Fall Into The Wild; BOTW Fanfiction

Chapter 36

"Pardon my sudden questions, but you are the funny girl that was about to teach me 'shield surfing,' correct?" I nodded slowly, before letting her continue, "It is wonderful to see you again. I must apologize on behalf of my knights. They can be... protective." Zelda's shoulders once perked up and excited had slumped in despondency. She was a walking 'cry for help,' but there was no way I could help her, besides spew a couple words of wisdom. But it wasn't like I could say anything that would really help her. We were truly opposites, weren't we?

"N-No it's okay, Princess. Being protective is part of their job! I wouldn't expect anything less from the Royal Guard of Hyrule!!" The more I spoke the more nervous I became; However, the Princess found my stumbling charming and almost entertaining, "Uh... you didn't get my name before, so... my name is (Y/N). (Y/N) (L/N)." I stuck out my hand for a handshake and waited for the Princess to take it. I then remembered my place and withdrew my hand, "S-Sorry..."

"What in the world are you apologizing for? You've done nothing wrong (Y/N), at least to me. And don't worry about what my knights say, you are allowed to just call me Zelda. I did like it very much when you treated me normally." I was shocked. The very Princess I had insulted wanted to become 'buddies' with me. The Princess with a destiny wanted to befriend me, a peasant with no destiny tied to my name.

"O-Oh... I see. I guess I'll just call you Zelda then..." I muttered, more to myself than the unusually cheery Princess. Zelda giggled into her uncoiled fist, which made me more confused. Why was she being so nice to me? Is this even out of nicety, or is this out of pure spite? I laughed along with her nervously, not wanting to upset her, "S-So why did you come over to talk to me, Zelda?"

"I saw that you were in Gerudo Village, the same as I, so I decided to come over to have a chat with you. You are quite interesting to talk to (Y/N). I do hope you know this." Shocks of all sorts started to run through my overused brain. Why was Princess Zelda like this? I asked what she wished to have a chat about.

"Oh! We can have a chat about anything you want!! Would you prefer if I were to start the conversation?" She asked, almost jumping up and down from excitement. I didn't really know how to respond to her, "Alright! Tell me more about where you came from. Your customs are so much different then Hyrule's that I can't help myself but be curious."

"I come from Greyham... so that probably tells you all you need to know-" I told myself that skirting around the issue would solve all my problems, but Zelda persisted.

"Certainly not! I know nothing of Greyham; Besides, the wonderful things you have shared to me thus far. Pray tell, what other customs belong to Greyham?!" Zelda smiled at me fondly, dragging me around Gerudo Town. We were walking aimlessly next to each other, as I wished to be out of this situation. Zelda was a delight to be around, so she wasn't a direct problem; However, if she knew what I said about her two months ago, then the Princess would scorn me greatly. The scholarly Princess might also be lying about knowing nothing about my made-up origins. I had to tread with care.

"Well..." I started trying to think of something both interesting and realistic, "Greyham is mostly farmland and is actually pretty empty for the most part, but it's home, I guess. We have monarchs as well! I don't know them personally though..."

"Would you mind telling me something more personal? Maybe about your family and such." Zelda restated kindly, continuing to drag me about. The scholarly Princess's handmaidens rushed behind us.

"Oh! I didn't think you would be interested in that, Zelda. Okay... Where to start... I have a mother and a father who work long hours under their employer. I have no siblings, no aunts or uncles, and no cousins. My life was pretty boring, until I came to Hyrule. I would always complain about my banal existence, but I surprisingly miss it. At least, I knew I was somewhere familiar." I finished, hoping I didn't bore the Princess. When I looked at her, a sadder smile adorned her picturesque features, "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to make you sad!!"

"There is no need to apologize (Y/N). I was just thinking about my own family..." The Princess's words slowly became less confident until her writings were mere mutters. I knew that her life was none of my business; Besides, I already had a good idea of what she was thinking. She was either thinking about her father's continuous urging, or her grandmother's ability to use the destined Sealing Power. If only the Princess knew what I know. The Princess snapped out of her daze, "Anyway, how is your life different than a typical Hylian?" I pondered about her question.

"I don't know a lot about Hyrule yet, but Greyham is more forgiving. We don't have a monster problem, at least as far as I am aware. There aren't any Gorons, Zora, or Rito there either. Just people that look like you and I." Lies kept slipping passed my lips, but I didn't really care. Zelda was a good listener, and it didn't seem like she knew about Greyham all too well, so I was able to actually talk about my life before I was teleported to this accursed world. The Princess and I talked for hours. I still was nowhere near close to her, but this was a start. I was able to talk to her and I counted her as another friend. The hot sun slowly set in the sky as we continued to talk. The moon and stars shined brightly in the sky.

"It's late." Zelda commented, before looking at me, "By chance, are you free tomorrow? I would like to talk to you more before I leave."

"Before you leave?" I queried, wanting to know if she was going back to Hyrule Castle, "Where are you going? I know it is probably somewhere important, but I'm just curious is all."

"I'm heading back to Hyrule Castle. My sixteenth birthday is in a couple days, so I must go back to the castle. That's not all though. The Champions have been chosen, and the Hero Wielding the Sword that Seals the Darkness had appeared a long while ago. I hope that the chosen Champions will accept my earnest offer."

"So... nothing is set in stone yet..." I asked.

"My father refused to deem anyone 'Champion' until someone wielded that sword. Once they were found, they would be knighted to protect me." The disheartened Princess spoke softly, balling up her fists. Princess Zelda was one of the luckiest people in the world. She was born into eminence, had a loving family, and was destined for greatness. Lest we forget, Link was always by her side which would later result in love, devotion, and undeniable passion. I knew that the Princess didn't have a perfect life, but some would kill to be in her position. I certainly would. The feeling of being needed was all I ever wanted. Oh, how I would eat those words.

Zelda and Link were such different people, yet they both understood one another after some heart to heart talks. Link bared no expectations, at least compared to Zelda, but he rose through the ranks and worked hard to get where he was. Link was a prodigy, with no prior destiny tied to his name. Zelda, being the opposite, bared so many expectations that it was adding on to her everyday stresses. She was unable to unlock her Sealing Power on time. Zelda was vaguely considered a failure, but had everything placed before her, except the one thing she had to master before the Calamity. The one thing that was evident about the two was their lack of freedom. Both were trapped in mental prisons. Link had to live up to his new name and Zelda had to live up to her already existing duties. Neither one of them were allowed to be themselves. After all, we are only children.

"Why do you seem so saddened by the idea, Zelda?" I asked, "Is it because you're frustrated? Because you really shouldn't feel that way... But what do I know? I'm someone without any expectations whatsoever."

"Ienvy you..."