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Zelda hummed an old bard’s tune to herself as she hurried along the roads of Hateno, taking care to avoid any forming puddles and slippery patches of mud. Her usual day of teaching at the Hateno school had come to a sudden end when stormy rainclouds came rolling across the once clear skies, bringing along a flurry of cold winds and accompanied by the sound of distant thunder. She made sure all the children got home safely before heading home herself.
As she went along, her mind conjured up the image of Link and the comfort that their house would give them from the impending heavy rainfall. Her lips curled into a smile and her legs picked up their pace. It was an unexpected blessing she thought, getting the chance to enjoy domestic warmth for the rest of the day with him. Cozied up together, hands clasped, hearts beating as one while they listened to the rain together until eventually drifting off to sleep.
Crossing the bridge with quick steps, she shook off the water clinging to her skin and clothes as best she could and opened the door. Like she thought Link was already home and had just changed judging from the bucket of wet muddy clothes he was carrying.
“Welcome back.”
His greeting was soft and so tender to her ears. “I’m home,” she said, all too happy to close the door behind her. She rubbed her arms, eager to get rid of the chill. “I'll change as well.”
Link nodded and walked over to her with a dry towel in hand, offering it to her. They shared a quick kiss then Zelda made her way upstairs, going behind the changing screen and disrobed, changing into a new set of clothes. She took out a blanket from a drawer as well and placed it on their bed. The cold from the storm was already seeping into the house.
As she walked back down the stairs she watched Link feed the fireplace, dutifully moving to shut the windows and doors tight.
“I wonder if that rain is truly unpredictable, we should visit Purah one of these days to see if she has any books on the weather,” she said.
“You go. She’ll rope me into helping with another one of her experiments if I go too," Link said, turning around with a weary smile.
Zelda walked over to him, reaching for his hand. “You’re like her in many ways. Doing experiments of your own. Like the fruitcake you made last night.” At that he looked away but squeezed her hand.
“When I was going through Hyrule, I could really only cook over fires or throw stuff together in a pot,” he said. “But with this,” he gestured to the house, “ I finally got the chance to try out new recipes. Though I don’t do anything that causes explosions unlike her.”
“Not yet,” she teased.
“If I didn't have your help with the fruitcake, I might have caused an explosion,” he fired back.
She nodded at him. “I think even the bakers of the castle would have been envious of your fruitcake.” All she really did was taste test it all throughout the process as she read the recipe outloud to him. She almost wished he didn't get it perfect on his first attempt.
“I think you mean Zelda’s, you ate more than I did,” Link said.
Zelda gently bumped her shoulder against him. “It is my favorite after all.”
Just then her stomach grumbled. Link laughed and she felt the tips of her ears grow warm. While they would surely have something hearty and warm later, eating some dessert early wouldn’t be enough to spoil her appetite. She made sure to save the last slice yesterday, keeping it safely wrapped to stay clean. She would grab that slice of fruitcake, open up a book, and quietly enjoy the sounds of rain and Link’s warmth.
“I think I’ll finish off the fruitcake then,” she said, moving to the kitchen. “That’s why I saved it.”
Link started and followed her but she didn’t notice him. Already imagining the sweet richness on her tongue, her eyes looked past the pots and pans and other utensils, searching for the fruitcake but found nothing. Instead, where there should have been a delectable slice of fruitcake was instead plain and bare.
“Link.”
Her voice was unnaturally calm.
“Where’s the slice of fruitcake I left?”
“…I ate it.”
Zelda turned around to find Link shifting his eyes from the empty dish to Zelda and back again.
“I didn’t think you’d mind. We were sharing it after all.” His voice was soft, his eyebrows were pressed together.
“But you saw me wrap it up and save it? I even checked it this morning.” She kept anger out of her voice but couldn’t do the same for the bitterness. Her stomach grumbled and her mouth watered again at the memory of the tart sweetness. She turned away from Link and looked outside at the pouring rain. There wasn’t anywhere for her to go to.
“I would like to be alone right now.” Her voice was curt as she stomped up the stairs to their bed, leaving Link with an apology on his lips.
“Princess.”
She shoved her nose further into the book she was reading, hiding her face from him.
“Zel.”
She rolled away on the bed and covered herself with the blanket.
Link moved away from the edge of their bed, shoulders slumped in defeat as he walked back downstairs.
Taking stock of what food and ingredients they had available, he tried to think of what he would make for them to eat. Better to stay busy than needlessly worry about what he did and hopefully, he might be able to apologize to Zelda through it. With the rain coming down in torrents he couldn’t go and buy anything from the village. Three fourths of a loaf of wheat bread, an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and roots. Not much of anything else. He half considered going fishing in the rain given that they had no meat but that might send the wrong message to Zelda.
