Change for her and chamber-pot for me. Change for her and chamber-pot for me. Champagne does that, apparently.
…I bet she needs that, too.
That’s quite the pace she’s setting. Makes her sleeves flappy. She’s like an ice- and fire-keese hybrid!
“So, Princess—archery, first round ten o’clock.”
“Yes.”
“Arm-wrestling, first bracket, eleven o’clock.”
“Yes.”
“Break ‘til one o’clock. Then archery, then arm-wrestling again at 2 o’clock. Then hurry back, change again, dinner at 4 o’clock, and we have to be back at the bailey no later than 8 o’clock for the last arm-wrestling bracket, and the final archery round at 9 o’clock. Done by ten.”
“This is all assuming I make it through each round. If I lose, we’ll have more breaks.”
“You won’t lose.”
“I do appreciate your confidence in me.”
“Good!”
“But we’ve established while I am unusually strong, I am not as strong as you are.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been training my whole life.”
“That is not the point, Link. I expect Sir Merendith or Sir Eberoy may handily defeat me at an arm-wrestling table.”
“Well… maybe. I doubt they’ll enter, though. I bet the entire royal guard’ll have their hands full today.”
“There may be others equally strong.”
“It could be. But even if so, Princess… there’s no way you’re not coming in first in archery. You SUNK that arrow in the furthest bullseye with that royal guard’s bow.”
“Powerful weapon, that. I do recall Robbie telling me they need frequent re-stringing. The material’s elastic limit is relatively low, so the draw weight decreases with relatively few uses, and may then easily reach its ultimate tensile strength.”
“…Can you… say that again for me later?”
“Oh- I’m sorry, Link, certainly, I can explain more clearly-“
“Um… that’s not what I meant.”
.
“…We do have enough time.”
“Sure, we’ll make it. We might even have about fifteen minutes to spare.” And she really can’t wear that dress at the festival.
“Agreed!”
“If we walk fast, we might even be able to stop at a stall or two before-“ Where’s she going? “P-Princess? Wuh-!“
The warmth of her mouth, the champagne, warm everywhere, her fingers deep in my hair, desperate, her body a wave against mine, moving in time, heat rising, swelling in me like a song from every point of contact but especially where she wants me most, burning upward further and further, my gut- stomach- chest- neck- face-all of me- it’s everywhere- m- my ear, she’s at-
“The material’s elastic limit… is relatively low.”
H-her lowest of low voices- “Zelda-“
“The draw weight decreases with relatively few uses…”
Oh yes, yes it does, doesn’t it-
“…and may easily reach its ultimate tensile strength.”
I might be reaching mine-
Swallowed again, she’s right, no more talking, that’s the wall behind me, she’s pushing so hard, I’m entirely at her mercy aren’t I, there’s no way I’m stopping this on my own, the waves, I’m her instrument and she’s playing my body with hers like she plays my thoughts with her words she’s going to going to she’s moving to my neck to that place the place she found before she wants to make me make sound “aaaAH- ng- Zelda- Zelda, my Goddess-“ is that really my voice, high and strained and breaking with each breath and she’s running her upper lip up my windpipe, between my jaws, my chin, back to my mouth- that kiss- that one- that was gentle- she- she’s-
“I thought you could use that.”
Please please let my frantic nodding tell her what torture this is-
“We have less time now.”
“I- hhh-hh- I- I know.”
“…And I’m sure it will take you a few minutes to calm.”
“My Goddess, Zelda. My Goddess.”
“My poor knight. I- I suffer, as you do. Just… less obviously.”
When did I squeeze my eyes shut?
She’s breathing- so heavily- breast heaving- pink cheeks-
Can’t help it-
“Oh- oh ahha, Link- Link- you’re supposed to be calming down!”
“Your mouth was right there.”
“And so it shall be tonight, when we aren’t expected at competitions.”
“You’re the one who pulled me in here.”
“And I have remained responsibly cognizant of the time.”
“I don’t think they’d start the round without you.”
“Perhaps not. But the schedules are critical to keep. We’ll have a hectic day as it is without adding complications.”
“Kphht. Like dragging me into a storeroom to have your way with me?”
“Sir Link. Had I had my way with you, you would not be standing.”
“…Is that a… challenge?”
“It’s a promise.”
That whole calming down thing isn’t happening very fast, is it?
“Perhaps a few practicalities might help. Firstly, Sir Jeralt’s wise pronouncement that we are not to leave each other’s sight.”
“Uh. We haven’t.”
“In a few minutes, we shall proceed down the hall, and I shall need to change in my chamber. Ria shall help. In order for you to remain technically within eyesight, you, Sir Link, are to stand on my balcony at a window, but face outward. Is that clear?”
That is the first time I have seen a shameless s@*#-eating grin on her face. “…You’re enjoying this. A lot.”
“Oh yes.”
“…Are you really in a hurry, Princess? Because it seems kind of like you’re trying to keep me stuck here.”
