Hero by Heart

Chapter 3

The sun was brightly shining high in the sky, leaving everything bathing in its light. The day had started out cool and little drops of dew had covered the grass. But as soon as the sun rose above the peaks, temperatures rose quickly. An occasional cloud passed before it, giving everyone a little relief of the heat, before it returned in its full force.
     The tables were still standing on the grass in front of Impa's house, ready for the real feast tonight. Villagers were under the canopy nearby, already preparing meals, while cheerfully chatting with each other. The deer was almost completely gone now, only a few scraps were left for scavengers to fight over. Children were running around playing hide and seek and strong men were collecting logs and branches for the fires.
     Link and Zelda had woken at dawn and as soon as they had stepped out of the inn, they were plagued by one villager after another that wanted to talk to them, or even touch them.
     Zelda smiled politely every time and happily joined in the small talk, obviously invigorated by the friendly welcome of this quiet folk. She laughed and listened, showed excitement at their stories or looked shocked at exactly the right times. It felt so natural to her, being raised as a princess, but she hadn't expected it to be so easy. Not after all this time. It did help a great deal that she genuinely liked these villagers and their funny ways.
As they walked around, they met with three Rito standing near the entrance of the village, under a big tree. They had been talking to each other, gesturing wildly with their wing-like arms, but stopped as soon as they noticed the princess.
'Princess Zelda! Master Link!' One of the male Rito exclaimed. He wore a tan shirt on top of a mostly pink skirt over his teal feathers. Together with his yellow beak it made a colourful picture. He excitedly waved as they approached and smiled at them.
Zelda noticed Link beaming back at him and realised that they had met before. He raised his hand in greeting as they reached the trio.
'Hello Fyson.' He smiled and turned towards the other two. 'Huck, Verla, how are you?'
The two Rito, one with coffee brown feathers and a green skirt, the other with chestnut colours and a purple skirt, nodded in greeting and smiled at the pair.
'It is a beautiful day in a free kingdom, isn't it, Princess?' The first said.
Zelda nodded and showed them a polite smile. She wasn't sure how to act, knowing they were all familiar with each other and that she was the outsider. But the female Rito quickly broke the ice.
'We are doing great, Master Link, thank you for asking.' She turned towards Zelda and hunched forward, whispering loudly: 'Don't mind these two, Princess, they have been grounded for too long. It leaves them incapable of answering any ordinary question.' She straightened up again and looked over at her companions, then added: 'To think of it, they are never capable of anything.' She laughed out loud and Zelda chuckled a little awkwardly.
She had never had much contact with the Rito, save for Rivali. He hadn't been the best of examples at that either. She was excited to meet them now and learn more of their ways.
'If you don't mind me asking- Verla is it?-' The Rito nodded. 'What are you three doing all the way out here?'
'Oh, we were just going around the kingdom for business, trying to find stuff to buy or sell. Since Fyson opened the store all the way in Tarrey Town we barely see each other anymore. So Huck and I thought it would be nice to make a trip together.' She looked at Link and smiled fondly at him. 'Since we heard that Calamity Ganon was defeated we felt much safer to travel. We also wanted to thank Master Link in person for everything he did for us, so we made a little detour here.' She spread her wings, as if to say "that's it". 'To be honest, we were about to leave this week, but then you returned, so we decided to stay a little longer. We are delighted to meet you!' At that she looked sideways at the other Rito, as if to scold them for their manners.
The one with the brown feathers now nodded frantically. 'We are!' he exclaimed. It is an honour to meet you, Princess.' He extended his feathery arm. 'The name is Huck.'
She smiled and shook his hand, which was so big that it made hers disappear. 'Call me Zelda, please', she replied, which made his face light up. He looked over at his companions proudly, as if to check if they had heard.
'We are truly grateful, Zelda,' Fyson said with a grin, ignoring his friend. 'Ever since Link rescued us from our Divine Beast it has been easier to travel, but now it is truly safe. The children can finally explore a world that is not hiding dangers at every turn!' He turned towards Link. 'Tarrey Town is also truly thriving! You should really come visit someday.'
Zelda smiled as she watched Link nod enthusiastically. It was hard to imagine him doing all that stuff on his own. She wished she could have been there with him.
'I can't wait to see it!' She exclaimed, excitement written all over her face.

