Hero by Heart

Chapter 7

Zelda was gently woken up by the rays of the sun and the chirping of birds outside. She slowly sat up in bed and looked at the single flower standing on the bedside table. She smiled to herself and took her time stretching, before getting up.

She and Link had returned to the village the previous night and went to the inn to get something to eat, after Link had stated that he did not have enough supplies to cook with and that the shop had already closed.
     Zelda had expected them to stay there for the night, but instead Link took her outside with him and they had walked a little way in the dark night, under the starry sky. She had started to think they were heading out of the village, right when he led her onto a sidetrack, passing a few strangely shaped, colourful houses.
     They had crossed over a bridge where a big house appeared in front of them. It was old and worn, with a tall, crooked chimney on top. It seemed to be empty, but Link led her to a little stable on the right. He had smiled at her knowingly and she started to wonder what was going on.
     As they went back to the front door, Link smiled excitedly. He pushed the door open and held it as he gracefully invited her in. That was when a small piece of her mind started to realize where they were.
     A long time ago, before the Calamity, when Link had only just started his position as her appointed knight, he had told her that his family came from Hateno Village, before they had moved to Castle Town for his father's job. Could this really be his family's old house?
     She had looked at him with big eyes, as he confirmed that this was indeed his house. She found it strangely assuring to know he had his own place, somewhere he could call home. He was always on the road, a true wandering spirit, but he did have somewhere to go in the end.
     That he wasn't here much was clear from the decorations inside. It was sparsely furnitured, with only the essentials. A few cupboards containing books and cooking gear, a lot of storageroom under the stairs and a table right in the center of the room. She smiled to herself as she saw how nicely it was set. It was finished off with a cute bouquet of wild flowers. Zelda wondered who had put them there, as she noticed they were hanging down a little and the colours were fading. Link hadn't been here in a long time, and these flowers were fresher than that.
     When she was done inspecting the table, she took a closer look at the gear stalled out on the walls. There were three bows, all different, but equally impressive. There were also three shields and three swords, looking brand new and in tiptop shape. Most of the gear she recognized from the Royal Guard. Those were very expensive and quite rare in the kingdom. She wondered where he had gotten it from.
     Before she could ask, Link disappeared beneath the stairs, rummaging through some boxes. After a few minutes he emerged again, his hands full of linen sheets. He walked up the stairs and quickly made the bed, while Zelda awkwardly followed him up. When she reached the second floor, her attention was immediately drawn to a big picture hanging on the wall.
     It was the picture of her and all five champions, made on the day her father had formally appointed them. They had received their blue garments and Mipha had suggested to take that photo. She remembered how Purah had gladly taken the task upon her, calling out all kinds of directions.
     Eventually that had all gone to waste, as Daruk had slammed everybody together. It did make a quite memorable image, though. Zelda smiled at the memory as she took in the details. She had never expected to see this again.
     Suddenly she felt Link coming to stand beside her, and as she glanced over at him, she noticed a small, tight-lipped smile on his face. There was a glint in his eyes and she realised he remembered that day.
     Link remained quiet and after they had stared at the picture for a while, standing side by side, he eventually turned away and walked down. Zelda had followed him again, unsure of what to do.
     As he pulled out more sheets from the boxes and began laying them down on the floor, he had smiled up at her and told her to take the bed. She wanted to protest, but knew it was useless. He would never let her sleep on the ground when there was a comfortable bed nearby. So she thanked him and made her way upstairs again, getting ready to sleep.