The Hero, the Princess, and the Cursed King

Chapter 11: Trouble

"Okay, I'm sorry."

Zelda raised her eyebrow.

Link took her hand. "I am genuinely sorry for making you worry, but I'm fine."

"What if one of these times you don't come back? I'd never know what happened to you." She bit her lip and batted her lashes. "But—"

"Don't try those doe eyes on me." Link crossed his arms. "You can't come."

Zelda huffed. "Why not? You know I can handle myself. I can be so much more than a tavern girl."

Link rubbed his forehead. They had had this conversation countless times. After traveling around Hyrule and a couple of close calls with Ganondorf's army, they ended up in Hateno Village. It was perfect. Not too big to be noticed by the enemy, but not too small that two newcomers would be odd. Link had built him and Zelda a small cottage on the edge of town, and then the pair of them had started to fight back. After all, he was the Hero of Time, and Zelda was Hyrule's princess. They had both felt they couldn't sit by and watch Ganondorf slowly take over all of Hyrule, so their escapades had begun. They started small, clearing the woods of monsters or helping old ladies walk safely back home, but they had grown more daring over the years.

Eventually, Link stopped taking Zelda with him. Not because she couldn't handle it, her skills with a sword were astounding, and she knew excellent first aid, but because he could no longer guarantee her safety. Zelda had gotten seriously hurt after a nasty run-in with a hinox a year ago, and after that, Link had refused to let her come. It was simply too dangerous, and he couldn't risk her getting hurt, or worse, Ganondorf finding her.

Even after all these years, he could still sense the Triforce of Power, and he was sure the connection went both ways. Zelda's Triforce still hadn't awakened—thank Hylia—so she was in the clear. There was no way for Ganondorf to track her. However, Link wasn't as lucky.

Sometimes he felt like someone was watching him, but no one was there when he turned around. Deep down, Link knew that it was Ganondorf trying to use the pull of the Triforces to locate Link, but he never said it out loud. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that his loving, kind, and goofy brother was now his sworn enemy. But he also knew that the Triforce of Power had corrupted Ganondorf, and nothing would fill his lust for power until he possessed the whole Triforce. Which Link assumed would mean both his and Zelda's deaths.

Link had figured it out, though. If he kept moving and kept busy, the connection between the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Courage weakened, making him harder to find. So ever since Zelda's injury, Link had traveled by himself all over Hyrule, trying to stall Ganondorf however possible and hoping that maybe he'd somehow find a way to save his brother.

Link knew that Zelda hated how often he was gone, but she had never complained, and Link returned as often as he could. She often expressed that she felt useless just wasting her days working at the Wild Horse Inn and Tavern, but she was wrong. Zelda had made strong connections with the underground market, which Link often used to get supplies. This way, she was safe, and Link didn't have to watch out for both of their backs on quests.

"We'll talk about this later," Link finally said. "When we're back at the cottage."

"Really?" Zelda's eyes shone with hope. "I'm almost off my shift, and then we can go. Here, I'll go see if I can find you something else to eat before we go."

Link watched her go, guilt forming in his stomach right next to the yummy stew. He should've just told her no instead of getting her hopes up, but he hadn't wanted to get into an argument.

Link had finished his meal by the time Zelda had returned. She was grinning, holding something behind her back.

"Tada!" With a flourish, Zelda showed Link the slice of delicious-looking cake she'd been hiding behind her back. "Look what I found."