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Link was worried. They were usually worried, though, so it was nothing new. And yet… this was a different kind of worry. They had never been worried about this before; entering Gerudo Town without a disguise. There’s a first time for everything, but dear lord they wished there didn’t have to be.
“Sav’otta!” Zelda greeted the guards, waving enthusiastically as she and Link grew close to the entrance. They weren’t very impressive, Link thought. One was leaning against the wall, looking exactly like the knights Link used to room with when they had had too much to drink the night before and still had to train the next day. The other guard was more put together, but just as distracted. Link couldn’t help but judge them. This kind of behaviour was uncommon amongst Gerudo soldiers, but Link was chagrined that it was present at all. As Zelda’s guard, they knew they would never act that way.
The guards looked up from their conversation. The more gathered one straightened herself immediately, and the hungover one quickly followed suit once she realized that she was alive and awake and standing guard. The sober guard looked embarrassed to be caught unalert, but the other had no such shame. “Ah, Princess Zelda! Vasaaq, Your Highness.”
Zelda curtsied, then gestured to Link. “Ser Link is here, too.”
The guards looked at Link. The sober one squinted at them. “Is… are they a vai or a voe?”
“No.”
“Hmm… Otimi! What do you think?”
The hungover guard, Otimi, seemed to still be processing her aliveness, awake-ness, and guard-ness. “Huh?”
The sober one rolled her eyes. “This one accompanying Princess Zelda is neither voe nor vai. Do we let them in?”
“They can come in,” Zelda replied for her. “I read the law. No voe, but everyone else may enter.”
The guards ignored her. Link found themself clenching their jaw. Did these people not know who Zelda was? They supposed she wasn’t their leader, but Link had assumed being a diplomat of any kind would command at least a little respect. Especially someone as lovely as Zelda, and so close to Urbosa. She looked at Link and smiled, a signal that she was fine, there was no need to be mad. They nodded, grateful the two of them had been closer as of late, enough so that they could usually read her facial expressions. It was not far from here that Link had defended her from the Yiga foot soldiers. They wondered if that was why she had started to be less irritable.
“I mean,” Otimi said, “it would be a lot of work if we didn’t let them in. We’d have to explain to Chief Urbosa why they weren’t allowed in, we’d have to find Princess Zelda a temporary guard, and they’d probably make us do another workplace inclusivity training day. Like the one we had to do when Aveilti came out as a heterosexual. I don’t feel like doing any of that. I can taste my thoughts. Man, I wish I had a noble pursuit. Just a hair of the dog. Or… dog of the dog. That’d be fine, too.”
“I apologize for her, Your Highness. You may both enter.”
As they stepped into town, Link heard the sober guard snapping, “Dear goddesses, woman! Pull yourself together!”
Gerudo Town was bustling, people running from here to there and there to here in preparation for tonight’s revelry. The Night of Nabooru’s Betrayal was a holiday that only came every three years, so people had gone all out to decorate. The town had colorful banners and bunting hung on the buildings, swaying in the cool afternoon breeze. Flowers blooming warm and bright, bouquets and crowns, planters and vases placed in every space they could squeeze into. The scent of melon sorbet hung in the air, and Link immediately felt hungry. They needed to meet Urbosa for a diplomatic meeting first, but they comforted themself with the knowledge that they would be able to eat at the festival tonight. They weren’t really sure what the Night of Nabooru’s Betrayal was, other than a good day to make alliances with neighboring lands, and they were too afraid to ask. With the name alone, they felt it probably had an uncomfortable history (not to mention that it would be beyond embarrassing to admit they didn’t know what such an important day was). Whatever it celebrated, it meant decorations, dancing, fancy dress, and of course food and drink, and that was reason enough for Link to look forward to it.
When they and Zelda arrived at Urbosa’s throne room, they bowed and took their normal spot beside Zelda. It was funny to see her converse with Urbosa so formally. Less than a month ago, the three of them had played a card game together during which Urbosa attempted to cheat in such ridiculous, obvious ways in hopes of making Zelda laugh. She would have won had she not been disqualified over and over again for “hiding” cards under her much-too-small mug of tea, attempting to fold up a card and tuck it inside a plant, or place a stack under the tablecloth and act as if the lump it made had always been there. She had called Zelda her little bird, and Link had felt the tiniest bit jealous that they couldn’t call Zelda pet names like that.
As the meeting continued, Link found their mind wandering. What pet name would they give Zelda if they could? ‘Hmmm…’, they thought, ‘what would suit her best? Something about how beautiful she is? Hot stuff? No, that’s objectifying. Should stay away from her looks. She’s smart. And curious, and clever. She always wants to learn everything she can. Smarty pants? No, that’s weird and lame. Maybe something about how kind or caring she is? She’ll be a great queen one day. She’s determined. She ran away all those times. I shouldn’t bring that up, though, now that we’re getting along.’
They supposed they should probably become comfortable just calling her her name before trying to move a step past that. It was still difficult for them despite it being weeks since she had said it was okay. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to. They loved imagining her name said in their voice, on its own, no title present at all. They wondered if they would ever get to a point where it was easy. A point where ‘Zelda’ was the default and saying ‘Your Highness Princess Zelda’ was something that sounded as foreign as Zelda calling Urbosa by her title. They were only half-listening to the rest of the meeting, their mind filled with daydreams about a future they felt would likely never come.
The food was great, and the party was in full swing. There was music, laughter, and the melon sorbet Link had longed for. They had met up with Mipha and Daruk, but not Revali. Link wasn’t sure why Daruk was allowed in, but they were just happy Revali wasn’t. He would have definitely made fun of Link for how transfixed they were watching Zelda dance. She and Mipha had taken to the dance floor just a few minutes ago, and Link had already seen Zelda’s dress slip down her shoulder to show more of her collarbone than normal. They felt like what they assumed people must have felt in ancient times, when they would get so horny from seeing a woman’s ankle that they would die. Or something like that.
“She’s bisexual, you know.”
Link nearly jumped. They looked behind them to find Urbosa towering over them, two noble pursuits in hand. She was watching Zelda dance, too, but feeling very differently about it than Link did. “Just like her mother.”
‘And everyone in town except Aveilti,’ they thought.
“When Zelda invites you to dance with her later, I suggest you accept.”
Link wasn’t sure how to reply, so they didn’t. Was Urbosa telling the truth, or just implying she had dated Zelda’s mom? Or both?
Their confusion must have shown on their face, because Urbosa laughed and held out a drink. “Here, take this. You’re looking rather… hot. Thirsty, perhaps. This should help cool you down.”
They raised an eyebrow at her. They weren’t above underage drinking, but they were above drinking while on duty. What if a Yiga appeared and they were too inebriated to defend Zelda? They were surrounded by Gerudo warriors, yes, but Zelda’s safety ultimately fell on Link alone.
“While I appreciated your devotion, this is a virgin,” A pause. “As in no liquor.”
They took it, but ignored the rest of what she had said. “Thank you.”
As they took a sip, they noticed the lack of the sharp, distinctive sting of a real noble pursuit. Zelda looked up, then glanced over to where they were standing and waved. Link wasn’t sure if she was waving at them or Urbosa, but they waved back anyway. When she resumed her dance with Mipha, Link downed the rest of their drink. They turned Urbosa’s words around in their head. Zelda was bisexual… did that mean they had a chance? Or was Urbosa just making a random statement unrelated to how flushed Link’s face was and how fast their heart was audibly racing. They pushed the thought to the back of their mind and focused again on the present. They would overthink this later. For now, they decided, they would just enjoy the night. Heat, thirst, and all.