“I shan’t be in a hurry unless we’re here another five minutes. It seems to me you’re proceeding at a manageable pace.”
“How’s this for manageable… I already need to relieve myself.”
“Ahh. As do I. I of course can take care of that behind my privacy screen.”
“Yeah.”
“Perhaps you should sweep my room before I perform any activities within it. Do you think that would satisfy Jeralt?”
“I… guess. Especially if I’m standing by your open window the whole time.”
“Good. As for you, why not simply make use of the screen yourself? Ria and I can stand outside.”
Huh. “Yeah, I guess that works.”
“Well then, we’re prepared. And you, Sir Link, also seem ready.”
“Ready enough, I think.” OoOOh, not steady on my feet, though…
“How astonishing! I have never seen you swerve so.”
“Yeah, it’s, uh- it’s a new thing. Maybe it’s the champagne.” Or maybe it’s that you turned my legs to yellow chuchu jelly. Not the ordinary blue stuff. Too tingly to be that.
“Hmm. Hm hmm. Perhaps.”
_____
I can absolutely feel their eyes on my back. BOTH of them. Every single hair on the back of my neck is standing up, and no amount of waving or shouting at Margil and Daile is going to let me un-see the smirks on their faces. Or on Kerkand’s or Traleene’s. The guard’s technically changed already… guess this must be amusing to watch. Glad Ria helped me fix my hair. Oron, Wenn, Farniha and Skeyn all saw it first, though...
“All is still well, Sir Link.”
“Great, Princess!” Voice-crack averted this time.
Success.
…They’re giggling.
This time yesterday, I thought Ria was a living icicle.
Shows what I know.
“Nearly ready!”
Thumbs up.
Oh, Margil, Daile, Traleene and Kerkand are all thumbing up now, too. Look at all these thumbs approving of the Princess’ nearly-dressed state.
Though they probably don’t realize that’s what the thumb’s for.
…I’m not going to tell them.
I could make a game out of this. I SHOULDN’T. But I could. How many hand gestures could I get them to return before they realize I’m messing with them?
I shouldn’t mess with them. They’re under my command.
And I’m a fricking GENERAL now. As if I didn’t have enough reasons to take my job seriously.
…I outrank my father.
HAHA!!!!!
OOOOH that feels good! Why does that feel so good? Am I a jerk? Do I want to shove it in his face?
…I do, don’t I?
See, DAD?! It only took me four months!
…Of… you know… the king realizing I was too fragile NOT to promote…
…Why do I do this to myself?
“All set, Sir Link!”
Oh good. One last wave and in. We can’t have much time to spare at this point.
“What do you think?”
I think Jirolie did this exactly right! “It’s perfect, Princess.” The bow design can’t sit too low. It’d get… awkward. But it doesn’t! Her belts sit well over that, that’s a relief, Jirolie cut it closer to her form. Mine’s pretty much a straight line, but of course it is. I’M pretty much a straight line.
“According to the slate… oh. Oh, Link, we ought to move quickly. Ria, if you wouldn’t mind meeting me one more time with the dress? The ballroom opens at four, which means I should be back here by 3:15.”
“Why not allow me to meet you there, Princess? There are several small rooms we can duck into to get you changed. It’ll save you a half hour.”
“If you’re willing, that would indeed be convenient.”
“It’s no trouble, Princess. I’ll meet you in the hall near the entrance and we’ll get you set. I’ll do the same afterward.”
“Thank you, Ria. You’ll get a chance to enjoy the festivities, won’t you?”
“Oh yes. I’ll be bringing the children both before and after the dinner.”
“I’m glad. We’ll see you later, then!”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Let’s be off, Sir Knight.”
“Slate secure?”
“Yes, I think so. The belt sits similarly to the other one.”
“Good. The slate hitting the flagstones mid-run would be a bad way to start out.” Wow. She just went pale.
“I-indeed. Um. Perhaps I ought to add insurance. Someone—goodness, Link, someone might try and take it off my hip.”
“That’s a terrifying thought. Okay—just a sec—what could we use that won’t-“
“Princess?”
“WH-!” I forgot Oron was even there-
“Yes, Sir Oron?”
“A hilt wrap would do it. Eh- NOT yours, Sir Link. Maybe-”
“Oh, oh, no, Oron—I got it—” I still have my old sword! Out of the pouch-
“Holy HYLIA! Sir! How?!”
Oh. I guess he’s never seen me do that before. “It’s a magic pouch.”
“…Yeah… must be….”
Quick quick quick, we’ll be running late, it’s an old cord anyway but it’ll do.
“Alright, I’m just gonna cut it, where’s that knife—there—okay—” cut cut cut cut hurry- “there it is, I’ll wrap it real quick—”
“I… I won’t be able to take it off quickly.”
“Pff, Princess… that’s kind of the point!”
