Hero by Heart

Chapter 25

Zelda awoke from a soft pair of lips brushing over her cheek. She opened her eyes and smiled up at Link, looking straight into his beautiful blue ones.
     'Hi,' she muttered sleepily, pushing herself up on her elbows.
     He smiled back at her and gently wiped some stray hairs from her face. 'Hi,' he said softly, his voice hoarse in the early morning. 'I thought we should get an early start to have a nice day out. The sunrise is amazing here.' He smiled apologetically.
     Zelda nodded and sat up completely, grabbing her tunic to pull over her head. Through the window she could see it was still dark out, but if Link thought it was worth it, she would believe him.
     When she was ready they headed out towards their horses and loaded the bags with food and supplies. They planned to be back before dark, but traveling with Link, Zelda had learned that he always came prepared.
     As the skies slowly started to grow lighter, she and Link rode out of town and onto the landbridge. Already the view was amazing, with the sky coloring orange ahead of them, brightening the sea.
     When they reached the main road, Link led them a little up the path, back from where they came. He took a turn left and they reached a set of ancient ruins, looking out over the sea and the peninsula below. The place on its own was amazing, but the bright orange sky now tinged with pink behind it made it truly breathtaking.
     They dismounted and Link grabbed Zelda's hand, leading her to a part of grass with the best view. He spread a blanket out over the dewy grass, then gestured for her to sit.
Zelda did as she was told, marveling at the sight.
     Shreds of fog rose up from the sea, illuminated by the colors in the sky, which seemed to change every second that passed. Finally the first rays of sun appeared on the horizon, blinding her eyes. But despite having to squint, Zelda refused to look away.
     With her hand in Link's and her eyes set forward, she forgot everything else. She was in a different world, one that was too beautiful for all the horrors from her past to have happened. Here she was happy, she was with her knight and she was safe.
     For at least an hour they just sat there, silently looking out over sea. Eventually Link stood up and walked over to the horses, where he rummaged through his bags for a while. When he returned he held out a plate for her, with a simple breakfast laid out on it.
     Zelda glanced up at him, smiling brightly. 'Thank you, Link. It's amazing. All of it.' She looked back out at sea, the smile never leaving her lips.
     Link chuckled and sat back down. 'I just want to see you happy, Zelda.' He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. 'That's what makes it all worth it.'
     Zelda felt her cheeks heat, as she looked at him with a loving smile. She felt a whole new rush of butterflies settling in her stomach, but she quite enjoyed it. He made her feel good.
     He saw her looking and cast her a beaming smile, before munching away on his food.
     When their breakfast was gone and the sun was up, they went back to their horses. Link smiled at Zelda as she followed him across the path again and over the grassy slopes on the other side. A small grove of trees came in sight and Link dismounted, making Zelda wonder what could be there.
     They walked a little way through the trees until it became clear to her what was so interesting in this place. In a pool of water, hidden between trees and rocks, was some sort of giant flower. There were colorful mushrooms all around it and the entire clearing seemed to have a magical aura.
     As Zelda stepped closer, she could see sparks of light floating up from the center of the flower bud. A path led up, to where she found a deep body of water.
     Suddenly a giant hand erupted from it, grabbing the side of the basin.
Zelda let out a startled yell as she quickly backed away, half falling over the loose steps. She landed on her back on the ground, immediately soaked to the bone.
A woman emerged from the water, shining in bright colors. Her hair was purple, as were her lips, her jewelry and her clothes. She seemed to sparkle and glitter, and smiled enthusiastically.
     Zelda lay on the ground, panting, staring up at the giantess who waved her arms through the air.
     'Here I am!' The lady shouted, glancing down at them, seemingly unbothered by the shock she had caused. When she noticed Link she smiled fondly. 'Ah, you've come here again? Ok, let me see your clothes.'
     Zelda gasped, completely forgetting her shock. She worked herself back up to her feet and stalked up the steps, pointing a finger at the woman with a frown. 'Excuse me? Who do you think you are?'
     The purple lady looked at her in confusion, before glancing at Link. She shot him a look as if to ask him who the lunatic was, but Zelda refused to be mocked.
     'Well? Who are you?' She demanded, regaining the attention of the woman.
