Zelda waved Pepe and Chacha good bye and boarded the carriage. Link had called the King requesting José to bring 4 of the rough tunics that were used by his stable hands. He also asked for Chacha to be brought to the ranch.
That is how the favorite maid and the stablemaster got to the ranch and where somewhat forced by the Prince to stay, eat and have fun with the crew.
They actually had a good time, the 4 boys used the horses to race each other, and José won all of them. But when they got to play archery, Robert bested all of them by far. And Zidane won Talon's game of finding the cuccos by taking off his boots. Apparently, he was able to feel where the bids landed through his feet.
But then Malon decided to make one last game, and it had to be a challenge. She set some targets around the corral and told them to shot the targets, on horseback, while the rest rolled some empty barrels aimed at them.
The Princess saw Link still standing outside of the carriage, he was petting Epona's neck as he pressed his forehead on hers with a smile.
ZELDA POV
That horse is something else. Not only was she able to stop Zid and set him straight… she was not afraid of the barrels rolling towards her and just kept moving forward. Granting Link an absolute win, since the other horses where too afraid to follow directions and just ran off.
Zid's horse had started running but then turned on the opposite direction and ran away with my monkey brother still mounted. Robert's horse ran half of the track before jumping up throwing my brother off, and then ran away. What happened with José really surprised me, his horse was the fastest one, I was sure they would win this one too… but the horse froze in fear.
Epona… that fiery mare knows no fear, she even seemed to slow a little when closing in to a target, giving Link enough time to properly aim and hit it... not that he needed it but the mare still did it. What type of fucking training has she had? I thought Malon said she was untrainable.
After Link said his good byes to the horse, and to Malon and Talon, he climbed on the carriage. Zelda immediately turned away from him, avoiding his gaze.
This ride is going to be a little uncomfortable for me.
----------------Remembrance--------------------
Robert starts yelling "Guys, I think the water tank is empty" he said while Saria was struggling to spray him due to lack of pressure exerted by the liquid.
"But don't worry sweetheart, I am done" Li told Saria.
"I am not worried; Malon already offered the Princess the shower, so she is taken care of. Leaving Link smeared in mud for the rest of the day seems like the faith he deserves"
Zelda panics at that "Wait what? He could take a shower like me could he not?"
Malon shakes her head "He can't. We only have water for 3 showers, I have to save water for me and my dad to bathe tomorrow, that leaves one water ration to spare. You are the Princess… I am sure Link would not mind staying filthy so you can bathe"
Zelda huffs "Of course he would not mind, BUT I WOULD" she yelled.
Link stands between them immediately making them quiet. "Seeing that this particular conflict affects only me, I should be the one to decide what to do about this drawback"
The Hero walked off without hurry, dragging one step after the other. His heels pressed down against each other until the leather gave, one foot slipping free of the boot, then the other.
"I suggest we take a bath together… not completely naked of course, still wearing our undies"
The Princess stumbled back shaking her head furiously. She tried to speak, let him know this was not proper at all… but couldn't find her voice as he came closer to her. He then whispered close to her ear.
"It's nothing you have not seen before Zelda"
Is that what you think? I mean, of course we have been sleeping together with you only wearing boxers. But I have actively been trying to respect your privacy by avoiding to stare.
Link reaches for a bandana that was hanging nearby. He grabs 2 corners of the bandana and shakes it making the cloth twists along its length. And just like that, he tied the improvised blindfold around his eyes.
"And I won't be seeing much myself, can we do this? Or should I embrace the fifth?" Link asks.
Well, that kind of takes care of my anxiety of him staring at me.
The Princess nods "Yes, let's do this"
Malon whistles loudly "Well, that is a solution I guess… Link, go to the silo and wait. We have installed a shower head to bathe the cows and horses. I believe it would make it easier for you two to share the water stream there, since it's a wider shower head. Zelda will follow in a while so take the blindfold off"
Li lands his left hand hard on Link's shoulder.
"He doesn't need to take anything off; I will guide him to the silo" Li says as he starts pushing Ziel harshly.