“Well… yes, I suppose it is. You just tied it—you’re wrapping it further?”
“Just in case.” One last knot… done. “Okay. We run!”
“Indeed!”
“See you later, Oron—Farniha, Skeyn, you too!”
“Good luck.“ “Princess, Sir.” “Enjoy the festival, Princess, Sir Link”
Okay… we’re both fast… this is a longer run than the little race we did yesterday. We’ll see how much stamina she has. If she can handle repeated 40+ pound draws, she might be fine with this, too.
"Morning, Beraya."
"Good morning, Sir. Princess."
Stairs. Tempting to leap a bunch of them. But then she might try it. And if she falls because I’m being careless and ends up with a broken leg on the day of the festival, my mom will smack me over the head every time she sees me for the next year and Chee will probably kick me in the shins and the Princess might not like me so much anymore.
Then again maybe she’d still like me and I could sit by her bedside to keep her amused while she’s healing. That might be kind of fun. I could write puns on her cast.
Hehehehe.
Don’t castigate yourself!
So, you cast yourself down the stairs, did you? “Hehe.”
“And what has struck your fancy, Sir Knight?”
OOoh, my fancy! I don’t know what I’ll do with that, but I’ll figure something out later. “Casts.”
“…That’s hardly transparent, Link.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t take your meaning. And you DID say I could know your thoughts.”
”…Do you really want to know the stupid ones?”
“I most especially want to know those.”
“Mmm. You might make fun of me.”
“I may indeed.”
“You might think less of me.”
“I certainly shall not.”
“…Okay. Uh.” Oh no, Link. Oh no, what were you laughing about? ??? ?????? Think think think think think think think skipping stairs right and falling yes! “Uh. So, if you fell and broke your leg and were stuck in bed with a cast I’d write things on it.”
That… is a bewildered blink.
“…Is that the funny part?”
“Oh no, it’s what I’d write.”
“May I be privy to your proposed writings?”
“Well, so far I’d come up with don’t castigate yourself-“
“Hmhmm.”
“-and you cast yourself down the stairs.”
“Mm- oh! Ah ha.”
“Heh. Pretty bad, really.”
“Link. Cast no doubt upon your own humor.”
“OH!”
“Hmm. I admit I have no practice with such plays on words, but I’m willing to try.”
“That’s much better than I was hoping for.”
“And what might that have been?”
“Mostly that you’d roll your eyes at how ridiculous I am rather than CASTing me into the moat.”
“Kph- this could go on all day.”
“Yeah, but we’re on the footpath now, so we’d better pay more attention. People milling about.”
“Yes, that much is obvious. I shall enjoy running at full stride, nonetheless!”
She has a grin on like I do. There’s some special kind of joy reserved for just running or giving Rionee free reigns. The freedom of movement. Letting my body decide how to move all by itself while my mind is just a spectator.
I still have to watch where I’m going, of course. On Rionee, I can stare at clouds but doing that while running is a mistake. The kind that gets your mouth invaded by dry leaves!
.
“The slate is secure but hitting my leg with each stride.”
“Ohhh, yeah, that’s why some people hate hip quivers.”
“I’ve seen you use those.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t bother me.”
“I’d wondered how you keep the arrows from falling out.”
“That’s what the grips are for.”
“The what?”
“Grips. Greggan just gave you a simple back quiver. The arrows can be loose in those but that’s a bad idea for a hip quiver. Better to have a spacer that keeps them in place and stops them sliding around too much. Good for keeping different kinds of arrows separate, too. Sometimes they even have leather slots on the outside for special arrows.”
“That seems sensible. It seemed so natural to draw the arrows from the back, though.”
“It is pretty convenient, but if you have a sword and shield back there, too-“
“Ah. Yes, that sounds inadvisable.”
“That’s one world for it!”
“You’ve not been carrying a shield.”
“Not around the castle, no.”
“You’ve been strapping it to Rionee elsewhere.”
“Yep.”
“Under what circumstances would you carry it?”
“I do that whenever I expect to run into monsters for sure. I try to leave Rionee behind for that, too. They’ll go after horses.”
“Yes, I’m sure you don’t want Rionee harmed.”
“No, I don’t, and they would hurt her, but they’d be likely to steal her first.”
“Truly?!”
“Yeah. Moblins can’t ride, but bokoblins can. They… they ride the horses to death.”
Oh no, no, stop picturing it- grisly- so many flies- the stench- their lips mangled by migrating bits never taken from their mouths-
“Link? Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just seen it—what they do to them. It’s horrible. At least… at least when people use animals, they give something back. Most of the time.”
“You certainly do. Rionee loves you.”
“Heh. Yeah. I’ve neglected her the past few days, though. Tomorrow I’d better pay her a visit.”
“…I think someone else may love you, too.”
Uh. You? You’re… not an animal- well, technically you are, I mean all people are, but-
“But I must admit ignorance as to the methods by which snails show affection.”
