A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 16: The Balancing Act

"H-how is it?" Zelda asked, clutching her broom tightly. Prima, who was on the ground inspecting under the beds of the upstairs guest area, pushed herself to her feet. After a pause, the innkeeper grinned at her employee.

"I don't have any complaints," she said. "Nice work, Zelda. You got it right on your first try."

Zelda couldn't believe her pointed ears.

"Really?" she asked as she watched Prima inspect the rest of the room. "You're sure there's nothing I need to sweep or wipe down again?"

"Nope," Prima said with a hand on her hip as she used her free one to drag a finger across the surface of a dresser against the wall. She raised her finger to eye level before rubbing it and her thumb together. "Everything's perfect."

Still unable to process what she was being told, she looked around the room before a smile slowly appeared on her face. She looked back at Prima with sparkles in her eyes.

"I did it... I did it!" she cheered happily, causing the innkeeper to chuckle.

"Yes, yes, you did," she laughed. "Come on now, Zelda, is learning to clean properly something to be that happy about?"

"It is!" Zelda exclaimed. "After constantly being told I failed at the single task given to me... I was finally able to properly do a task without being given any pity! And it's a challenging one at that! I can't imagine what it was like to be a servant in the castle... Right now I... I feel as though I could do anything!"

"I... I feel like there's a lot to unpack there, but I'll just let you have this," Prima said quietly with an awkward smile as Zelda eyed her cleaning job with pride.

"That's a good feeling to have, girlie," a raspy voice said. Both women turned to look at one of the beds, where the older traveler from the day prior sat in a chair next to it holding a mug full of beer. "That's the same happiness I got when I saddled a horse for the first time. Your love for cleaning must be the same as mine for my horsies."

"No, no, I don't think it is..." Prima replied as Zelda shook her head in disagreement with the man's words. "You just continue drinking, Joute."

"Gladly." With reddened cheeks, the man did as instructed and took another swig from his mug. With a loud sigh, Joute rested his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. "You always make some amazing ale, Prima... It really does make the Ton Pu Inn the best..."

"Thanks, Joute. That means a lot coming from you," Prima said as she began walking away. "Don't drink too much, you hear?"

In response, Joute raised his mug in the air before taking another large gulp. With her interest piqued, Zelda quickly followed Prima to the staircase.

"You make the ale yourself?" she asked as the two made their way down the first floor.

"I do, actually," the innkeeper replied, taking her place behind the counter. "It's not that hard to make if you pay attention to the process. You only need a few ingredients."

"Really?" Zelda asked.

"Yup," Prima nodded. "I'll probably teach you how to make it at some point. You just need some grain from some Hylian rice and fresh water from the river. You take the grain from the rice, add it to some boiling water, and then allow it to ferment with yeast. Do that and you have a basic Hylian Ale."

"That sounds fairly simple," Zelda said. "Though, I guess I said the same thing when it came to cleaning, didn't I?"

"Trust me, it isn't that hard," Prima said with a chuckle, "but it does make a mess. Especially if you decide to get creative with flavor."