Before the Calamity

The Spring of Courage

After a few days, Link and Zelda were very close to the Spring of Courage. They were fortunate enough to still be having nice weather.

The two of them did not waste a lot of time getting ready, as they wanted to try and return to the castle that day.

While they continued south, Zelda began to feel a pit in her stomach. She hoped that this would finally be the key to her concealed power, but she had serious doubts. It had never worked before. Why should it now? She didn't know if she could bear the burden of more failure. The load was quite heavy as it was...

So, she did not talk much as they traveled. She just kept to herself, and thought more than she should have.

After a rather brief journey, they reached the forest that the spring was concealed in.

"Here it is." The princess announced with a sigh, dismounting her horse.

"Are you in need of any assistance, Princess?" Link asked.

"No, not really."

Zelda took out her white dress, the sacred one she was to wear only at times like these. In order to purify herself and pray, she had to wear it. Looking around, she ducked behind a boulder.

"Can you please.. turn around for a moment?" Link nodded and turned away as the princess hastily changed her clothes.

Moments later, she emerged and the knight turned back around. Her face was bright red and she looked at the ground. Link just stood there for a moment. She looked just like a goddess.

"I am going to go pray. It's... private, so just stay here." Truth is, she just did not want him nearby. It was only going to get worse. He nodded as Zelda headed deeper into the woods.

He watched her disappear, the bright sun shedding light on her and everything around. It truly was a sight, the princess of Hyrule herself in the forest on a beautiful day, surrounded by plants and flowers and life. He smiled at the feeling of the warmth on his skin.

~

It was nearly an hour before Zelda returned. She hurried past him, trying to hide her face. He could see that she was very upset. She breathed in and out slowly and shakily, trying to hold herself together.

Link tilted his head. He tried to find words, but he couldn't speak. He just looked at her, like he always did. Zelda looked back resentfully, shaking her head.

"Don't just stand there, say something..." She muttered. For a moment, they both just stood there. It seemed like everything had gone still. The wind stopped blowing, the animals ceased their scurrying around.

Zelda turned back around. She looked at Link, then her eyes wandered to the sword on his back. All of the sudden, it began to cause her immense pain and stress to look at. She felt herself starting to lose control.

Then she snapped.

"Fine! Nothing happened! Is that what you wanted to hear? You would never understand, would you? You're doing everything right! How would it feel to have one purpose and not even be able to fulfill that?" She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"...Because that is my life every day. The fate of the entire kingdom is in my hands. It's in the hands of a failure." She turned and walked away from him. Link tried to say something.

"I-"

"Let's go home." She said quietly.

~

That night, they arrived at Hyrule Castle. It was a peaceful night. The stars shone brightly in the sky, a soft breeze rustling through the grass. The moon was not quite full, but it cast a cool glow on the land below.

Zelda had hardly spoken a word since her episode earlier. She felt stupid, embarrassed, and frustrated, but she could not bring herself to say anything else.

Had she really failed again? This meant she only had the springs of Power and Wisdom left. Was that it? Was there no way after that?

...What if nothing worked? She would be letting everybody down. Zelda had an enormous burden to carry, and there was nothing she could do about it. No matter how hard she tried...

She had found herself wanting the knight to leave her. After her outburst, she did not want anybody following her around. She wanted to spare him the pain, and herself the embarrassment.

But her father would never allow it.

When she greeted the king, she had to explain the bad news.

"Father, I am sorry. I tried my best. I truly did. But, I felt nothing." She looked away, shame on her face.

Her father was visibly disappointed, but he said nothing.

"Then perhaps something else will do it."

At the nearest opportunity, Zelda hurried off to her room. She ordered a servant to prepare a warm bath. Although she didn't feel like she deserved it, the princess was tired and worn out from traveling.

As she sat in the warm water, she thought about many things. Mostly, though, she thought about the appointed knight, Link. He was a very kind man, but it was so hard for her to be around him. If they really were the hero and princess of legend, why was only one of them doing his part? When she saw him, all she could think about was how much of a failure she was. Despite her efforts, a few tears ran down her face and landed in the water below, silently.

Why couldn't she be more like him?

What was she doing wrong?

~

Being the princess's appointed knight, Link was given a room in the castle. It was strange for him. Here, he never had to do anything for himself, because a servant was always there to take care of things for him. He didn't have duties at the castle, and nobody gave him any orders. And he still felt lost in the vast halls, with all of the twists, turns and passageways about. He did not feel like he belonged there. The king and his daughter were very noble and had many years of experience under their belts. Link, on the other hand, didn't really know what to do or how to behave. He just decided it was best that he stayed quiet.

As he walked to his room, he thought about the princess. She had seemed so sad that day. Link did not resent her at all for losing her composure in front of him. If anything, he pitied her. She was trying harder than he ever had, and still had nothing. He would be growing frustrated if he were in her position.

Link wondered what the princess was doing at this hour. He hoped that she was asleep, her troubles far away from her for at least a few hours. Link thought about the princess, peacefully resting in her soft purple nightgown. How did she always manage to look so... ethereal?

He sighed, shaking his head. He should not be thinking about the princess of Hyrule in such ways. Who was he kidding, after all? He was there to protect her, and nothing more...