“PFFT- oh my Goddess, Zelda…”
“Ah heh- what did you think I meant?”
“You!”
“Why, Sir Knight. I am neither your pet nor your beast of burden.”
“Well yeah, that’s why I was confused!”
“Indeed, if one of us were to ride the other, I would most certainly be the one riding you.”
Aaaaand clench!
Does she know what she said? Turn sloooowly, Link. Try not to have eyes the size of dinner plates. Try. …Try harder!
“Hmmmm. Yes, I thought that might interest you. AH!- ALSO of interest, Link-!”
Wh- “WOAH! Woah, sorry- sorry, sorry-“
“Never MIND, General! Ah ahahahaa!”
Um. Some people are still into the champagne, I guess. “Who was that?”
“His name’s Morovo. He runs a successful insurance company out of the Maritta Exchange.”
“I bet insurance is a huge deal right now.”
“Yes. I fear they may be operating under the assumption that if the Calamity comes, they won’t have to pay much out.”
“…Because people won’t live to collect.”
“Yes.”
Leaving Hyrule’s infrastructure devastated because no one’ll pay out to fix it.
What do you do about something like that?
Do you do anything at all?
Do you set aside tax money to pay for it?
Would that matter since the government could be in shambles anyway?
And the people who know how to do stuff might be dead?
…Link… if you DO marry the Princess… you’re going to have to learn an absolute ass-ton of things.
…I should try not to get ahead of myself.
“They’re so loud.”
“Huh? Oh, the festival.“ It IS impressively loud. We’re not even to the stables yet and it’s really noticeable. Hope the horses and tiny children can deal.
“I’ve never heard such a thing!”
“I can hear music. But it’s too many different musics. Er- songs.”
“Hmm hm.”
“What?”
“I found that amusing after your eloquence this morning.”
“Well, I practiced that.”
“…It was beautiful.”
“…You’re beautiful. Which is not even close to the most important thing, but it’s nice anyway.”
“And you, Sir Knight, are devastatingly handsome.”
“Ha- no I’m not.”
“Oh?! What makes you say that?”
“…Princess, you’re the only woman who’s ever shown interest in me at all. Well, unless you count the maids trying to creepily settle their bet.”
“It’s difficult for me to believe. Especially as you struck me still the first time I saw you.”
“…I did?”
“Very much so.”
“…I thought you didn’t like me.”
“I didn’t once you’d pulled the sword—temporarily, at least. Before then, I must admit I was attempting to find an excuse to run into you in a hall somewhere.”
“I’d have liked that.”
“I was really quite worried that some castle girl would catch your eye before I had the chance.”
“Hph. No, Princess. The only people who ever gave me a second glance before you were-“ Oh, crap, Link. Why did you start that very embarrassing sentence?
“…Link?”
Nothing for it now, dummy. You told her you’d be brave and speak. Follow through. “Men did. Show interest, I mean.”
“…And this bothers you?”
“…Not exactly? I don’t know. I didn’t know how to feel about it then, and I still don’t.” And there’s a big difference between Gio (who was just trying to embarrass me) and the guys in the barracks who tried to eye me discretely.
.
.
“Link?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re nearly at our rendezvous.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ve no time, now, but later I promise to trace each of your features and explain exactly what I enjoy about them.”
That sounds amazing.
Can it just be later now? Do we HAVE to go to the festival? Maybe there’s a nice recess in the wall somewhere we can hide in for thirty seconds while she picks a part and tells me about it. Aww, we just passed a bastion. Missed opportunity. Probably had guards in it anyway, though- eh, yeah, I see at least a few on top.
…She hasn’t told me what she thought about last night, yet, either. Guess we’ll be doing a whole heck of a lot of talking tonight. I am very-much-really-truly-childishly hoping it’s going to be the best night of my entire life to this point.
There is still the problem of how to get that alone-time, though.
The secure check-point. “Morning, Ezma. Morning, Jorr.”
“Sir! Princess.” “M-morning Princess, Sir Link.”
I don’t recognize anyone else lining the opening. A bit surprising. Better slow…
“That was quite the run, Sir Link.”
“Your stamina’s through the roof, Princess.”
“Oh? Oh. I suppose so—I’ve little to compare it to.”
Good, I see Mipha. Predictably watching the toddlers toddle. She’s so sweet. Is that why her magic heals people? Does it have to do with her personality?
There’s Seggin. No one else??
“Hello! Aren’t these little ones astonishing? How can they balance so? I’m told that one there is merely a year old!”
Heh. Very sweet. “How old are Zora when they start walking?”
“Oh, usually around four years of age. Zora can swim straight from the egg, though.”
“…You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a newborn Zora.”
“You probably haven’t. The eggs are well-secured in hatching pools away from- well, away from Lizalfos.”
…I’m pretty sure her face just fell. I’m… not going to ask. At least not now. “So, where are the others?”
