Fortune Favors the Courageous

Chapter 22: Sonder

sonder
n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own
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Had Zelda known they only had three days, she might have been a little braver in acting on her romantic feelings for Link. But she had no way of knowing their time was so short, and with the foul aftertaste Mido left in her mouth, she was savoring the ever-growing openness and authenticity of her friendship with Link.

During the day, she, Link, and Makar chatted about all sorts of things, and Zelda wrapped each piece of information passed between them as if it were an invaluable family heirloom, mentally tucking it away for safekeeping.

Makar and Link had a lot in common, surprisingly. The Koroks liked to dance and sing for recreation. Makar would play a violin-like instrument with his friend Hestu, who played the maracas. Link talked about his childhood friend from Akkala, Saria, who played a little clay instrument called an ocarina. She tried to teach him how to play, but he said it made him feel light-headed. Makar also talked about playing hide and seek virtually all day everyday with the rest of the Koroks. Link beamed and contributed how he, Aryll, Saria and the other Akkalan kids played hide and seek all the time, too. He used to be the best hider until he taught Aryll to stop calling out her location.

But the biggest point of camaraderie was, simply, their love of trees. The boys were aghast to hear that the princess did not climb or eat straight from their branches—although not for a lack of trying. She was strictly forbidden.

In order to remedy this, they appointed Zelda as their designated tree climber when meal time came around, gathering whatever fruits or nuts the branches offered. Link laughed at her when she fretted on the limb of a perfectly sturdy oak, so she pelted him with acorns. Later Zelda watched in awe as Link—assuring the blade was clean—used the sword he'd gotten from Kakariko to fillet a fish and chop apples and onions. He hummed simple, three-note melodies to himself while whatever ingredients he chose seared, simmered or sizzled over the fire, and Zelda's own heart sizzled and swelled with infatuation.

At night, after Makar had drifted off to sleep, Zelda grew a little more daring in her queries.

"Alright, I exposed my big secrets last night, now tonight's your turn," she jested.

"Okay," Link chuckled. "Ask away, Your Highness, I'll answer anything."

She let her eyes rove over his warm, open face for a moment before asking, "How many girls have you courted?"

"Two."

"Two?"

His teeth gleamed in a firelit grin, though his eyebrows threaded inward. "You seem surprised. I'm not annoying all the time."

"No, I'm surprised it's so few."

"So few?" he scoffed. "I didn't realize there was a quota I hadta meet."

Zelda giggled. It made her giddy to be granted permission to flip through the pages of Link and remain unthreatened by the chapters that had long since ended. "Let me guess... Midna?"

There was a long pause. "Okay, two and a half."

Zelda's guffaw was part shock and part humor. "Wait, Midna's only a half?"

"We were like thirteen and thought because we got along so well it meant we were supposed to court, but we quickly realized that was dumb and we were better as friends."

Zelda accepted the information with a thoughtful hm. "Then... Saria?"

"Nope."

"Really?" That was surprising; he'd spoken fondly of her all afternoon.