     'I am Mija,' she said, as if that was obvious. 'I am the fairy of this Great Fountain.' She smiled, but it was clearly forced. 'Who are you?' She asked with raised eyebrows, not particularly friendly.
     'I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule,' Zelda said, straightening her back and looking up at the fairy defiantly. This woman unsettled her and she didn't really know why, but she didn't like it.
     'Oh my, are you really?' Mija said, her tone considerably friendlier. 'Well, it is great to see you back amongst the people, Your Highness.' The fairy smiled, this time a lot more genuine.
     Zelda was a little put off by her sudden change in attitude, but decided that she would let it slide. If this lady could forget their difficult start, she would show that she could too. At the same time she felt Link's hand slide onto her shoulder and she realized she might have reacted a little hostile.
     'Thank you, Mija. It's great to be back as well.' She smiled. The woman was still looking down on her with a friendly smile, making Zelda think she might not be the kind of person her first impression had made her out to be.
     'And just to be clear,' the Great Fairy said, 'I am able to enhance special abilities of clothing. I was not trying to hit on your man.'
     Zelda sputtered awkwardly, trying to brush those words away, while heat burned her cheeks. 'We're not... I wasn't... Eh.' She dragged her hand through her hair, looking at Link in desperation. 'That's awesome,' she eventually settled on with a small voice.
     Link laughed out loud, gently patting her shoulder with a sparkle in his eyes. 'Nice save, dear,' he said with a wink.
     Zelda just stared at him. He had never called her that before. It was strange, yet comforting. It made her heart flutter and a smile creep onto her face.
     'So am I to assume you don't have anything for me to enhance?' Mija interrupted their staring.
     Link looked back up at her and nodded. 'Sorry, Mija. I came to introduce princess Zelda to you and show her the magic of the Great Fairies. I have nothing to enhance.' He gave her a genuine smile, one that the fairy could not resist.
     She smiled back, spreading her arms. 'That's alright. So long for now, I suppose? Once you have some clothing you want to upgrade, come back anytime.' She looked over at Zelda and gave her a friendly smile too. 'See you later.' She then threw up her arms and sank back into the water. 'Goodbye!'
     Zelda looked at the place where the woman had disappeared, a little baffled by the entire situation.
     'Are you alright?' Link asked her, stepping closer.
     Zelda nodded, then smiled at him. 'That was definitely... interesting.' She turned back to their horses. 'Let's go on. There is still so much to see!'
     Link chuckled. 'Don't you want to get some dry clothes on first?'
     Zelda looked down. She had completely forgotten she was soaked through. 'Well, it's warm out today and I don't want to waste our time running back to town. It'll dry.'
     Link frowned at her for a moment, but then he shrugged and nodded. He turned and led the way back to the horses.
     Once they were mounted, Zelda followed him across the grassy planes and around rockformations pointing up at the sky. Not much later they were back on the main road, this time heading towards the cliffs surrounding Zora's Domain. It was the same road they had taken the day before, but it looked completely different from this side.
     Again, Zelda was looking around in wonder, taking in all the scenery. As they stepped onto the first bridge, she threw her head in her neck to look at the two majestic waterfalls that came down the cliffs.
     'It is all so beautiful,' she sighed.
     Link looked up and nodded. 'I have traveled all across this kingdom, but it still manages to amaze me every time.' He followed her gaze and noticed the waterfalls, causing a smile to appear on his face.
     He pulled Epona to a halt and motioned Zelda to follow, as he dismounted and ran over the grass towards the water. From there it was hard to even see the sky, so high were the cliffs.
     'Considering you're already wet,' Link said with a smirk, gesturing towards the water. 'What do you say?'
     Zelda raised her eyebrows in surprise. 'You want to go for a swim?'
     'I want to go there,' Link said, pointing straight up towards the edge of the cliff.
     Zelda stared at him as if he had gone mad. 'I'm not climbing up there! It will kill me.'
     Link smiled and walked over to Epona, pulling his Zora Armor out. 'You won't have to.' He pulled his tunic over his head, giving Zelda a glimpse of his fine body, before he pulled the armor on. 'All you have to do is trust me,' he said while extending his hand towards her. 'Can you do that?'
     Zelda looked at him with narrowed eyes, trying to understand what he was going to do. Eventually she nodded and took his hand. No matter where he dragged her, she would always trust him.
