Work Text:
The inside of the dining tent was filled with the sounds of conversation, of chewing and cutlery, but none of it was loud enough to drown out the chaos of Nabooru’s thoughts.
She felt ridiculous still flashing back to hours earlier, when Ganon had planted a kiss on her cheek in thanks for agreeing to train Link. She tried to pay attention to her fellow soldiers sitting at the table with her, who spoke of scouting missions and the upcoming initiation ceremony. But her mind was always inevitably pulled back to that one shocking moment. A moment that, while unexpected, she found was surprisingly not unwelcome.
When she was a child, her mother had taken her on a trip to the Goron hot springs. It was one of her favorite memories, one she was drawn back to with Ganon’s kiss. The way she felt inside at that moment was like soaking in those steaming waters. She remembered the feeling of his lips, how they were soft in spite of the chapping from the sun, how they were pleasantly cool compared to the hot desert air that surrounded them.
For what felt like the hundredth time that night, Nabooru brought her hand to her cheek, as if the kiss had left a mark there, though she knew that none existed. She had checked in the mirror before coming to dinner.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden spiel of laughter that carried over the rest of the noise. She looked across the room to the head table and saw that it came from Link, who was clapping excitedly as Ganon threw nuts up into the air and caught them in his mouth. Link opened his own mouth, and leaned forward his father threw some more. He missed the first few, but when he finally succeeded, Ganon beamed proudly and clapped him on the back.
The scene brought a small smile to her face. As much flak as she gave Ganon for not being strict enough with Link, there was no denying how much those two loved each other. More than she would have expected, with Link being a Hylian. But she knew Ganon saw him as no different than any of the Gerudo children, because a good leader did not discriminate.
Ganon was that, and so much more.
"Nabooru?"
She blinked and turned to see her second in command, Tapa, looking at her with an amused expression. "What?" she said.
"I just asked if you thought the Dragmire looked particularly handsome tonight?"
Nabooru felt heat rush to her face. How long had she been staring? Her embarrassment only grew when she saw the others at the table exchanging knowing looks, and she heard someone whisper, “Look, she’s blushing.”
Caught off guard, all she could manage to mutter out was, "I don't know. Shut up. I'm not blushing."
They all smiled as if they didn't believe her, and a few even giggled. But before they could get another word out, she stood and said, "I'm going to patrol the perimeter." She left without waiting for a reaction, not caring about her abandoned dinner. She had lost her appetite.
As soon as she was out of the tent and away from the eyes of others, Nabooru took a deep breath of the night air in an attempt to calm herself. Despite her best efforts, she felt shame wash over her. She could take down an entire swarm of gibdos single-handedly, but apparently couldn’t handle being put on the spot by her troops.
She knew the fact that their king had yet to take a wife was a constant topic of gossip amongst the Gerudo, but she never expected to be a part of it. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have plenty of women to choose from, after all. Why should it be Nabooru, of all people?
She silently chastised herself for jumping to such conclusions. The kiss had obviously been one of gratitude, not love. A simple peck on the cheek didn't mean he wanted to marry her.
In any case, that was the last thing either her or Ganon needed to worry about right now. Tensions with the Hylians were growing greater by the day, and it was important to put their people’s safety before their own needs.
With that in mind, she began to head towards the perimeter, determined to fulfill her promise. She only made it a few steps before she heard the tent flaps open behind her, and a deep voice shouted, “Nabooru!”
She froze at the sound of Ganon calling out. Had he seen her staring, too? Putting on a brave face, she turned and said, “Yes?”
He was smiling broadly at her, with Link hoisted up in his large arms. Although she was worried about what he wanted, a small part of her melted at the sight of that smile.
“Sorry, just wanted to catch you before you headed out for the night. Link has something he wants to say to you,” he said, then looked at his son expectedly.
Link put a hand to his mouth shyly, then whispered, “Th…Thank you.”
Relief flooded through her at the simplicity of his statement. This was a simpler form of thanks that she could deal with. She smiled and said, “Don’t thank me yet, kid. The hard part starts tomorrow.”
“Well then, it sounds like we should get some rest,” Ganon said. “It’s getting close to Link’s bedtime, anyways.” In response, Link yawned and put his arms around his broad neck. Ganon chuckled, then said, with a strange twinkle in his eye, “Goodnight, Nabooru.”
Normally she would ask what he was up to, but prolonging this conversation was the last thing she wanted right now. Instead, she bowed her head and said, “Goodnight, Your Majesty.” She knew Ganon hated it when she addressed him so formally, but given how tonight was going, it was probably best to keep up appearances, even when it was just them and Link.
For the second time that night, she left without waiting for a response. She made sure not to look at his face as she turned and made her way to the edge of the encampment. It felt cowardly, but she didn’t want to see the disappointment that was no doubtedly etched there.
As she walked around the tents, listening for any signs of distress coming from inside or outside of the encampment, she did her best to put Ganon and the words of others out of her mind. A distracted soldier was a dead one.
It took longer than usual for her to be satisfied with her inspection, and her anxiety didn’t end once it was over. As she approached her own tent to turn in for the night, she noticed a faint blue glow coming from the other side of the canvas. Her fighting instincts kicking in, she raised her spear, prepared for anything. She made her way to the entrance as silently as possible, the glow shining brighter and brighter with every step. Reaching the entrance, she took a deep breath and, in one swift motion, threw open the flaps. The sight that greeted her was not threatening, but it was surprising nonetheless.
On the table in the middle of her room stood a golden vase, from which protruded a bouquet of blue flowers. The glow they gave off was even brighter in the darkness of the tent, their light glinting off of the various weapons and shields that decorated it. Perplexed, she walked over to study them, running her fingers over the petals. Blue Nightshade. Her favorite, but incredibly rare in these parts. Where had they come from?
Below the vase lay a note. She didn’t need to read the ending to know who it had come from. The broad handwriting was instantly recognizable.
Dear Nabs,
I wanted to thank you again for agreeing to train Link. In truth, there is no other I would trust with such a task. He is my greatest treasure, and if anyone can bring out the potential I see in him, it's you. I know you said it will be hard on him, and I don’t doubt that. But I have faith that your strength, wisdom and courage both on and off the battlefield will be enough to see him through it.
It's not much, but please take these as a token of my gratitude. I noticed you took a liking to them during our first scouting mission in Faron, so I made sure to pick some last time I was out that way. I understand why you were drawn to them- they shine as brightly at night as you do in the heat of battle.
All my thanks,
Ganon
Nabooru clutched the letter to her chest, and was grateful that no one was around to see her reaction. She dropped her spear, not caring where it landed, and collapsed onto her bed.
She could hardly believe he had that much faith in her. Sure, there were plenty of times he seemed impressed by her skill, but to show that with something so personal made her heart ache. He seemed so confident about everything, about them. She wondered what he would think of her if he saw her now, left breathless by his words. She couldn't imagine him laughing at her, as the others had. Instead she pictured him taking her into his strong arms, reassuring her that he meant every word of it.
She felt her stomach drop with a strange sort of thrill and fell back onto her pillows as she realized that, despite everything, if he were to decide in that moment to kiss her again, it would be much more than welcome.
Goddess, tomorrow was going to be a long day.