Legend of Zelda: Punishments in the Wild (for Aymer)
 

The fight against Ganon will be a long and tiresome one. The royal knight Link knew this very well. Clad in his blue over shirt and brown pants, he sat on a nearby stump as the fire was smoked in the sky after a long day. Link vanquished plenty of Ganon’s forces as he made sure the princess was protected at all times. It was a direct order from the king that Zelda be protected at all times. And Link never disobeys an order. No matter what it is, if it’s from royalty, it will be done.

As he sat and unwinded, the quiet warrior looked back to where Zelda was located with a sigh. What’s going though her mind? Why won’t she accept him. Is it because he’s not the most chatty person in the world? Whatever the story, he just hopes she learns to accept him and his mission.

The journey from the castle towards the city of the Gerudo has been.....difficult. The terrain, of course, had done little to help, but the tension between the two travelers had put far more bumps in their path. The princess knew that is was Link's sworn duty to protect her, but nobody seemed to consult her as to whether or not such protection was warranted. She was plenty capable of taking care of herself without a babysitter. Not that said guardian was willing to discuss the matter.

She thought it had been bad enough in the castle, having a second shadow following her wherever she went. But out here, it was nearly torture. She could not even ride at a decent pace, lest she be warned of the possibility of falling and hurting herself. Zelda considered herself patient, but it was getting close to wearing through. She tried to keep her mind off of him while writing in her journal, but found his presence too distracting to make any real progress.

Link just sat by the fire and played with it by himself lonely. He gazed at the blaze and thought to himself about all the things he could do to make her more accepting of him. Unfortunately for him, something he didn’t count on was the pure exhaustion he had from all the fighting and traveling he did today. As soon as his mind drifted, he was fast asleep. With the roaring fire being left completely unattended, this should not go well for the camp sight they just put up.

Even as the sun began to slip below the horizon, Zelda didn't feel any sense of tiredness. How could she; they had spent the day travelling at a virtual snail's pace. At this rate, it would take them three weeks to reach their destination. She snapped her book closed in frustration. She shot an angry glace at her all too faithful attendant, only to find him fast asleep next to the fire. So much for constant diligence. Shaking her head, she stood up, making her way away from the campsite. Link would never let her wander far on her own, so she used the opportunity to get a rare moment of solitude. She had the feeling it would be the last for a good while.

As Link slept peacefully, he had no idea what the princess he was supposed to be watching was doing and where she was going. That soon may be the least of his problems as after she left, the fire grew larger and larger and larger. Not only would it grow larger for enemy’s who may be looking for them to find their location. But also the fire was spreading and soon, their belongings will be the first target.

Zelda kept wandering away from the camp, content with her small little rebellion against her protector. If he woke up now and found her gone, he would surely go into a panic looking for her, and she would surely get scolded when he did eventually catch up with her. Not that that made her in any way consider turning around. If he wanted to watch her every hour of the day, he was going to have to stay awake to do it. She found a place under a short tree to sit down, the valley in which they rested well lit by the moon. She could see the lights of the castle - disappointingly close - and the light from their campfire just downhill. She allowed her eyes to close, enjoying the moment.

It soon became to late to save any of their belongings as after a few moments, the fire spread out to their supplies. This included Zelda’s tent, their food, extra clothes and other miscellaneous items. After it was already too late, Link woke up to the smell of burning meat. With a scream in surprise, the warrior used his resourcing skills to grab a large leaf, go to a nearby lake and start filling it will water and then using the water to put out the fire completely

Zelda's eyes shot open at the sound of the distant scream. Her lips half curled into a smile; it seemed that Link had discovered she was gone. She supposed she could start heading back....no, it was far too peaceful out here. She would let Link come to her. He would inevitably try to lecture her about the importance of her safety, but she knew well enough that she could shut him up with a word. She settled back into her spot, content to wait for her knight in shining armor to come find her. Hopefully he wasn't to quick about it.

As the warrior made multiple trips back and forth from the lake to the fire, it was then finally put out. As soon as it was finished, Link fell to his knees as he looked at the devastation. Ash and charred remains of what was their campsite was what Zelda would be coming home to. And now she doesn’t even have her tent to sleep in tonight. Oh... she will have his head for sure... Especially if this gets back to the king, he will have hell to pay.

The minutes ticked by, and soon nearly an hour had passed since she presumed Link had discovered her disappearance. She had hoped that he would have been more....diligent than this. Had she truly been kidnapped, or worse, she hardly felt good about her chances of rescue. Lucky her, an overbearing guardian who couldn't even guard well. She would never understand how he had managed to get that sword.
Shaking her head, Zelda got up from her hideaway and began making her way back to camp. The air smelled distinctly of smoke, and she wondered what had happened. As she finally reached their campsite, her eyes widened. "What.....happened?"