-----------------------------------------------------
Oh yeah… my amazing brother surely menaced Link to behave. Or maybe beat him a little just for bathing with me. I want to ask Link about how that walk went, but I can't even look at him without blushing.
Right this moment, it's impossible for me to hold his sight without thinking of water slowly dripping down the scars on his chiseled abdomen.
The Prince and Princess arrived to the castle in silence. Link briefly explained what had happened to Cormac, and claimed that the Princess and he himself were tired. The butler understood that both royals wanted to head to their rooms, so he didn't obstruct them any further.
They headed towards the east tower's stairs. Once in front of them, Zelda started going up the stairs and Raziel just followed.
Maybe I should take this as the Goddesses telling me that I should start behaving like a decent and virtuous Princess. Meaning that I should stop sleeping with Link, no matter how sinless the act in itself is.
But can I really do that? Maybe… But I shouldn't care about it, I should care about MYSELF. Hyrule needs me well rested so that I can that I can perform properly, and I am a queen in the making. My sleep is necessary for the wellbeing of my people.
I… can't just enter hell and go to sleep. That is not my normal behavior, and Ziel will notice the change. I need to distract him with a topic, but…
------------------Remembrance-------------------------
Zelda was looking at Malon as Robert and Zidane were saying goodbye to everyone in the ranch before walking back.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a horse or two? They know their way back, so you don't have to worry about returning them"
"No need, it's not that long of a walk for us" Li says winking at Malon.
The red head quickly turned her head to hide her blush, but Zelda noticed.
------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, that happened. My red headed friend has a crush on Robert, and asked me to keep it a secret… which means I can't tell Link about it, no matter how much I need to distract him now. There should be another topic I can use… EPONA.
The Princess smiled as she opened the door of Link's room and entered. Making the Prince wonder what she was so happy about. Zelda entered his closet and opened a small pink chest that Chacha had placed there for her ages ago. Drawing a sleeping gown, she ran to the bathroom to change.
Once the Princess got out, se noticed Link already lying in bed; she immediately avoided his eyes, but soon started speaking to veer his attention from her.
"Would you care to tell me what type of training have you submitted Epona to?"
Link lifts himself on the bed using his elbows "You heard Malon, didn't you? That fiery mare is too stubborn to follow directions"
Zelda opens her eyes wide "She really is not trained at all? Then how…"
Link snickers "Only Din knows…"
"And I honestly thought José was going to win… his horse doesn't tire and is incredibly fast"
"That horse is a race horse; he is a lot faster but lacks the temperance that Epona exudes… the bravery to stare at a treat in the eyes and still charge it. She is a war horse"
Zelda sits on her side of the bed and opens her mouth to say something, but shut it quickly. But Link knew what she was about to suggest and answered.
"NO… She is free, if she hasn't mated yet is because she does not want to. And I am NOT going to force her"
Wow… he even shifted his voice, so this is a sensitive topic. I should back down, but I really need to distract him from the fact that I can't hold his sight.
"Maybe the mare has a hormonal problem, we could study her and"
"And what…Fix her? She hates veterinary care; I would not force her to go through that unnecessarily. Besides, she doesn't need fixing… she is perfect. She is in good physical condition; she is mentally stable, and very fucking happy. If she ever gets mounted, it will be on her terms with no human interference. If it never happens, I don't care, I don't need a foal from her… I need her and only her"
Dear Goddesses… Link loves this horse to no end, the intensity of his feelings for her have me trembling a little, an even a little jealous
"She won't live forever you know…" Zelda states the obvious with sadness.
"I know. But it will be unfair of me to force her to have a foal just because I refuse to let her go. Besides, I may end up hating the foal because it may not even come close to what Epona was. When Farore decides to take her, I will be crying a river, but with the biggest smile on my face"
I started this discussion to distract him and hide the fact that watching him bathe had aroused me. But I was not expecting that hearing his feelings on the unavoidable future of his equine friend would make me admire and desire him on a whole new level.
Anyway, we talked some, now I just turn around and go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a tiring day for me; I am meeting a suitor.
Zelda chuckled a little, and lay on her side of the bed turning away from him.
