Princess of Ruins

4

The slow and quiet lull of Link's horse rocked Zelda back and forth against his chest. He held her in front of him, arms wrapped around her own, holding the bridle that kept them both moving. Her eyes were closed, the afternoon sun warm on her face as she leaned her head into his shoulder. Breeze blew across the path they traversed and Zelda felt as if she were on a boat, the horse's movements like the waves.

"How is it possible to be so exhausted?" She yawned.

Link's shoulders moved as he chuckled behind her. "We've both had a long day today."

"Then why go on about taking the scenic route," she said, "we could've been in Hateno and asleep already."

"Don't worry princess," said Link, "I'll take care of you. Just close your eyes."

There was no argument from Zelda there. She closed her eyes and let her thoughts flow by. The soft red that shone as her eyes were closed filled with no images or sounds, all that was there was the fleeting recollections of words that her consciousness was thinking. Soon, the rocking of the horse began to dull, and she had no idea how much time passed from when she nodded off to when they stopped.

Grass was all Zelda could smell as she sat up, surprised to see their horse, Polaris, tied off to the left. She sat up, squinting at the giant metal statue that blocked out the sun. It seemed as though Link had taken her to Sanidin Park. As she sat up, she saw him sitting on the wooden deck, staring off into the distance. She also saw a white piece of cloth out with a particular piece of food on it.

"Is that what I think it is?" Zelda asked, to which Link turned around.

He smiled. "It is."

"I can't believe you made me fruitcake," said Zelda. "It's my favorite."

"I figured you could use something nice after such a difficult day," he said.

"Thank you," Zelda whispered.

She leaned in and grabbed Link by the neck for a kiss, at which he smiled and kissed back. He then turned to the decadent cake he'd made her.
With glee her mouth began to salivate as he cut her a slice. When she finally got to take a bite, the delicate mixture of vanilla, fruit, grain, and sugar touched her mouth. Just that alone was enough to take her back to a time when things were comfortable, when things were good. The cake was, quite literally, a little slice of home.

She got up and sat next to Link, looking at all of Hyrule ahead of her. The mountains and hills were dripping in dots of golden light, the late afternoon sun beginning to fade into the royal blue of twilight. Off to their left, was the grand view of Hyrule castle, and the ruins of Castle Town that they had visited earlier that day. If she didn't have fruitcake in her hand, she figured that just the sight would make her mournful once again.

Link took a bite into the food. "You looked really peaceful while sleeping on the grass."

"Well, I guess it was a comfortable place to lay," she said.

He nodded. "I'm glad."

"Isn't it funny how a hundred years could pass, and yet this park still looks the same?" Zelda asked. "It almost makes you forget that the world is completely different."

The swordsman said, "You could say the same about us, I suppose."

"What do you mean by that?" Zelda asked.

Link leaned back. "We both may look the same on the outside, but I think everything about the calamity has made us very different on the inside. You still hold a lot of regret and blame towards yourself, right?"

"I—" Zelda said, preparing to tell him otherwise.

He looked at her. "Please be honest with me. Don't try to 'protect' me because it's what you think you should be doing."

"Link," said Zelda, "you shouldn't have to carry this burden."

He chuckled. "It's not a burden to me. I would move mountains to just see you smile at me. I love you Zelda, and part of that love is sharing in your world, no matter how you perceive it. So please, tell me what's going on in that mind of yours so I can help you."

And so, under the easy light of the sunset, she began to talk to Link. Her hands trembled as she spoke about their journey to the ruins of Castle Town they morning, nothing less than downright mournful of those who had died in the calamity. The silent peace of the abandoned streets haunted her thoughts and mind, whispering dark odes of failure and death into her ears.

She blamed herself every day for not training hard enough, for not finding a reason to unlock her sealing power sooner. It was by her fault, she reasoned, that so many people had lost their lives. Zelda felt as though she were a failure of a princess, and that she should just give up on the task of rebuilding. She was the princess of rubble, whose kingdom had been smashed by her inability to lead, to step up to the plate and do things. Everything in her wondered what her place in this new life was. Did she have meaning anymore?

There were parts of Zelda that the calamity had stripped away which she didn't even should could lose, until now. Years of research had gone out of the window, to the point where her wisdom had been stripped in the simple act of the passing of time. Ideas of how to govern, how to look after subjects were no longer useful. Even Zelda's concept of a home had been stripped away, leaving her in a place where any dabble of familiarity was welcomed with open arms. She didn't know she could miss friends and family that much. And, for that matter, she never realized that family could mean people who weren't of her own blood.

The way in which Zelda grieved Lady Urbosa now, was the way in which she grieved her mother, because in the purest sense possible, Lady Urbosa had been her mother. Nothing could ever replace the queen of Hyrule, but Lady Urbosa had been there for years. She'd seen Zelda through her mother's death, helped bring light to her skies, and looked after her every time she snuck off to Gerudo Town. She never ceased to look after and care for her and love her. She event went so far as to send for Link, even though Zelda didn't acknowledge who he was at the time. Urbosa had seen Zelda through years of regret and now she was gone.

Now, almost all of Zelda's family was gone. As much as Zelda could possibly love Link, there was nothing that he could do to stop the waves of regret and grief that she was feeling. Her castle, her homeland, her everything, it was gone. And now she was trying to learn how to rebuild not just her kingdom, but her life. And for Zelda, perhaps that didn't mean reconstructing the world around her. No, for Zelda, that meant once again finding home.

She knew where she had to go.