“Oh, your sister was much too excited to wait. I sent Sharoo with her and Junilla just in case.”
You what?
“Thank you, Mipha, that was very thoughtful.”
Um. Thoughtful, maybe, but not well-thought-out.
“Of course, Princess! Besides, Sharoo was excited, too.”
...Seggin doesn't look happy, either.
“Yappy toadfish. They’ll do well together.”
Not good. Not at all.
“Seggin...”
Damn, do I run back up and grab Beraya off the stairs?
“Mmm.”
We're just barely on time, though. It'll take too long.
“...Okay. From this point on, the four of us at least stick together. No splitting up for any reason.”
“Yes!” “Mmm.” “Agreed.”
“We ought to get moving. There’s little time.”
“Right, Princess-” glad she doesn’t get distracted as easily as I do. Walk briskly, Link. “Let’s all try to keep an eye on the crowd. Most of these people are just townsfolk here to make money and have fun. But there’ll be pickpockets for sure.” AND… I didn’t think to double-tie my pouch like I did for the slate. I can probably get away with that after the first round. Er. Do I have anything in the pouch to tie it with? Maybe someone’ll be selling something at a stall AND I don’t have any rupees on me. Not a single one.
Ehhh.
“Why suddenly forlorn, Sir Knight?”
“I sort of just realized I should’ve extra-tied my pouch down.”
“You still can.”
“I don’t have anything- I’ll deal with it after the first round.”
“The slate—Oh. Actually, it’s now quite difficult to read the time.”
“I can read it for you, Princess.”
“Oh- Mipha, that’s not-“
“It’s 9:46 am.”
We are JUST going to make it if we stay quick and why does Zelda look like someone just shoved her hands in the snows of Walnot Mountain?
She really doesn’t like Mipha touching the slate, does she?
She doesn’t like anyone even looking at the screen. She shrunk away from me when I tried to peek the other day.
“Oooh, do you smell that?”
Mmmm, I sure do. About a thousand delicious food-smells rolled into one, just living in the air like a taste-cloud. I’d look silly if I walked with my mouth open to let more of it in. Still tempting. Ohhh, that’s Verney. He’s got a smoker going behind the stall! What glorious things are in there?! He has some finished hanging up. That’s a long strip of smoked salmon he’s rolling up. Is that some kind of cheese in there?
Liiiiiink. Don’t torture yourself. Come on. Don’t do this. You’re not supposed to chow down today. You’re supposed to be security. RELIABLE security. Ogling food while constantly swallowing saliva is not reliable. It’s massively sidetracked.
“Gracious. I’d thought the post-ceremony refreshments would hold me over, but I may not be able to resist. I must do the round first, regardless.”
She’s side-eyeing me.
“Link?”
“Yeah?”
“…Are you-“
“THERE y’are.”
“Oh! Good morning, Sir Greggan!”
“Morning, Princess. Sir Link.”
Handshake? Arm-grasp! G-
GREGGAN IS GRINNING?!
“One hell of a promotion, kid.”
“Hehehe, yeah…”
“Let's move, short on time. But if you—either of you—want the run-down of recruits, any time, find me. Mind you, there’s a lot here today I don’t know well if at all. Ahadis and Jeralt drew guards in from nearby posts.”
“Oh? I thought they were pulling guards off the Castle Town walls?”
“They pulled some, Princess, but Carok, the garrison, Gatepost Town, East Post, Irch Plain, Kolomo, the Coliseum, and the bridges over Hylia River are all quiet. They were nervous about weakening the castle’s first line of defense too much, so they took some out of rotation at each station.”
I guess that works as long as it wasn’t too many from each…
Those stations’ commanders are here, too.
…Why do I get the heebie-jeebies about this?
“What is it, Link?”
“Um. Nothing, really, Princess. Just a feeling.”
“Mm. Your face says not a good one, kid.”
“…No.”
“Any idea why?”
“No. Maybe I just don’t like the idea of weakening the field’s defenses any more than the town’s. Then again, the monsters do somehow end up in the hills near here, anyway.”
“Gotta be from belowground.”
“Yeah, you’d think so, but where are the entrances?”
“GREGGAN, LET’S GO!”
“ON ROUTE! Are you ready for this, Princess?”
“I believe so.”
“Let’s get you out there. Do you want that royal bow, or the royal guard's bow?”
“As long as I’m careful with the royal guard's bow, I shouldn’t break it in a single day.”
“Mmph, yeah those are high-maintenance.”
“Is anyone else using one?”
“Turro is.”
“Oh! We’d thought the royal guards might not participate.”
“A few went in. Turro’s a spectacular archer. A few of the soldiers pulled from other posts are apparently pretty good, too. We let them enter. Put them on rotation near the range so as to be useful between. Same with a few of the castle’s own guards.”
Wow. I thought it was loud before but this is deafening and EVEN LOUDER NOW! It’s the Princess, they saw her. They have the king set up on the wall above the observation room. Good.