"Let's go to sleep, I am meeting a suitor tomorrow" Zelda says as she starts yawning.
Link raised a finger about to say something but decided against it. So, he just turned off the lamp on the nightstand.
LINK POV
I am tired, and I am sure Zelda is also tired. So, I am going to let her sleep. Besides, I believe if something really is amiss, she will tell me.
*So, you do not want to inquire about her restlessness and overall evasive demeanor? *
Believe me, I DO. But I should rest as much as I can before going to Gerudo Valley tomorrow.
*Oh, that is right. Nayru forbid those psychotic red heads catch us unrested*
The next morning Link woke up early and had breakfast with the guards, who initially tensed with the Prince presence, but soon all of them were laughing and cheering on each other to finish eating their food… pork liver. Ivanna had done her best as always to hide the natural bitter taste of that organ, she was shocked when se noticed all the dishes completely empty. The guards, distracted by how much fun they were having, had finished their servings.
Ziel was about to board a carriage, but he ended up loudly whistling Epona's tune instead, he really wanted to avoid being accompanied by anyone since he could not really trust the Gerudo. In fact, that was the reason why he suggested to the King to meet with them in his place. And the Prince's judgment had not been wrong.
The Hero groans loudly as his face hits hard on the ground, and then a sandal presses his head.
"How dare you even come close to our fortress pathetic man" says the guard pressing on Link's head with her foot.
"Don't go killing him just yet, his clothes are nice, maybe he is a noble. We can still use him for a bribe…" the white garbed Gerudo exclaims before dropping everything she had managed to retrieve from the Hero. Link smiled as he saw that the Gerudo found the letter they send days ago requesting a visit from King Daphnes, and the Hero's own personal royal seal.
The Gerudo girl stutters in panic "He is Raziel Link Nohansen"
The other girl frowning takes her foot away from his head and helps him up. Link takes a good look at her, the girl was wearing the standard purple attire, but on her head, she was sporting a diadem with gemstones.
She must be a high rank warrior, making her the current top bitch around.
The high rank Gerudo looks at Link up and down, then growls.
"The level of disrespect you are currently showing us is insulting. We can't enter Hyrule without stirring panic on your weak people, that is why we requested the King to come to us, but you are NOT King Daphnes "
Link spits a little dirt "And given this heartwarming welcome, you should be glad that I am not. If you had treated the King like you did me…"
The high rank Gerudo rolls her eyes "But you are not the King, we are safe then… can you hear our plight and help us or not?"
Link was about to nod, but stopped himself "First, why am I speaking to you? Where is Naboru"
"She is away, left me in charge for the time being, my name is Tali"
She is not even here? That means she didn't even know someone from the kingdom was coming… she was not the one who send us the letter. What are these girls really doing?
The Prince rubs his temples with his left hand's thumb and middle finger "I listen to your request, but I will not make any decision that could jeopardize the Hylians, if it does not harm my people in anyway, I will see how to comply with the request"
Tali hesitates "Sounds good, TOO GOOD. Thing is, a Gerudo only trust another Gerudo… we made an exception for the Hylian King and only him"
Link sighs tired rubbing his temples "I am sure there must be a way, something I can do to earn your trust"
The two Gerudo girls look at each other smiling.
"We only trust Gerudo, meaning you have to earn our respect by gaining a membership into the tribe. For that you need to do 3 things, score 1500 points or more in the Horseback Archery Range, complete the Gerudo Training Ground and defeat ME in a sword fight" Tali said smirking.
The Gerudo guard started laughing hysterically at the idea of Link being able of doing any of the chores listed. But the one left in charge by Naboru continued speaking.
"We all know Hylian men are just too fragile and weak, save yourself the time and effort and just tell King Daphnes to come here"
The Hero smiles diabolically "Hylian men are not weak. Who helped you repair the bridge that connects your valley to Hyrule? Because I bet it was not any of your superior Gerudo females, who did it"
Both girls stare at him with murderous eyes and start growling.
Link smiles and winks at them "So, how about we start with the Horseback Archery Range?"