Noble by Nature

Chapter 7

Zelda was awoken early in the morning by the twittering of countless birds in the trees overhead, accompanied by a few rays of sunlight creeping onto her face.
Before she even opened her eyes there was already a smile forming on her lips, as realization sunk in of where she was.
She wasn't in the castle, and she didn't have endless hours of boring meetings ahead of her. That alone was enough to make her smile. Add to it that she was on the edge of Faron Woods, with some of her closest friends, about to continue her research, and she couldn't be happier.
Careful not to wake any of the others - apart from Link, who was already up as usual - she got up and walked a little ways into the trees to relieve herself, before washing up in a small pond nearby and getting properly dressed.
By the time she had their fire back up and a pot of water cooking on it Link had emerged from the forest, carrying two large hares.
'Good morning,' he said quietly, kissing her on the cheek, careful not to touch her with his dirty hands.
'Good morning,' Zelda said brightly, beaming up at him.
'You seem cheerful,' he chuckled, sitting down and starting on skinning the first hare.
'It's a beautiful day,' she simply said. She added some tea to the water and stirred, making a woody aroma waft up to her.
She let it steep for a bit while she put another pot of water in the fire, then started rummaging through their gear to find the mugs.
While she was pouring the tea, Link skilfully sliced up the meat and skewered the pieces. As soon as he put them over the fire it started hissing and sputtering, while the smell of cooking meat wafted over their little camp.
Apparently awoken by the delicious smells the others started stirring too, and one by one they emerged from their sleeping bags, rubbing their eyes in the brightness of the sun.
Each of them grumbled a greeting, before getting ready for the day, sipping of their tea.
By the time they all sat down around the fire Zelda had cooked the rice, and the meat skewers were about ready.
Link had chopped some carrots and pumpkin, and was now stirring it through the rice.
He smiled at her as she put out the plates, and Zelda felt a flutter in her stomach. It felt so good to be cooking with him, and they hardly needed a word to communicate what to do. It was wonderful.
Eventually they each had a plate containing a skewer and a veggie rice ball, damping in the early morning air, smelling absolutely delicious.
The Gerudo and Zora loudly lamented their cooking, as they sat wolfing it down, washing it away with their second mug of tea.
Now fully energized, Zelda could hardly wait to get underway again, so she was the first to be all packed up and ready to go.
She stood impatiently waiting for the others to load up their gear and mount their horses, peering out into the woods.
It had been a terribly long time since she had come this way, and she wondered if she would still recognize it.
She felt a little bad for not coming here in the past two years since they defeated Ganon, but there had been a lot going on.
Lurelin Village lay somewhere at the end of this road, and although they were a quiet folk and usually didn't travel far from their home, she felt like she should have visited them sometime. They were still part of the kingdom after all.
Would they be mad at her for having abandoned them? Quite a few of them had attended the large feast last year, and they hadn't seemed to be holding a grudge, but what if that had changed?
She really ought to visit them on this trip. She had planned for a bit of an extension on their time away, taking into account whatever unknown event might occur, so if everything went as it should, she would have time to go there.
Finally the others were packed and ready, and their small group set off into the dark, damp forest.

It promised to be a beautiful, warm day, with the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky. At first the trees gave them some deliciously cool shade, and in the early morning Zelda even felt a little chilly. But before long the sun rose high enough to prickle on their skin through the gaps in the trees, and they all started shedding more and more items of clothing, seeking for the delightful relief of a soft breeze.
Most of the way passed rather uneventful, and they only encountered one Lizalfos hiding in a bush to try and ambush unwary travelers.
Link simply held up a hand to tell the others to wait, then slid out the Master Sword and rode on alone.
The Lizalfos kept still until Link had almost drawn level with it, and then jumped up high, ready to throw him off his horse. It never came to that, though, for Link sliced the monster right in half before it had even fully left the ground.
The top part of monster flew over his head and into some bushes, while the other half fell back down to the ground, turning black within seconds before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Zelda tried to act as unimpressed as the others, but she couldn't help but notice how her heart rate had picked up and was hammering in her throat. Link was so sure of himself, so fast and coolheaded, and she secretely wished she could one day feel that way too when killing monsters.
Eventually they came to a short wooden bridge, which they crossed to enter the rainforest, where the trees held a good deal of humidity under the tight canopy.
If she had been hot before, it was nothing compared to how Zelda felt now.
The damp air seemed almost palpable, and did nothing to cool off her clammy skin. Instead it seemed to cling to her and drench her in a combination of water and sweat.
When she looked around at the others she noticed they too were puffing and sweating, with small trickles running over the exposed parts of their bodies.
At long last they crossed a stone bridge, and the trees gave way to clear sky. Not that it offered any relief, for now the sun was free to beat down on them and boil them where they sat.
Zelda was desperate for some fresh air, feeling queasy and uncomfortable in her wet clothes. She would give anything to be able to take them off, but that just wasn't appropriate for a princess.
They kept riding on, only pausing briefly for a small lunch. Zelda could barely force a banana down her throat, feeling nauseous and altogether uncomfortable, as if she was crawling in her skin. But she kept quiet, breathing deeply to settle down her stomach.
When they continued on their way she felt a little better, and managed to ignore her discomfort to enjoy the scenery. Despite the horrible humidity and the feeling of being boiled alive, the forest was truly beautiful.