to compare and learn, resulting in all four of them sparring together.
     For the first time Zelda felt like she truly belonged among these warriors. Like she would not be a burden anymore.

Before the sun had risen above the trees, their small company was off again. It was another cold morning, but the skies were clear and it promised to be a beautiful day.
     They had cleared most of the forest the day before, so before long they crossed Owlan Bridge and stepped onto the wide plains.
     Zelda rode alongside Link, a smile on her face as she took in her surroundings. The grass was rolling over small hills, with an occasional bare rock showing through.
     Off in the distance were some mountain ridges and she could even see Divine Beast Vah Naboris on top of a peak.
     Link then pointed out to them that they could ride across the plain, cutting off a part of the road by going in a straight line.
     Zelda and the warriors all trusted his judgement and the map on the Sheikah Slate, so they turned left and trotted over the gentle slopes.
     Not long before midday they found the road once more and followed it directly towards the big entrance of the Great Plateau.
     Despite the fact that it had partly collapsed and looked quite dreary, it remained impressive, as the giant walls started to really tower above them.
     The ruins here were numerous, with monsters scattered among them, but they did not dare attack such a heavily armed group of soldiers.
     They caught glimpses of Moblins and Bokoblins, but they always retreated as fast as they could, hiding between the rubble.
     'Bunch of cowards,' Zelda heard Reeza mutter, as she grabbed hold of the grip of her sword. 'If only they would come close enough we could end this right here.'
     Merina heard and turned towards her in her saddle. 'It's no use, Reez. They will just regroup later. Let them hide and cower, as long as we can make decent progress.'
     The other Gerudo nodded, while still glaring around threateningly.
     For a while the group trotted along, following the stone road passing underneath the giant walls. Although it was damaged and mostly overgrown, it still allowed them to keep a good pace.
     It was quiet here. The constant threat of danger had scared off all smaller animals. Zelda could imagine that the cold shadows cast over the road didn't help either with feeling very safe.
     When a large stone construction appeared straight ahead, Zelda could see Link tense up. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with one hand, while the knuckles of the other went white around his reins.
     He clenched his jaw, as he glared up at the giant ruins half buried in the mountainside.
     'What is it?' Zelda softly called out, placing a hand on his.
     He looked over his shoulder at her and gave a tight smile. 'The Colosseum. Last time I went in, a Lynel had made it its home.' He glanced up at the building in disgust again. 'It's crawling with monsters in there.'
     Zelda gasped softly in surprise, as she also looked up at the dark grey stone with wide eyes. From here it looked big, but not threatening. It was a ruin, with crumbled walls and little signs of life.
     She knew how it had once looked, imposing and beautiful, a place of joy and laughter. It was hard to imagine it being dangerous.
     Finally the Colosseum disappeared behind the cliffs, causing Link to relax a little again.
     Zelda herself, however, did not really feel relaxed. The Great Plateau was towering on their left, its shadow hanging over them, while on their right more cliffs rose up into the air.
     The passage between the cliffs was not very long, but Zelda felt small and vulnerable under those shadows.
     Luckily the road opened up again, as they reached a fork in the road. Going left, they followed the path going straight towards Vah Naboris, which seemed a lot closer now.
     Not too much later they stepped onto the bridge that ran across the lake where the River of Dead transformed into the much gentler Regencia River.
     Across this bridge was the start of the Gerudo Canyon Pass.