Zelina

Melina had forgotten the joys of hot food.

The “pizza,” apparently Link’s favourite meal, had a very intense mix of flavours. On top of whatever sort of flatbread the baker had used, they had spread a paste made from some sort of fruit. Or perhaps it was a vegetable? Purah and Robbie seemed to be in disagreement about it. Whatever it was, it made for a sweet sauce that tickled her tongue with some spices and herbs.

Apparently, though, the top layer of “Hateno Cheese” was the most significant part of the dish. Created just down the hill from the lab, it was apparently some sort of thoroughly processed animal milk. It had a very particular taste, and it was a little difficult to bite through. She ended up accidentally pulling it off of the pizza and spilling the fruit-or-vegetable sauce all over her, which amused the others.

“You really haven’t eaten in years, have you?” Robbie chuckled, as he watched Melina struggle to get her food into her mouth. “How does it taste?”

“Good,” she mumbled through her chewing, “Though I do not know how good a judge I am of quality.”

“What do you mean?” Purah quickly asked. It seemed she had hardly been eating, and she was far more interested in learning even more about Melina.

“Well,” Melina stopped eating to address her properly, “Since it has been so long since I have eaten, I imagine that any meal would seem enjoyable. But even then, I do not recall tasting anything quite so… intense, before.”

Purah seemed satisfied with that explanation for the moment, so Melina turned her attention back to her food. Now, however, she realised she had eaten all the parts of her pizza slice with sauce and cheese, and she was left with only bread. It made her feel slightly sad.

At last, the sound of hooves outside the door signalled Link’s return. When he burst into the lab again, he was sweaty, filthy, and tired, and it became clear that he had ridden hard to get back as quickly as possible. Melina thought that seemed a bit unnecessary to do just for her.

“I’m so sorry,” a soft, high-pitched voice suddenly came from behind Link. “We came as fast as we could.”

And then a young woman came through the doorway, her bright golden hair bobbing up and down as she hurried inside. She wore a blue and white tunic similar to Link’s, but far more elaborately decorated, and… seemingly designed to accentuate her curves, Melina thought. She stood taller than Link, but she was rather short compared to Melina and Purah. Her personality, though, made her presence feel much larger than her stature.

Then, as Melina was observing the newcomer, a bright round face whipped around, and brilliant emerald eyes locked themselves onto hers.

“Oh!” the sing-songy voice spoke again. “You must be Melina!”

“Yes,” Melina gasped. She suddenly noticed she’d been holding her breath, though she didn’t know why. “Pleased to meet you,” she managed to say.

“It’s very nice to meet you too!” she replied without missing a beat. “I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule. I’d like to welcome you to our land.”

The Princess then took Melina’s hand in hers and shook it. Melina noticed that she wore fingerless gloves, and the warmth from her palm bled through them. As she pulled away, though, her fingertips brushed against the burn scars on the back of Melina’s hand.

Instantly, the Princess’ cheerful smile melted into a worried expression. The sudden look of concern cut through Melina, striking her with a horrible fear. “Do not worry,” she begged the Princess in a whisper.

The Princess heard Melina’s plea, glanced back to her hands, and finally let them go. Then, she forced her face back into a smile, and moved away.

“So, Purah,” she said, putting her voice back to its previous chipperness. “What have you learned so far?”

“Well, we know that Melina here woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection this morning-”

“The Shrine of Resurrection?” The Princess yelped, and she looked over at Link, who nodded back to her.

“As I was saying,” Purah said with a hint of irritation, “she woke up early this morning in the Shrine of Resurrection, where Link found her, found out she didn’t know where she was, and decided to bring her here so we could have a look at her. We learned she was previously a disembodied spirit, like the Champions or Mineru, and she wandered around in some place called the In-Between Lands-”

“The Lands Between,” Melina corrected her again.

“Whatever. We don’t know where they are, how she got here, or how she got her body back. Apparently, one second, she was in life-threatening danger, and the next she was sitting in the Shrine, back to normal.”

“Life-threatening danger?” The Princess asked, the look of concern returning to her face as she glanced towards Melina.

“You can read about it in my notes,” Purah quickly said. “We don’t need Melina to speak about it again.”

Purah’s words struck Melina as odd. Why not have her recount her burning the Erdtree? But then, as she thought about it, she realised that she was remembering it again. The fear. The pain. The burning. The loneliness. Why was she remembering it? She’d been trying to forget it. Bury it again. Like the last time.

But as the conversation continued around her, she lost focus on the words. She started rubbing the scars on her hands. She had to make sure they were still there. That they were still skin, not burned to ash. Her throat was running dry again. She rubbed her hands again, checked them, swallowed, but it didn’t go away. She kept rubbing them. They started to sting. It made her more afraid. Her breath got faster and faster and faster-

“Are you alright?”

Melina looked up to find the shining emeralds gazing back into her. She felt as if she could see behind them, as if they were stained glass windows into a cheerful soul. Her heart slowed, and she realised that a hand had found its way onto her arm. The thoughts started to drift away once more as she realised she wasn’t alone.

