Hero by Heart

Chapter 39

After they entered town, Zelda and the Gerudo Warriors found not only Buliara and Link still missing, but no sign of Riju either.
     When Merina asked Katta, the guard standing inside the throne room, about Riju's whereabouts, she shrugged. 'Buliara and that Hylian voe came back, dragging an unconscious voe with them. They talked to Riju and not much later they all left town, heading southeast.'
     Zelda frowned. That was the direction they had come from, yet they hadn't seen a single sign of them.
     'You have no idea where they were going?' Merina asked the guard, but she just shook her head.
     Zelda felt her worry come back at full force. She wondered what they were doing, who the man was and where they were now. If only she could talk to Link.
     'When was this?' She asked Katta, a little fiercer than she intended.
     The Gerudo looked at her with a slight raise of her brow, but shrugged again. 'Somewhere last night.'
     Zelda took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. There was nothing wrong yet, she told herself. They had spent the night somewhere in the desert, but that didn't mean they were in danger. Knowing Link and the Gerudo Captain, they had a plan. Buliara would never drag Riju out of town if she thought it was risky.
     'Let's get some rest, Zelda,' Merina said, gently dragging her by the arm. 'There is no use in going after them now. I'm sure they will be back soon.'
     Zelda nodded, but after she found a bed in Hotel Oasis, she couldn't get her mind to shut down. For a long time she lay awake, tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling.

