I Live to Serve

Chapter #4: Thank You

They did make it to Kakariko Village by lunchtime. Their timing was so phenomenal, in fact, that hardly anyone was outside of their homes; the majority of the Sheikah were tucked into their houses enjoying a midday meal when Zelda and Link arrived at the entrance of the small town. Dahlia and Violet kept up their trot, and it only took 20 minutes for the pair to navigate their way to Impa's house in the middle of the village. Link was grateful for the timing, lest they be swarmed by the Sheikah that had more than likely been expecting them... Link was positive everyone in Hyrule, from the Gerudo Desert to Death Mountain, knew that Ganon was gone. Something in the air had changed. It was lighter, somehow, and certainly everyone else must've felt it too.

As soon as they passed through the narrow trail and into town, it occurred to Link that 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 in Kakariko Village felt different. All of the houses were the same as they had been, filled with the same people and the same things presumably, but Link couldn't help but feel as if something indescribable had shifted. It wasn't Ganon's defeat, no, this was different, Link was sure of it...

That sentiment was only cemented in his mind when he saw Cado, the lone guard standing watch at Impa's house, drop to his knees in front of them.

"Master Link!" he bellowed, cracking the previous silence that had hung through the air. Link jumped slightly at the sudden praise. "Master Link, we've been awaiting your arrival!" the guard's head hung low in reverence, and a deep sense of discomfort crept through Link's body. He didn't care at all for the praise. If anything, it made him feel less worthy to be in the presence of anyone at all.

"And Princess Zelda! Forgive my forgetfulness!" Cado added, as he slowly rose to his feet. "We've been waiting for you for a very long time, Princess... Please, please come inside," he bowed his head before stepping aside to allow them passage.

"Thank you for your kind welcome," Zelda replied gently, and it looked as though Cado might fall over all together just from the very honor of hearing her speak. Link could relate to the feeling. the Princess of Hyrule gracefully stepped down from Dahlia's back, and Link followed promptly behind her.

"Thank you," Link echoed. His speech was so quiet that he himself could barely hear it, and he once again was met by a feeling of embarrassment for having said (or trying to say, at least) anything at all.

The feeling that something had changed in the town only increased as they scaled the long staircase. Before, he had always sprinted up the stairs, constantly aware that every moment he spent not in Hyrule Castle was a moment too long. He never had taken a moment to admire the simplistic, yet detailed architecture incorporated in every Sheikah home. Not once did he remark on the music in the air or the sound of Cuccos clucking. He didn't ever think about the steepness of the slightly uneven wooden stairs that must've been built centuries ago... but now, he saw all of it. It was almost overwhelming in a good way; he wanted to stop and just take in every detail from every sense. He wanted to run his hands across each stair and try and estimate how long ago the wood was from. He wanted to turn and jump and run and examine the detailed shrines and decorations sprinkled all over the village.

But he didn't, of course. Link only followed behind the princess, mimicking her pace as though one wrong step might land him in another wave of humiliation.

"Impa," Zelda's voice cracked. Link's eyes shot up to watch her. He'd barely noticed that they were now standing in the entrance of the central building. "Oh, Impa-" the previously composed princess practically lunged forward into a leap towards the elderly Sheikah woman. Link didn't move an inch as he watched her long, blonde hair whip back behind her as she crossed the room in what felt like a second.

"Princess," the much more collected woman responded, almost too quietly for Link to make out. "Princess, what took so long?"

Link's mind had about the stamina of a newborn, it seemed, as he quickly disengaged from the conversation all together. It was probably for the better; this wasn't necessarily a conversation he felted very welcomed in. He felt like the lone stranger in the room. They were people of before. Before Calamity Ganon- a world he didn't feel as though he ever existed in. There was a knight in that world, sure. One with his same name and build and fate, but not him.

Their voices began to melt together. Talks of Ganon and diplomacy wafted through the air like an unfamiliar smell. At some point, Link vaguely noticed that one or both of the women were crying. But what about or why was completely unknown to him. All he did was stare at the opposite wall. It wasn't apathy that compelled him to let his eyes glaze over. No, it was merely what felt appropriate, more than anything. To listen would be to eavesdrop. He merely wanted to keep his head up and at attention. He wanted to avoid any imbecilic comments that might accidentally trip out of his mouth.

It was funny how effortlessly he disappeared into the wall. He was invisible, it seemed. That didn't bother him. It was a comfort, in some ways, to melt away...

He hardly conceptualized what was happening when his knees grew heavy and his head light. He didn't realize that he was falling until it was too late to catch himself. He couldn't protest the sleep that took him from the moment.