Sleeping Beauty, but it's Breath of The Wild

Paya Goes To The Spring

The rest of the day went by with not much else eventful, other than Paya helping Zelda and Link get settled.

The young Shekiah graciously offered the princess her bed and decided to sleep on the floor with a bed roll and pillow.

Link on the other hand, insisted he take the couch in another room, so as to not disturb the girls.

By this time, the sun had already set, and night fell upon Kakariko; all the villagers had left for their houses.

Zelda sat on the bed, reading a book, although her mind wasn't really paying attention. Her mind was more preoccupied on her curse, and more importantly, the way Dorian said it could be broken.

It probably won't come down to that though. Zelda thought.

Paya soon came into the room, interrupting Zelda's thoughts; she was dressed in a different Shekiah outfit than the one she was wearing previously.

"Doin' okay?" She asked with a smile, as she threw her old clothes into a drawer. "Grandmother wanted me to remind you not to go near the Fairy Fountain."

Zelda returned her smile, although her's was smaller compared to Paya's. "Right, silent princesses," she mumbled to herself.

Paya sighed, her expression growing somber. "I'm so sorry, Princess. It seems as if you can't catch a break," she chuckled half-heartedly.

Zelda said nothing, but that was response enough for Paya, who began poking around on her desk.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better," she began again, holding a brush in her hand, "can I brush your hair?"

A smile spread slowly across the princess's face. She nodded gently and turned around to face the wall. Paya smiled back and hurried over to the bed where Zelda was sitting.

The Shekiah girl took one of the strands of golden hair and carefully ran her brush through it.

"I've always envied the Hylians for being able to grow different colored hair," she giggled.

Zelda giggled with her. "But aren't there at least a few Shekiah with different hair colors?" She asked.

"A few, yes, but their hair is either dyed or they just got lucky," Paya explained. "What? Did you think Auntie Purah actually had a natural red streak in her's?"

Zelda laughed again. "I didn't, actually," She playfully scoffed.

The two girls proceeded to chat quietly as Paya brushed out any small tangles she saw, all while laughing and joking, seemingly forgetting about Zelda's predicament.

After a while, Paya stood up and put away her brush, she remained silent for a few moments.

"Zelda..." She spoke quietly, so quietly Zelda almost didn't hear her, "I need to confess something to you."

The princess raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked.

The young Shekiah turned to sit back on the bed; she took Zelda's hands in her's. "It's...about Link, but you have to promise me you won't tell him."

Zelda, although confused, nodded. "Go on..."

Paya looked down at their interlocked hands; she took a deep breath.

"You see, back when you were still trapped in the castle, Link would often come to Kakariko. Whether it was to gather supplies or just to visit, he would come quite often."

"Over time, I- uh..." her voice grew softer, almost as if she didn't want anyone other than Zelda to hear what she had to say.

"I developed feelings for him," she finally said. "I couldn't help it, he was so handsome, and he had the most generous soul. Not to mention the way he strived to not only save the kingdom but to save you."