In the end she slept for a few hours, but she woke early and couldn't resume her sleep, so she decided to get up.
     The town was still fast asleep as Zelda walked across the central square, enjoying the cool air and silence. It was so peaceful that it was hard to feel stressed.
     After some mindless wandering around she found herself at the stairs to the throne room, where she was greeted by the two guards.
     She offered them a friendly smile, but didn't stop to chat. Instead she walked on and climbed the wall like Riju had shown her.
     The cold water around her feet sent a shiver up her spine, but she ignored it and rested her elbows on the edge, her head in her hands.
     Eventually the sun rose and the town slowly came to life. Zelda watched the people cross below her. Everybody seemed to have some kind of purpose in their mind, hurrying from one place to the next.
     Zelda sighed, realizing she might be the only one around here who had nothing to fill her day with. All she could do was wait and hope that Link would return.
     Just when she sighed again, the splashing of water behind her captured her attention and she turned around, only to find Lady Riju herself coming towards her.
     'Riju!' She exclaimed, relief filling her voice.
     'Good morning, Princess,' she responded, a kind smile on her lips.
     'Where were you?' Zelda asked, too impatient to exchange simple greetings and chitchat. 'Is Link with you?' She looked over Riju's shoulder, hoping to see the characteristic grin of her knight there.
     Riju chuckled at her eagerness, but then shook her head. 'He is not back yet, unfortunately.'
     Zelda felt her smile falter, but tried to keep her head up.
     'He is at the Bazaar,' Riju continued. 'But he has something important to do first.' She smiled apologetically. 'You know he will come back as fast as he can.'
     Zelda nodded, feeling sad despite knowing he was safe. For a second she had believed she would see him again, but now it seemed to be put off even longer. The force of her disappointment surprised her.
     'I hadn't expected to find you here.' Riju changed the subject. The smile never left her face, indicating that she did not mind.
     Zelda bowed her head, feeling a little guilty for using Riju's silent place. 'I wanted to be alone for a while,' she said.
     Riju nodded. 'I understand. I, too, am often in company of others. If I show my face in town everybody stares after me, and if I am in my private rooms there are always guards.' She chuckled. 'Or Buliara.'
     'Don't get me wrong,' she quickly added. 'I love her, she is like family to me, but I like to be alone too sometimes.'
     Zelda nodded, fully understanding the feeling. She had barely ever been truly alone in all her life. 'I know what you mean,' she told the Chief. 'You always feel watched, and judged for every mistake.'
     Riju nodded. 'We are a lot alike, I think.' She smiled, looking kind and open, way more mature than her young age would expect.
     'Sometimes I can forget that I'm not alone, though,' Zelda said, looking out over Gerudo Town. A loving smile appeared on her face as her thoughts drifted off. 'When I'm alone with Link, he can make me forget his presence.' She chuckled, realizing how that sounded. 'Not in a bad way though.'
Riju came to stand beside her, resting against the ramparts.
     'He can be so quiet,' Zelda continued, 'so relaxed, that my mind wanders off and hours could pass without either of us talking.' She sighed. 'I like those kinds of silences, where you're together yet alone. Does that make sense?' She asked Riju, turning to her.
     The Gerudo Chief smiled at her. 'It does. You're very lucky to have someone to share that with.'
     Zelda nodded, fully convinced that she was.
     'He is very special,' Riju said quietly, her eyes on the horizon. 'I have never met someone so selfless and kind.'
     A warm feeling spread through Zelda at those words, as she remembered that that person had fallen in love with her. She truly was lucky.
     'One day, I am sure there will be someone out there like that for you,' she assured Riju, gently patting her arm.
     Riju laughed. 'I bet there is. I would first have to actually get out there.'
     Zelda chuckled. 'That sounds a lot like what I used to say, back when I was living at the castle with my father, trying to unlock my sealing powers.'
     A sadness spread through her as she thought back of her old life, and of her father. Despite the pressure he had put on her, she knew he had meant well and she had loved him deeply. 'Right now I just wish I had enjoyed it more,' she muttered. 'My time at home.'
     She still missed both of her parents every single day and she would give almost anything to go back to the time when life was simpler, when they were all together.
     The only thing she truly did not want to give up, was Link. Despite their rocky start and her own resentment towards him, then spending years apart and having to get to know each other all over again, he had become the light of her life.
'I miss my mother too,' Riju whispered, her gaze never leaving the square below.
     Zelda looked at her, realizing that they indeed had a lot in common. Again she felt a strange yet familiar bond with the little girl.
     'Not many people know what it's like, do they?' Zelda said with a compassionate smile. 'How hard it is to live up to your predecessors, who set such high standards, without really being taught how to do that.'
      Riju looked at her with eyes that had fogged over, although she obviously tried to contain her emotions. She nodded, lips pressed together.
     'I know,' Zelda whispered, placing her hand on Riju's shoulder.
     'I'm just so scared of failing everybody,' Riju squeezed out, her voice breaking.
     Zelda felt her heart clench in sympathy for the young girl, so similar to herself when she was that age.
     Without thinking twice she pulled the Gerudo Chief closer, taking her in a warm embrace.
     'You are a bright young woman,' she whispered. 'And I see great potential in you already. Don't despair for what might never happen.'
     For a long time they stood like that, taking comfort from each other's presence and the knowledge that they understood one another.
     Eventually Riju carefully pulled free, offering Zelda a watery smile. 'Thank you.' She looked down at her feet, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks. 'I don't think I've ever had a friend quite like you,' she said.
     Zelda raised her eyebrows in surprise, not expecting Riju to consider her a friend at all in such a short time. Still, she was flattered by it, and actually felt the same way.
     'What do you mean, like me?' She asked with a smile.
     'So...' Riju paused, flailing her hands as she looked for the right words. 'So wise,' she then settled on. 'You have been through so much and survived a hundred years of fighting with Calamity Ganon, and still here you are as human as any of us.' Riju shrugged a little apologetically. 'It is good to see that even you make mistakes, that you have your struggles too.'
Zelda nodded. That was all too true, unfortunately.
     'I grew up hearing about you, you know. You were the legendary princess that sealed Ganon, albeit temporarily. You saved the kingdom from total destruction.' Riju kept her eyes forward, as she continued talking in a rush. 'I have always looked up to you so much. You were a princess who had to grow up too fast, without a mother to guide you, which I could really relate to.' She smiled, more to herself than to Zelda. 'You were my hero. I wanted to be like you.'
Zelda felt a warmth spread through her at those words.
     'And now I have actually met you, and I realize that you are still just a person.' She chuckled. 'It really makes me feel better knowing that you get scared, or lonely, or angry. That means that maybe I can still be as good a Chief as you are a princess.'
     Zelda stood silent, gaping at the small girl, trying to process what she just revealed. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that people saw her as a hero. That in this time she was actually part of history, a legend.
     She had never felt special. On the contrary, she had spent most of her life trying to unlock her sealing powers and failing at that, until it was too late.
     Riju now turned to look at her, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. 'Now that I know you,' she said, 'I actually consider you a friend, and I see that it is not so simple to be a hero.'
     Zelda looked at her, confused. 'I am not a hero, Riju.'
    The Gerudo shook her head. 'I think you are. And the fact that you never considered yourself one makes me realize even more that most of all, you are human.'
     Riju turned to face her, before making an elegant reverence. 'I am honored to call you my friend, Princess Zelda, and I will promise you right now,' —she smirked mischievously— 'that I will first and foremost treat you as a human being, as much of an idiot as I am.'
      Zelda laughed, delight replacing her confusion now that she realized Riju had so quickly become a true and close friend.
     For the second time she pulled the smaller girl in for a hug, this one much lighter and shorter.
     'You are quite something, Lady Riju,' she said, grinning broadly.
     Riju grinned back, after which they both fell silent, simply watching the bustling town at their feet.