“Yes…” she finally answered. Breaking away from the Princess’ eyes, she found that the room was now vacant, and the light outside had gone dark. It was just the Princess and Melina.

“I… I must apologise. Something came over me,” she tried to explain.

“Was it… your past?”

Melina was taken aback by the accurate guess. “Yes,” she whispered.

The Princess was once again delivering that same concerned stare that twisted Melina’s stomach into a knot. “Purah warned me that it might be difficult for you to… revisit certain events.”

“Please. Do not worry yourself with my troubles.”

She didn’t seem to like Melina’s words. “I am the Princess of Hyrule,” she said with a sudden sternness. “It is my duty to look after the wellbeing of its inhabitants. And I’m afraid, even if you did not wish for it, that now includes you.”

The change of tone startled Melina. “My apologies,” she hurriedly muttered, and she averted her gaze from the Princess’ green eyes. But, to her surprise, she heard a tired sigh, and when she looked back, she saw an innocent and tired smile pointed back at her.

“I’m sorry. I don’t like to speak so seriously. I worry it will just make people afraid. I’m not trying to scare you, I just want to make sure you’re comfortable. You’ve been through so much in this past day, or as Purah and Link have led me to believe, your whole life. If there is anything I can do to make it easier for you, I will do everything in my power to do it.”

Melina considered her words carefully. “I do appreciate your concern. The rulers I lived beneath were not as benevolent as you. It is… nice, to find a land that is so fair, and kind, and beautiful.”

The Princess smiled at that. “You haven’t seen it at night yet, have you?”

The moon’s reflection bounced across the ocean waves far below the cliffside. The loud roar of waves against rocks was diminished to just a hum from where the Ancient Tech Lab sat. It was an opportune spot to view from, and it seemed a shame to stay inside conducting experiments and writing papers all day instead of enjoying the sights. Although, Melina thought, this land was so unanimously beautiful and pure, perhaps the people who lived in it simply took it for granted.

A cold wind blew through Melina’s clothes and sent her into a shiver, and she pulled her thick cloak over herself. Glancing over, though, the Princess seemed completely unbothered.

“Tell me something, Melina,” she asked quietly. “You said you were a wandering spirit before. Did you ever encounter someone else like you?”

“No,” she confessed. “The events and powers that caused me to enter that form were somewhat unique.”

The Princess nodded. “I only ask because I have had friends who lived on as spirits after death. None of them ever returned. In time, they all moved on, to whatever comes after.”

“I do not know by what means I returned to mortality,” Melina said, running her fingers across her hand. “It was never supposed to happen. I was supposed to ‘move on’ once I finished my task.”

The Princess sat silently, staring off into the night. Her expression was unreadable, but Melina knew what she was thinking. Who she was thinking about.

“Princess,” she asked, seeking to change the subject of her thoughts. “What is to become of me?”

The Princess broke out of her trance and began to think. “Well, seeing as there is no way of returning you to your home, I suppose we must find you a new one, here, in Hyrule.”

“I do not think I would mind that,” Melina assured her. “This land is very peaceful, and very beautiful.” She gestured towards the glowing ocean below them.

“Yes,” the Princess agreed, her voice trailing off. “It has taken a lot of work to get there, but I am grateful for it. I spend so much time travelling it, fixing things, talking to its people, I often forget just how beautiful it can be.”

And then, Melina saw her chance.

“Princess,” she said, making her voice as clear as could be. “I wish to travel with you. Across this land of Hyrule. You know it well, and you have been friendly to me. I ask that you show me all of its beauty, so that I may find my purpose in this new life.”

And then, Melina reached out her hand, the same hand she had offered to the Tarnished all that time ago. The hand that had helped forge her strongest friendship, the hand with both its old scars and its new warmth. She hoped with all her might that this hand might create a new path forward, a new relationship, a new bond she could celebrate. A new beginning for her.

The Princess looked shocked at her request. The green jewels in her head glanced around, for the first time seeming unsure of themselves, thinking wildly. Then, finally, she took the fingerless-gloved hand and placed it in Melina’s.

“It would be my pleasure,” she said, and a confident smile grew on her round face. The light of the moon caught in her eyes and lit them with a verdant flame of excitement and joy. “We can set out tomorrow morning for Kakariko village, north of here. It is a very peaceful and beautiful place, I’m sure you will like it.”

For the first time in a very long time, a true, happy smile spread through Melina’s lips.

“Now,” the Princess said, straightening herself. “We should rest up for the journey. I have a home here in Hateno Village. You may sleep in the bed, I’ll use a sleeping bag.”

“I must refuse, it is your home and your bed. It is your right to sleep in it,” Melina protested as they began walking down the hill.

“You are my guest tonight. I would like to make your stay more comfortable. Besides, I am sure it has been a very long time since you have had a good rest in a proper bed.”

Melina could not think of an argument to refute the Princess, and, indeed, the thought of sleeping on a mattress instead of dirt was appealing. She spent the remainder of the walk silently listening to the Princess explaining all the sorts of supplies they would be bringing on the journey. It is good to have a friend who is so sweet, she thought.