A soup seemed to be the only option he had. He rolled a big hearty radish across the counter. No visible blemishes or marks, rosy pink outer skin, and with a nice heart… shape. He stared as it rocked back and forth. Slowly his brain started to fire.
Link cut a smaller hearty radish and ate a piece, closing his eyes as the sharp taste spread throughout his tongue. The perfect option for a soup. He opened his eyes and looked over what he had to work with again. He took hydromelon and voltfruits in his hands and inspected them for any signs of bruising or rot. They would add a nice sweetness to the soup that was already forming in his mind. It was more trusting his instincts of what went well together though given the ingredients, he had an inkling that maybe he heard or tasted a certain dish in Gerudo Town.
He rummaged around for a pot and made sure it was clean before getting to work. He washed then cut two big hearty radishes into halves then those into quarters, keeping the heart shape intact. He washed the hydromelon and a couple of voltfruits. He split the hydromelon with a knife, scooping out the juicy core and setting it aside in a bowl. He got to work peeling the voltfruits and trimming the stems off.
Once all the ingredients were prepared, Link lit a fire and placed the pot on top. He found half a stick of butter and dropped it inside. Once it was half melted, he added the cut up hearty radishes and peeled voltfruits. After moving them around a while to get color and soften, he added the juicy core of the hydromelon. He spied a tiny hearty radish and after a quick rinse, added it whole into the pot. He’ll make sure Zelda gets that one.
Once a few minutes passed, Link added two vials of stored broth into the pot. He brought it to a boil then quickly lowered it down to a simmer as he stirred in milk gently. A few sprinkles of Gordon Spice and it was complete. As he let the fire slowly dwindle, he took the leftover loaf of wheat bread from the morning and sliced it into strips for dipping.
All that was left was to finish preparing the table and hope he stirred with enough sincerity for his feelings to get through to her.
With the windows and doors shut against the storm raging outside, the smell of Link’s cooking drifted through the house, rising upwards towards the second floor. Zelda heard her stomach grumble yet again. Despite herself, Zelda closed her book and got off the bed. She looked over the railing down at Link. She watched how he handled the pot of soup, not wasting a single movement as he prepared the table for them, serving each of them a steaming bowl.
After a few more moments of watching, she descended the stairs, boots thunking against the wooden steps. She paused a few steps away from the dining table. They stared at each other.
“I’m sorry.”
Zelda sighed.
“I accept your apology.” She nodded at the plated bread and steaming bowls on the table. “Let’s eat”.
For a while, the only sounds were of the wooden spoons clinking against the wooden bowels, the pitter patter of rain outside, the crackle of the fireplace. The soup was creamy and rich. Warm yet with an underlying sweetness.
“Link, did you cut these this way?” She asked, fishing out a piece of radish with her spoon. It tasted good but the shape of the hearty radish was still intact.
“Can’t make a creamy hearty soup without a few hearts,” he answered.
Zelda placed the piece back and spooned out a tiny whole hearty radish on her spoon. She couldn’t help but let out a huff. It was a bit on the nose but still, it was very much Link’s style.
“That’s sweet of you,” she said while dipping a slice of bread into the soup before eating it. Warmth filled her body, from her toes to the top of her head, washing away all of her earlier emotions. “Sorry for acting a bit spoiled. I wasn’t really mad at you.” She leaned forward looking at Link. A man who spoke more with his actions than words. He didn’t need to say anything, the bowl of soup did what he wanted it to do.
“It’s okay. I understand why you reacted that way.” He refilled his glass of water.
“So, what did you put into the soup this time?” Zelda asked, putting a bit more cheerfulness in her voice than normal. She saw Link’s shoulders relax and after a moment of hesitation, he leaned forward excited.
“I was inspired once I saw the hearty radishes. I put some hydromelon and voltfruit into it so it has a Gerudo-inspired flavor. I wasn’t really sure how it’d come out but it looks like my apology soup worked,” he said with a light flush to his cheeks.
“It did feel a bit nostalgic to have you act that way,” he admitted, “but I much prefer our relationship now.”
It was a sign of his accepted apology that she sat up prim and proper, her nose high in the air. “In that case. Sir Link. Tomorrow when I get back from teaching, I will see one large fruitcake ready for me on the table. Is that clear?”
“Yes Princess.” He bowed low, nearly hitting the table.
He caught her eye and both of their lips twitched, their laughter ringing out in unison as Link got up and moved his chair next to her, right where it and he belonged.