New Home - BotW Link x Reader (Undergoing Revisions)

Chapter 48 - A Story About Anything

It was a cool night in the desert. Not that it was strange. Link was used to it now, the stark and often jarring difference between daytime and nighttime here. Everyone had warned him of the contrast, but he'd thought they were all exaggerating.

But right now he didn't really feel like he was still in the desert. Sure, he could still see sand and yes, if he pressed his hands to the sand he would surely still feel the lingering warmth within the grains, but the air was deliciously cool and he felt livelier, like he could breathe freely, now.

No matter. This was no time for leisure, no time for rest. He had to reach the princess.
His search for her brought him to the Divine Beast of the Gerudo, and for how still it and the air about it was, he wondered if she were truly here.

But she was.

He found her resting against Urbosa, her head on the Gerudo woman's shoulder. She was dozing soundly. It was a sight he didn't see often. For her to be well-rested seemed a far-off dream, a wish that would never get granted.

Perhaps the princess felt safe here, and with her.

Urbosa was awake, and her wits clearly about her - she noticed his approach though his steps were quiet. He didn't find it strange, though. It was good of her to keep her guard up, even here. She was a trained warrior, of course, and an incredibly well-trained one at that. She wouldn't have been designated a champion, otherwise.

"Ah, well, you certainly got here fast," she said, minding her volume, ensuring her words reached him but weren't so loud that they roused the young monarch beside her. "I should have expected as such, from the princess's own appointed knight." Urbosa's eyes sought out his own and he met them evenly once he came to a stop just a few precious feet behind the pair.

Knowing he wanted an explanation, Urbosa provided one: "She was out on a survey all day today," she began. "Still as the sands now."

Yes, he could certainly see that.

"So," Urbosa prompted pointedly, her piercing green eyes narrowing slightly at him. "Spill it, boy."

...?!

"Have the two of you been getting along all right?"

Oh.

His lack of an answer seemed to amuse her, because she chuckled. "It's ok," she said. "I know. Your silence speaks volumes."

Ah. Good. At least someone thinks so.

"She gets frustrated," Urbosa said, "every time she looks up and sees you carrying that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failure when it comes to her own destiny." Sensing his unease - she seemed to be good at that - she continued without missing a beat. "Don't worry," she assured him, "it's not like you carry blame in any of this."

No? Is that true? Then why does he feel like he does?

Urbosa looked down at the princess, slumbering against her. "It's unfortunate. She's put in more than enough time."
Yes, that's true. Time and pain and hard work and blood and tears and...

"Ever since she was a young girl," Urbosa went on to explain, "she's gone through rigorous daily routines to show her dedication. She once passed out in the freezing waters trying to access the sealing power."

At least she seemed warm now. But he could imagine it, certainly. Zelda was determined, steadfast, headstrong enough to try anything, everything. Was desperate the right word? Maybe it was. But in a situation as precarious as theirs, he knew the feeling well. They were all right to be desperate. Desperate for a solution, a way to tie this all up neatly.