The Prince and the Peasant (Completed)

Chapter 4: Realization

Zelda stepped outside of her small home. A light wind blew and caused her to shiver slightly. She looked up at the sky as it threatened the land with it's grey clouds.

'Its nearly winter..' She thought.

This shocked her. So much time had already passed since the sad events that took place last summer. She threw her scarf over her mouth and crossed her arms to stay warm. Winter was the worst because she was unable to afford the correct clothing and supplies.

She trudged on to the well behind her house and sighed as she grabbed it's ropes. As she pulled she prayed to the Goddesses that it wouldn't be frozen. Her heart dropped as she saw the ice that coated the bucket when it came into view.

'Damn it.' Her mind raged with anger.

The young woman knew she shouldn't have waited another day to get water. Now was the time they had to get water to help them survive the harsh weather to come. Zelda sighed sadly as angry tears stung her eyes. She stood there for a moment in defeat. She couldn't believe how stupid she was.

Zelda finally turned and made her way to the house. Once inside, she struck a match and lit the small fireplace in her first room. She threw herself into a chair and crouched over, placing her face into her palms. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she allowed the tears to run from her sapphire eyes. She cursed herself for making such an amateur mistake.

Once she composed herself she looked around the small room for a moment. She had next to nothing. Nothing to cherish or worry about. For a moment she did nothing but stare at the room in her pathetic house. Then she quickly stood and made her way over to the closet. She swung the door open and removed the suitcases she stored in it. Zelda briskly began throwing all of her things into the bags. Not caring about forgetting anything.

"I'm going to keep my promise to Malon.." She whispered as she continued packing her things.

Zelda was ready to leave this village now more than anything. A smile appeared on her face as she came to the end of packing. She couldn't help but feel excited about her journey ahead. Now she knew how Malon felt the day she left.

The young woman placed her bags in the small wagon and secured a tarp over it all. Slowly she walked back through the doors of her house and sighed sadly.

'I guess I'll kinda miss this place..' Zelda thought sadly. 'But this isn't where I'm meant to be..'

Zelda grabbed her light coat and slipped into it. The last thing she grabbed was a quilt her Mother had made for her long ago. She hopped up onto the wagon and sat down. She placed the quilt over her shoulders for extra protection from the cold. It actually helped quite a bit.

'Here goes nothing..'

She cracked the reigns of the horse and it trotted on. No one even glimpsed at her as she rode by other villagers. Zelda clenched her teeth slightly, angry at how uncaring and selfish these people were. Before long, she was at the edge of the field by the entrance to the forest. She took a deep breath before finally carrying on.

A few rays of sunlight peeked through the dense trees. Clouds continued to threaten the sky as she continued on. It was much colder in the forest but she wasn't allowing that to stop her. The strength of the wind increased slightly. She gripped her quilt tightly as it billowed in the wind. Finally she tied it around her neck and sat on the slack. This allowed her to keep it close to her body.

Zelda thought about all of the good that could come from her journey to distract herself from the cold. Before she even realized it, hours had passed

'Maybe I'll run into Malon..' She thought hopefully. Her heart ached as she realized how much she still missed her.

'What if I come across Prince Link again?' Her heartbeat quickened at the thought.

Ever since Zelda had met the Prince, he seemed to haunt her. He was always on her mind, even in her dreams. His golden locks, piercing blue eyes, jaw dropping smile.. Zelda came back to her senses as she came across a pole with arrows on it. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she realized the foolishness of her thoughts. He was a Prince after all.

She made her way to the pole and glanced at it. One pointed to the path to the west and read Lanayru. The other pointed to the north and read Castle Town. Zelda had no idea what either of these places were. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she contemplated which way to go. After a few moments she finally decided to head west to Lanayru. It had an interesting name.

'I hope it's not too far..' She thought as her stomach growled with hunger.

She steered the horse into the direction of the path and whipped the reigns once more. The wind picked up more, causing her to shiver. This didn't phase her though, she was used to it. Although she was confident about her journey, she had no idea what trials were to come.