There’s the scoring table on the left. Who is that…? Rennie from Aurexler’s office. He seemed alright. A little pompous. Loves sticking feathers on the ends of his metal-nibbed pens just because he can. Oooh, he has a fluffy blue-and-yellow one today. Very fancy. And an assortment on his right.
He must spend a fortune on those. Aurexler’s office must spend a fortune on pens and ink in general. Rennie’d better guard those with his life, or someone’ll end up pocketing them.
Oh, we’re jogging.
Scanning. Nothing obviously wrong or threatening.
Still on edge.
The last time I felt like this was the Breach of Demise. Nothing happened… I was just all nerves. It’s definitely the same feeling, though. A canyon floor at night and a massive crowd during the day must be similar levels of vulnerability in my mind.
I didn’t feel this way in Castle Town. Even when it was crowded.
But it was never THIS crowded.
Getting toward the end of the course.
“Princess?”
“Yes, Sir Link?”
“I- I’m sorry I’ll miss you sink some shots. I’ll be looking outward for the most part.”
“I’m glad of it.”
Good.
“We’ll help, too, Link.”
“Thanks, Mipha. Maybe you two looking to each side, slightly frontward, and I’ll be behind.”
“Alright.” “Mmmph.”
We’re in place. Keep scanning. Look serious, Link! Maybe if anyone has any ideas, they’ll think twice.
…Twitchy hands.
Too far away to tell what’s going on on the king’s face.
Here’s Fournier with her bow and quiver.
“Highness!”
“Thank you, Fournier.”
“Here’s your badge. You’re five-one.”
“ALRIGHT, COMPETETORS! IF YOU’VE REGISTERED YOUR BOW, FIND YOUR CORRIDOR! THE FIRST NUMBER ON YOUR BADGE IS YOUR CORRIDOR NUMBER! SECOND NUMBER IS YOUR ORDER NUMBER! YOU LINE UP BEHIND YOUR CORRIDOR IN ORDER FROM ONE TO TWENTY-ONE! ONLY THE PERSON IN FRONT DRAWS OR SHOOTS! IN ROUND ONE YOU EACH GET THREE SHOTS AT A HUNDRED FEET!
“WHEN YOU’VE TAKEN YOUR SHOTS, STAY PUT! WHEN ALL ARCHERS IN YOUR ORDER HAVE FINISHED, I’LL CALL THE WALK-OFF. YOUR SCORE WILL BE RECORDED, YOUR ARROWS REMOVED AND RETURNED. DO NOT WALK OFF EARLY UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET SHOT!
“AND… TAKE YOUR PLACES!”
“I’ll be right behind you, Princess.”
“And we beside you.”
“Not too close, though I appreciate it. I do need elbow room.”
“Link? Is he going to wait for each line to fully form?”
“Probably. Less distractions for the archers that way.” Ha, I found them! I wasn’t expecting that, but they have a phenomenal view up there with the king. Will Chee see me wave? Yes!
Alright, Link. Don’t get too distracted. Not that I think the guy in front of me is going to loose an arrow at the Princess through me. He looks freaked out, actually. Maybe give him a nod and smile.
Nervous wave back. That’s something.
“COMPETETORS! ORDER ONE, READY!”
The barest sliver of sound as she nocks her arrow. Not like a beginner. No clattering and scraping trying to get the arrow in the right place.
“ORDER ONE! TAKE YOUR SHOTS!”
One. Nock. Two. Nock. Three. She’s done already. I haven’t heard the people on our left or right loose yet.
“Call me a pickled bass!”
Thaaaat would be a very surprised Seggin.
“Princess, that was marvelous! You barely aimed!”
“I aimed, Mipha.”
Heh. Just efficiently. “Let me guess. Three bullseyes.”
“Link, the first and second arrows split!”
Yep. I notice she’s not bragging. I wish I could see her face, though.
Man, that kid on our left can’t be more than eleven years old. Shorter arms, less draw weight. Big disadvantage. His bow looks hefty for his age, though. He sees me looking.
“You’re Sir Link.”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“…You’re not shooting?”
“Not today.”
“Aw.”
“Why aw?”
“I wanted to try and beat you.”
“Pff. Tch.” Keep scanning, Link. You can talk at the same time. “I’m not the one to beat. The Princess is.”
“No way. You’ve gotta be better.”
“I’m not.”
“But you’re the hero.”
…How in Hylia’s name do I explain this to a kid? “Doesn’t make me the best at everything.”
“But you’re supposed to be the best at fighting.”
“The sword is my weapon. The bow is the Princess’. Did you… see her shots?”
“Huh? No, I- woah.”
“Yeah.”
“No way.”
“Yeah.”
“ORDER ONE, WALK OFF!”
See ya, kid…
Follow her to retrieve her perfect-score-of-30-arrows. Oh… or the one she didn’t split, at least!
