The Hero, the Princess, and the Cursed King

Chapter 11: Trouble

|~Part Two~|

[Link]

Zelda was going to kill him.

"We're going to have to make this fast," Link raised his sword as several moblins charged him. "I can't keep a beautiful princess waiting."

The monsters continued their approach, not seeming to care that each second Link wasted here, his chances of getting scolded by Zelda increased.

"Ugh, you never can reason with moblins." Link took out the first monster with one decisive strike while raising his shield to block another's attack.

Link jumped back to give himself more room to maneuver. There were still three moblins he had to deal with. Monsters such as these had started springing up everywhere after the war had begun three years ago. Link was sure that they had something to do with the Triforce of Power awakening in Ganondorf. It was too much of a coincidence not to be a coincidence.

One brave moblin struck at Link and was quickly put out of his misery, but not before he ripped a chunk out of Link's green tunic.

"Oh no," Link assessed the damage to his attire. "Now Zelda's really going to kill me."

Zelda had just fixed his outfit and warned him not to ruin it again. It was his hero's outfit, after all. He couldn't travel around Hyrule, saving and helping people in his underwear. It was undistinguished—or at least that's what Zelda said.

Link made quick work of the last mobilns and then finally continued on his way. The sun was already setting, and there was no avoiding the inevitable—he was going to be late.

******

Link walked into The Wild Horse Inn and Tavern out of breath. Inside, a few groups of weary travelers sat at tables, either talking amongst themselves or quietly eating their food. A few locals sat at the bar, and one or two appeared to have already drunk one too many drinks.

Link sat at his usual table, fiddling with his outfit's belt. He had changed into his civilian clothes since his typical green tunic and hat drew too much attention. Link's adventures around Hyrule were quickly building him an honorable reputation while also painting a target on his back. Link finally fixed his belt and sighed; sometimes, tightening a belt was harder than fighting monsters.

A bowl of steaming, delicious stew and a spoon were slammed down on the table in front of him.

"You're late."

Link looked up at Zelda, trying to maintain a face of innocence. Over the past three years, her beauty had grown from a childhood sweetness to womanhood elegance. With her big, green eyes glaring at him and her dainty hands on her hips, Link couldn't help but snicker. It was comical to see her angry. It was like being scolded by an adorable kitten.

"I was saving Hyrule," Link said, drawing the stew closer to him to cover his grin—plus, he was starving.

Zelda huffed. "Would it kill you to say sorry?"

He ate a spoonful and smiled. The soup was delectable!

"Link?"

He blinked a few times, returning to reality. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry."

"For?"

"Um. . ." Link looked at her guiltily. "What am I sorry for again?"

"How about for making me needlessly worry!" Zelda rubbed her temples, trying to keep her temper in check. "I was worried that something had happened to you. For all I knew, you could've been dead in a ditch somewhere."