As the shadows were growing longer, the tables were being set. Countless dishes were stalled out and fires were lit. People started gathering and soon every available seat was taken.
The table at the head was the honorary seat, where Zelda sat with Link on her left and Impa on her right. Next to Link was Paya, who had only just arrived back in town. They had a free view over all villagers and their guests, chatting and eating amiably.
Zelda leaned back in her chair as she watched the feast unfold. It was great being around people again, to see them going around their business and be free. She felt truly happy for the first time in a very long time.
Next to her, Impa had eaten one small plate and now sat quietly taking in the scenery. Her eyes were half closed and it was obvious that the day had already taken a toll of her.
     For a while Zelda had talked to her, recalling old memories and hearing how her life had unfolded after the Calamity. Zelda wanted to know much more, hear everything, but it was clear that she didn't have enough energy left.
     She knew that Impa would not survive very much longer. It made her sad to think of losing her old friend. She had missed out on so much of her life already. She had had a family, her granddaughter was living proof of that. Zelda found it hard to imagine how long it had actually been.
On her other side, Link was eating dish after dish, barely stopping to look around. Zelda smiled to herself as she remembered the first time she realised he was such a glutton. She remembered writing it down in her journal someday and wondered if it had survived all this time. If so, had he read it? She tried to imagine his reaction and chuckled to herself.
Eventually she bent over a little, so she could look past Link and see Paya. The girl was quietly eating a few bites from her plate, her eyes flashing around. She seemed to be looking everywhere at once, but every few seconds her gaze would return to Link.
Zelda felt a strange stab in her stomach as she realised that the girl probably liked him. Who could blame her? He was handsome and strong, brave and loyal, and he had just saved the kingdom. He was a true hero. Everyone would fall for that right?
A little while later she decided to give the girl a chance and after she swallowed her last bite, she directed her attention towards the shy girl.
'So Paya, what have you been up to?' She began, feeling shocked at the slightly aggressive tone she used. She smiled to cover it up, but noticed a quick flash of worry in the girls eyes.
     'Oh, eh... Nothing much, really,' she stammered. 'I went to the Dueling Peaks Stable to buy some inventory. Now that it's safe to travel I like to do it myself. It's good for me to get out more, grandmother says so as well.' She smiled and looked over at the old lady. 'There are lots of people on the road these days.' She glowed with pride, which Zelda assumed had to do with her shy nature. She probably had met a few new people and was proud of that. Zelda smiled fondly at the thought of the girl stressing over meeting other people. She was so innocent and pure. She felt guilty for being so harsh on her, only because she had an interest in Link.
     'That sounds lovely', she responded with a small smile.

Link had finally finished eating and leaned back with a content growl. He rubbed his stomach and looked around, until he noticed Zelda looking at him. He smiled sheepishly and wiped his hair out of his eyes.
     'Are you enjoying yourself, Princess?' He asked her.
     She nodded, but couldn't help but feel a flash of sadness. He kept calling her Princess, while he used to call her by her name. He didn't remember that. It was a constant reminder of what she had lost, but she imagined it would be just as hard if he called her Zelda again. There seemed to be no easy answer.
     He seemed to notice something was amiss, but couldn't figure out what it was. He cocked his head at her, but she turned her head forwards, watching the people in the glow of the fires.
     'Princess?' He softly asked.
     Her heart ached as she heard the gentle voice he used. She had always loved to hear him talk like that. She could see the confusion on his face and felt guilty for putting him through this. It couldn't be easy for him either, having lost his memories. So she offered him a little smile and took a deep breath.
     'It is all very lovely, Link. But I'm eager to see the rest of the kingdom. When do you think it is acceptable to leave?'
     A grin appeared on his face. He must have been just as impatient to travel again, after all these weeks he spent in the village. What she didn't know was that he also found it very amusing to see that the princess was celebrated by so many, but wanted nothing more than to explore the wild. It was so unlike a princess that it lifted his spirits.
     'Very soon, I think. We will have to prepare what we need and they will probably want to say goodbye to us extensively, but after that it should be alright.'
     She smiled at the prospect of leaving and fell silent. For a while they sat there, watching the festivities together in comfortable silence. When he was like this, Zelda could almost imagine it being all normal again. She almost grabbed his hand, that was lying on the table, but caught herself just in time. She didn't dare do anything to disrupt their fragile bond, no matter what might have happened in the past. He didn't remember that and she should respect that. No matter how painful.