Hero by Heart

Chapter 3

The sun was 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, 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 under a big tree near the entrance of the village. 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 colorful picture. He waved excitedly as they approached and smiled at them.
Zelda noticed Link beaming back at him and realized that they had met before.
The knight 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 colors 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 one called Fyson said, ignoring Link to look her right in the eyes.
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 frowned. 'Come to think of it, they are never capable of anything.' It was quiet for a moment before she suddenly laughed out loud.
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?' She waved her arm to indicate the little town, nestled between the towering cliffs.
'Oh, we were just going around the kingdom for business, trying to find stuff to buy or sell.' Verla shrugged. 'Since Fyson opened his 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 honor 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 rampaging Divine Beast it became 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. A fresh wave of gratitude and appreciation washed over her. It was hard to imagine him doing all that stuff, helping so many people and overcoming so many challenges, all while risking his life. She wished she could have been there with him.
'I would love to,' Link said, before turning to her. 'I really want to show you.' There was a vulnerability in his voice that clamped around her heart and squeezed.
'I can't wait to see it!' She exclaimed, hoping she had a better way to show him just how much it meant to her.