They're taking the bow for her. Part of me wants her to keep it slung over her back. Realistically, though, she's sure not going to wear it to arm-wrestle and it's not exactly a close-combat self-defense weapon. Not all that useful in a crowd should something happen.
“Well, that didn’t take too long, did it Princess?”
“Indeed not, but twenty more orders must occur.”
“Should we stay and watch?”
“There’s no direct need, Mipha, though I’d like to remain nearby to hear the scores once announced.”
“Kmph.”
“What is it, Link?”
Mipha doesn’t notice these things, I think. A month ago, I might not have, either. “Greggan put the Princess in order one so she wouldn’t have to hang around waiting in line.”
“Oh! That does make sense. Is that a little unfair?”
“I’d say it’s a trade-off.”
“Why, Princess?”
“They all know my score before setting out. They know what they must beat.”
“Can’t beat a perfect score.”
“Perhaps, Sir Knight, they shan’t all be perfect.”
“Doubt it.”
Order two waiting patiently for all of us to clear out. Rennie’s scribbling.
“Shall we walk to the south side? We haven’t had much of a look in that direction.”
“Let’s!”
Mipha sounds so upbeat today.
Lots of food along this southeast side. A lot of snacky type things. Roasted nuts, apple rings, sugar nests full of candied and sugared fruits- people’s hands'll be so sticky- ooooh, candied flowers! Where’d they come from?? I don’t remember seeing anything like that around here. Maybe the coliseum or gatepost town. Gatepost town sounds more like a place for fancy stuff.
Heh. I wonder how many extra sugared violets mom used to make because she knew I’d sneak them… sometimes right off the cake- hey, Link! Eating flowers isn’t so weird after all, is it? I mean, chomping them right off the stem might be, so I’m still weird, but it’s not like no one eats them. Those flowered cakes were a big hit in Hateno.
I should’ve asked after home, shouldn’t I? If there’d been any weddings or funerals or dramatic breakups. Mom likes making wedding cakes. She’d like to talk about that.
“ORDER TWO! TAKE YOUR SHOTS!”
“Oh! Should we watch?”
I won’t. Looking toward the crowd. Sets of eyes every direction when possible.
Seggin’s thinking the same thing. He’s purposefully covering directions I’m not.
The Princesses aren’t used to thinking that way.
“Hey, Seggin.”
“Sir Link?”
“We should pick up Sharoo if we can. My family’s safe if they’re watching the tournament with the king and his guard.”
“You read my mind.”
“Hph. I thought so.” Zelda seems more aware of it than Mipha does. Mipha’s a spectacular spearsman, but it’s not like Dorephan lets her risk her life clearing out Lizalfos in the Tabahl Woods. She’s not even fully grown yet. “I’d decided not to pull two off the Princess’ chamber rotation.”
“Because you thought Sharoo would be here.”
“Yeah.”
I could’ve expanded her guard further. Asked Jeralt for more recommendations.
Clearly, I’ll be doing that in the next few days.
And I’d feel I was being paranoid except Jeralt was way more worried about it than I was. He’s not a worrier. And then there’s that weird feeling I can’t seem to get rid of.
“Well, Princess. No one has made three bullseyes in a row.”
“Indeed not. That archer there has done quite well. Two bullseyes and one at the first ring.”
I wonder if she’s a little on edge, too. She doesn’t seem as excited as I’d expected. I can FEEL her scanning the northeast edge.
Link. Don’t be dramatic. You can’t FEEL it. You can hear her voice change as she turns her head.
“Let’s head toward the observation room- okay, Princess?”
“Yes, Link. Let’s.”
Oh good. I don’t know why that relieves me so much, but it does.
Princess in the middle. Me in front trying not to glower. Mipha on her right and Seggin… good. He fell in behind. That’s the right move. Passing the people in front for order two, now. If Mipha wants to watch the last few shots, she’ll have to look back.
S@#$, Link. You should really have one more guard, minimum. The left.
And you know what? Mipha should really be in the middle, too. Just in case.
It’s true I’d have been overtaxing them, keeping them awake too long, if I took guards off her rotation.
Is Jeralt up there? With the king? I think so. Too hard to see from here-
“AGH!”
DRAW SPIN WHERE IS IT-
“Oh my!”
”BLOODY- HOLD! ARCHERS HOLD! MEDICS, GET IN THERE! ARCHERS HOLD! DID YOU NOT HEAR ME SAY NOT TO WALK OFF EARLY UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET SHOT?!”
“Oh- oh Link, he’s badly hurt!”
“…Mipha.” He IS hurt bad. He’s an idiot, clearly, whoever he is-
Oh. Oh he IS an idiot. I know that face. I saw him in the hall the other day too, just didn’t process who it was. It’s Carok Bridge guy. The dummy who didn’t recognize the Princess.
Yeah. Yeah, he’s dumb.
And he has an arrow in his chest. Deep.
