Fortune Favors the Courageous

Chapter 34: Precipice

precipice
n. a situation of great peril; the brink of disaster
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At Link's suggestion, they had spent another quiet day in the Temple of Time and planned to start their journey the following morning. The Purah Pad pinged repeatedly throughout breakfast.

Thanks to the direct flight, most of the Rito had arrived quickly. King Dorephan and Prince Sidon weren't far behind thanks to their proximity, and they reported that Purah and her escorts had arrived too. The Gerudo had the longest trek, but they were en route. Aside from the Gorons, that only left the young chosen ones.

"Ur on ur way, right? -P"

Zelda didn't know whether the message was intended to be funny or serious or both, but she just scowled at the screen for a slow breath before continuing to forage for acorns as Link had asked.

After they were good and stocked up on whatever they could harvest around the temple grounds, Zelda clipped the Purah Pad onto her belt and looked at Link.

"You ready?" he asked.

"No."

A beat passed before the same smile broke on their faces, though it didn't reach their eyes.

"Me neither," Link agreed, teeth gleaming with a tiny shake of his head.

They said goodbye (and sorry) to the Temple of Time and began the trek. Hyrule Castle was due north, not very far. A day-and-a-half's trip on foot at Link and Zelda's pace. It was cutting it close, Zelda noted, but Link thought the less time they sat outside the castle, the better off she'd be.

Travel safe. See you soon. These were the sorts of responses Zelda got from the others when she shared that they were on their way.

Link had his sword drawn most of the trek, cutting through the air with an occasional slash or jab, though they had yet to encounter any monsters.

Was Ganondorf's army made of the same sort of nightmarish things they'd already been battling in the wilderness?

The princess thought of bokoblins and aerocuda, the sort of beasts she and Link could defeat in a hit or two, and rationalized victory might not be so unattainable after all.

But then she thought of the hinox, the boss bokoblin, the lynel that stole her beau's memory, and her mounting panic grew visible to Link.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I almost lost my nuts?" he asked, obviously trying to steer her thoughts somewhere else.

"What?" she guffawed, the sound breaking from her lungs like his words had physically punched her in the gut. "You most certainly have not!"

"Aryll and I thought we could build our own catapult—"

"Sweet Hylia, Link..."

Apparently they were jealous of three "Know-It-All" brothers whose dad brought them back a slingshot and regaled them with tales of a "big slingshot" he'd operated. So Link and Aryll tried to build the catapult, but when Link went to launch the decent-sized stone—pulling the elastic back so far he fell at the snap of the release—the ammo got stuck in the pouch. It fired back at him, nailing the dirt between his legs.

"Thank Gods my balls hadn't dropped yet. I swear, if they had, they'da been obliterated." A whole-body chill wracked through him.

Zelda couldn't help her laughter, resting a hand on his arm to keep herself upright. "Well, I'm grateful that didn't happen to you."