     Link smiled and suddenly grabbed her other arm, pulling her onto his back. She let out a startled yelp, but he just laughed. Before Zelda could utter any form of protest, he jumped off the rock they were standing on and into the water below.
     It was not that high, but Zelda felt her stomach leave her body, as they plummeted towards the dark blue surface. The cold almost made her gasp for breath but she forced her mouth shut, hoping they would soon come up again.
     When her head broke out above the surface she gasped and sputtered. She was still clutching onto Link, who quickly started swimming towards the massive waterfall.
    They soon approached the aggressive splashing of water and were surrounded by a haze of cold drops. Zelda looked up only to find that she could not see the sky from there. She wanted to trust Link, but she really started to wonder if he had lost it. Would he get them both killed by the force of the water?
     She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but then she felt a jerk, almost making her lose her grip on him. They sprang forwards and up, straight into the crashing stream. Her mouth instantly filled with water and she could do nothing but close her eyes and pray to the Goddess that she would survive this.
     With an immense speed they hurried up the waterfall, making it pound down on them almost painfully. Zelda kept her eyes squeezed shut, imagining the incredible heights they were reaching. All she knew for sure was that she was terrified.
     Then all of a sudden the constant violence of water stopped and they shot into the air. She screamed as she desperately clung to Link, now clearly seeing the deadly depths below her.
     With incredible speed Link unfolded the paraglider that he always had on him and they gently floated over to their right. Their feet touched the rocky ground and they stumbled forward, before Zelda let go of him and collapsed onto the earth.
     Link crouched down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'I'm sorry, Zelda. Are you alright?'
     She snapped her head up to look at him, a snarl on her lips. 'Don't you ever make me do that again!'
     Link quickly nodded, his eyes big and apologizing. 'I'm really sorry, but I think you will find it to be worth it. Come.' He held out his hand and with a last angry glare, Zelda grabbed it and followed him.
     They walked over the grass until they were right at the edge of the cliff, where Link sat down with his feet dangling over the edge. Zelda reluctantly sat next to him, staying clear of the looming depths.
     She then watched the land below and had to admit that he was right. It was worth it. The view was truly breathtaking.
     They could look out far over sea, a vast and empty space at the edge of the horizon. In front of that were the Akkala Highlands. She could see the peninsula way down below, just like Tarrey Town and the half circle cut out in the rocks where she now knew lay the Great Fairy Fountain. She could follow the road they had traveled on and the little island right below them, where she could see two small horses standing near a tree.
     The hills were green and brown, with trees in all kinds of colors, stretching out as far as she could see. Together with the gentle breeze, the sun on her skin and the sounds of water and animals around them, she couldn't help but feel happy.
     Link watched her face and smiled at the wonder he could probably see there. He carefully crept closer and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Despite her earlier anger towards him, Zelda smiled and leaned into him.
     They sat like that until they were completely dry and Zelda's stomach started to rumble. Link laughed and stood, helping her up as well.
     'Are you willing to fly down?' He asked, a guilty look on his face. He knew she might not like it, but he had taken her up here and they had to get down somehow.
     Zelda nodded. 'It's fine. I trust you.'
     Link smiled and unfolded the glider, waiting for Zelda to grab onto him. Practiced as they were now, it wasn't unexpected when he jumped off the edge, although it still made Zelda's stomach churn.
      They landed within three paces of Epona, but she barely spared them a glance, obviously used to seeing Link fall out of the sky. Thunder, however, neighed and skittered away a little, but calmed when he recognized Zelda.
      They mounted and continued their way, eating their small lunch in the saddle. Zelda had just taken a bite of her apple when they crossed the last bridge and Link steered right, onto the grass. It didn't look like there was anything there, but as they rounded a big rock formation, some sort of road suddenly doomed up.
     It was a broad path, but incredibly steep, going down towards Torin Wetland. Zelda held on tightly, having to lean back quite far to keep her balance. When the ground finally leveled out, she let out a relieved sigh and loosened her grip, which had turned her knuckles white.
     The ground was flat now, with trees scattered all around and pools of water reaching to their ankles. Dead Guardians littered the area, their remains long stripped clean of any useful item.