It missed his heart. He’d be dead already, otherwise. As it is, he’ll be dead in half an hour. Most likely. If he’s very unlucky, instead he’ll survive for a while so his lung can fester agonizingly before he dies.
And there she goes. Mipha.
“M- my lady-“
“Go, go with her Seggin, I’ve got the Princess-“
I DEFINITELY made a mistake. Never again. Not in a situation like this. Always overdo the guard, Link. “Princess, close to my back.”
“Yes.”
“Look the other way.”
“I understand.”
I didn’t take Mipha’s personality into account at all. It’s not just numbers, Link. She sent Sharoo off and ran off and of course Seggin’s torn because he gets it. Zora don’t sweat. But by the Goddess he’d be sweating cannonballs if he could.
It was fine in town. Why did it feel fine in town?
“Please- please step aside. Let me touch him!”
Seggin’s sweeping the entire crowd and practically growling at the archer who must’ve shot the guy. He looks like he’s dropped a cannonball in his own pants.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but- this will be agonizing! An arrow, PLEASE! To bite down on!”
They’ve shoved one in his mouth. And there’s Mipha’s light.
I have had this fic idea in my brain for ages now, but I’m not sure what the majority of the plot would be but ok basically-
Link was asleep in the shrine in BOTW for so long and Mipha’s ability continues to bring him back from the dead. I just keep imaging Hylia kinda setting all this up to make him the last incarnation of the hero’s spirit. Like BOTW 2 is the end of his adventures, and somehow he has to fight Demise. And that ends the cycle somehow.
But basically from all of the reviving and Sheika stuff he’s kinda immortal now. This is me pretending he still has Mipha’s grace and the other abilities even though the champions have passed on. And he doesn’t notice at first but he isn’t changing. Zelda grows taller, she starts to get lines on her face even. But Link stays the same. He isn’t aging and it takes him awhile to notice it. He tries to ignore it. Maybe Purah and Zelda try to figure it out.
Eventually he starts to distance himself. Spends a good amount of time in the clouds on the floating islands they’d discovered.He comes to visit during festivals and special occasions but doesn’t keep up as much with his old friends. And finally it happens. First Teba, then Yunobo, Riju, and then Zelda. He’s there for her when death comes. Gets to meet her grandchildren before he disappears again. At least the Zora live for a long time. He can almost feel normal around Sidon, but even he shows changes. He takes over as the king and becomes busier.
Eventually even he leaves. Link has lost track of how old he is now. He’s usually alone and the fairies and even occasionally when he visits Malanya, they don’t put much stock in age.
He helps out travelers around Hyrule when he can, and has noticed that at some point small shrines have been erected sometimes offering small portions of food. Whispers of the lost champion, the protector in the wilds reach his ears. He never cared much to ask any more.
Hyrule had changed so much. Castletown had been rebuilt and was bigger than ever. It now housed all the races of Hyrule. and all the major roads were repaved, the capitals connected. Monsters were becoming increasingly rare. There was no reason to patrol the roads all the time anymore. It had been so long.
He would go to either the temple of time or the forgotten temple and pray to Hylia. He was so tired. And she would answer. It had been long enough. He could finally join her. And idk maybe he gets memories from all his previous lives back or something. Like I said it’s a thought I had that could be really cool and/or sad but I doubt I’ll ever do anything with it.
Mipha is so gentle and sweet you wouldnt have a single clue that she has yandere traits
This girl will go out of her way to spend as much time with you as her favorite person, Mipha doesnt mind what the day might consist of rather she just wants to have the opportunity to hold you hand
Let her take you on walks through the mountains, picking the flowers that you pass and weaving you a flower crown to admire you in, relaxing at the near by ponds in lower humidity areas for you comfort
God help those that have the audacity to flirt with you when shes right beside you, while Mipha wont say anything at that moment later in the day she'll definitely yell at them for their attempt to steal the princesses lover, lecturing with a new found wrath reflecting off her eyes
Of course afterwords she goes back to being the relaxed and gentle soul you know her as. You dont need to know about how suddenly her behavior might flip
Let her cling to you and admire your differences in regards of both body and mind, tell her everything on your mind its quite obvious she wants to hear them all, lay down and let her bask in your voice please
Inktober, day 1, FISH
So here I am trying Inktober one more time! Fingers crossed I'll make it to the end this time!
While Mipha isn't my favorite, her design is so cute I decided she had to be my go to for this challenge.
Sketch: Prismacolor Verithin, Tuscan Red
Ink: Pigma Micron Pink
Colors: Prismacolor Verithin, Tuscan Red and Aquamarine
Breath of the Wild, except Link has no idea what Mipha’s Grace does because he was never killed during his journey (whether accidentally, or on purpose).
He gets injured sure, but never enough to activate Mipha’s Grace.
Mipha’s spirit is a little bit bored, but also happy that Link isn’t dying.