     For a while Link and Zelda trotted around, taking in the sights and occasionally inspecting a decayed Guardian. Zelda still found them interesting, even though most of them were exactly the same and quite useless now.
     As they roamed around clouds started to form, quickly packing together until the entire sky was a dark grey. Zelda had dismounted to rummage through the underside of a Guardian, when the first raindrops fell.
     She straightened up, enjoying the sudden downpour. She swirled around and spread her arms, her face turned upwards as she laughed. 'Dance with me, Link!' She called out on impulse, extending her hand towards him.
     Link laughed, but did as he was told and took her hand. They paraded around, without much coordination, but with all the fun. They manoeuvred around trees and guardians and splashed through puddles, never ceasing their laughter.
     Zelda had never felt more free than she did in that moment.
     Eventually a thunderclap startled them, making them stop in their tracks. Zelda glanced up at the sky to see an almost pitch black mass looming above them.
     'Maybe we should head back,' she said reluctantly. 'That looks like a heavy storm.' She released Link and stepped back, disappointed.
     Link nodded. 'I don't think it would be very safe to stay.'
     Together they made their way back to the horses, but before she got a chance to mount Thunder, Link grabbed her arm and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
     'I just wanted to do that first,' he smiled.
     Zelda chuckled and put her arms around his neck. She leaned her forehead against his. 'Me too.' She then closed the distance again. It was a perfect kiss, passionate and slow, despite the water running down their faces and a thunderstorm fully breaking out around them.
     When they broke apart Zelda saw her smile reflected on his face. A smile that showed joy and excitement, coming from a sense of adventure.
     Link then stepped back and shot another worried glance at the dark clouds. 'We should really go now, though. Storms out here can get very dangerous.'
     Zelda nodded and mounted Thunder. With a glance towards Link to check if he followed, she spurred him on to a gallop, just as the sky lit up in a lightning strike.
     Side by side they rode across the plain, while lightning became more frequent and struck incredibly close. They passed between trees and jumped over Guardian legs and pieces of old ruins.
     Zelda could feel her heart thump in her chest, adrenaline shooting through her system. The constant stream of rain made it hard to see anything. She trusted entirely on Thunder's senses to avoid or jump over any obstacle.
     Suddenly it sounded as though the sky itself exploded, in a thunderclap that made her ears ring. At the same time a lightning strike shot down, hitting a decayed Guardian a little ahead of them.
     Sparks flew off and the Guardian actually lit up and stuttered for a second, before it went dead again.
     Zelda let out a strangled scream, but Thunder didn't seem to be fazed, as he dashed forward and past the now slightly scorched Guardian.
     Link quickly followed and called out, but Zelda didn't understand him over the brutal force of nature. The wind was howling, rain was pouring down as if it wanted to drown them and thunder became more and more frequent.
     They reached the road and traveled up, back towards Tarrey Town. Zelda steered Thunder to cut off a part over the grassy slopes, but it became obvious from his nervous neighs that it was quite slippery.
     Still, the horses managed to find their way back to the road, where now a solid stream of water came rushing down.
     To Zelda's relief she suddenly noticed the sign that stood at the crossroads, where they made a sharp turn right. With the constant flashes of light and the loudness of nature's forces, her senses were overpowered, making her feel incredibly small and vulnerable.
She looked at the bridge hesitantly, knowing they could easily lose the path and tumble down.
Luckily, Thunder still didn't seem to be impressed, and he galloped right over the slippery bridge and into town without so much as slowing down. Link followed right at their heels, splashing through the puddles. They quickly dismounted and led their horses to the safety of the stable, where they unsaddled them.
Now that they had a roof over their head, Zelda let out a relieved sigh. She looked at Link and laughed. 'Well, that was quite an adventure.'
Link nodded with a grin. He brushed off Epona, before walking over to Zelda and pulling her into a hug. 'I hope you still had fun today.'
Zelda nodded. 'It was amazing. Thank you.' She smiled, then leaned in to peck his lips. 'I do really desire a warm bath right about now, though.'
Link chuckled. 'Your wish is my command.' He winked at her and turned to lead the way back to the inn.
Zelda looked after him for a second, before smiling and gathering her stuff. She followed him out into the thunderstorm for the last time, happily looking forward to that warm bath. It was just what she needed.