Prince Nohansen and Princess Harkinian came out of the auditorium and crossed the parking lot to reach for the car. Link pressed a button on the car key to open it, and then manually opened the copilot's door wide for Zelda. She entered the car and watched the Hero circle it to enter himself. He closed the door and placed his hands on the wheel staring ahead in silence. A minute passed and the Princess was beginning to worry.
ZELDA POV
What is wrong? At least talk to me please
"Princess… have you been keeping record of your cycle?"
Zelda stares back at Link surprised by the question "I… yes I have, why do you ask?"
Link laughs in a deep low volume "Can I look at it once we get back to Hyrule?"
Zelda pulls out her phone and opens an app "Just look at it now if you need to, everything is in there"
Link smiles "Of course you would prefer to keep everything in your cell than writing it down on paper… I still amaze myself by how stupid I can be" he says as he starts scrolling, then stops and turns to her.
"Did you skip your cycle last month?"
Zelda nods "It's not the first time it has happened, and I am ok with that. I mean, bleeding 9 days straight kind of sucks the joy of life you know"
Link closes his eyes and breaths in deeply "It's not ok, a female stops bleeding due to famine, pregnancy or an underlying hormonal imbalance… You are a Princess, so it cannot be that you are not eating, and I am inclined to believe that you have not experimented sexually with a male"
Zelda's eyes shot wide open "Of course I have not. I am still a virgin"
He nods "That only leaves us with wacky hormones" the Hero types ´Pelz´ on her cellphone and hands it back.
"It's a doctor's Last name, search for that doctor in YouTube and watch her videos on how to feed for your hormones… I stumbled on her when I was searching for hormonal imbalance for my target at the time. Her advice and info seemed viable, but not what I needed since Jabez was a male. But maybe it can help you fix yourself. A menstrual period should definitely not last 9 days" Link says turning the key to start the car.
This… I may be reading wrong into it, but it feels like he cares. Can I make him admit it?
"I will start looking into this right now; thanks" she says digging inside her backpack for her headphones "I am surprised of your stance on this matter"
"Don't be, I am just seeking to save money on pads, those shits are expensive. Also, if we correct your hormones, I don't have to buy a lot of pain medications or supplements"
The Princess rolls her eyes and stars hearing the videos.
Figures, it's always the money isn't it?
LINK POV
*Dude, that was a blatant lie*
Can you blame me? She is the future Queen of Hyrule, I can't allow her to entertain the idea that I care for her. It won't do us any good
"Link, according to what I am hearing, it is complex, you have to adopt different foods and exercise patterns according to the phase of the cycle. But that is the good part, it's a cycle that repeats" she sighs
"It's doable, but it may be expensive… I mean, I need to prepare all my food and stop buying takeout" Zelda admits with shame.
"Don't mind that, just tell me what you need to eat, I will buy it" he said gallantly.
Zelda could not help but stare at Link; she was admiring him as a dependable man,
The Princes smiles "Right now, I should be dinning a light salad, and some protein, but not too much"
"I will buy a lettuce, some tomatoes and eggs. Is that good enough?" Ziel asks.
"I believe so"
Link nodded and kept driving, until he saw a supermarket and headed there.
A FEW HOURS LATER
The Hero opens the door to the room they will be using in that hotel. He was carrying a stainless steel camping cooking set and a plastic bag with basic cookware utensils in one hand, the other hand carried a plastic bag with a small wood cutting board, the food he said he will buy, and a small electric grill. He was also carrying his backpack strapped to his back.
Zelda entered behind him and promptly closed the door; she had been terribly ashamed seeing Link carry everything. The Princess had offered to help but the Hero had just stared at her and stoically said no. The way he had answered made her afraid to discuss the topic further.
"Take a bath, I will take care of dinner" Link said as he placed the bags on the table.
Zelda opens her eyes wide, then lowers her head "Ah… yes. And thank you, you don't have to do that you know"
"Yes I do"
"I may have never cooked before, but I have YouTube in my cellphone. I know someone there can instruct me on how to cook eggs"
Link sighs heavily "The real problem is not if you are capable, its time. I need you to eat soon and go to sleep quickly so you can grab a few hours of sleep at least. We are waking up at 5am to head to Oklahoma"
Zelda nods and enters the bathroom.
*About time for chef Link to make an appearance*
Don't even joke about that, I am no chef
*You are not? But it's kind of all you did for the last 2 years*
May have been, but that still does not make me a chef. I am more like a kitchen rat.
Link turned on the electric stove, allowed the frying pan to preheat, and then he buttered it before cooking 3 eggs on it.
*Wait, 3 eggs? Isn't that too much?
Maybe, I just thought about finishing the egg carton. And since I can only drink 3 eggs, I will cook the other 3 for her. She can throw away anything she is unable to eat.
Link thought as he finished cooking 3 sunny sides up eggs for his Princess. He then started chopping the lettuce and tomatoes. Zelda had come out at some point and was staring at him intently.
"That was a darn quick shower Princess, thank you. You can start eating" the Hero says as he walks away.
Zelda runs to Link and grabs on his arm to stop him.
"Are you not going to dine too?"
Link points at a glass in a corner of the kitchen, the glass had 3 raw eggs on it "That there is my dinner"
He walks towards it, lifts up the glass and swallowed slowly. Zelda watched without meaning to at how his Adam's apple rose and fell with every sip, struck by how unexpectedly alluring the sight of the Hero drinking was.
Looking away with a flushed face, the Princess shakes her head a little reprimanding herself for thinking of Raziel like that, then sighs loudly.
"I will go to sleep once I figure out how to eat this… the yolk will spill everywhere" Zelda manages to say calmly.
Link grunts as he allows himself to sit on the bed.
"Leaving the yolk raw is the healthiest way to eat an egg, since the yolk has a lot of nutrients that are heat sensitive. Just try to eat it all however you can, I won't judge" he says smirking.
"Ok" Zelda happily answers. A childish idea of how to do it was already on her mind.
The Princess sits and playfully sticks a fork into one of her yolks, then uses a piece of the egg white and dips it on the spilled yolk to eat it like that. That is how she ate all of the eggs, but at the end, there was some yolk left spilled on the plate. Zelda decided to lift the yolk from the plate using her finger, and then proceeded to slowly lick said finger clean. She repeated that until she finished with the yolk.
THIS IS NOT FAIR
*Ha ha ha ha ha*
She was supposed to lick the yolk directly from the plate
*Like a dog?*
YES, like the bitch I know she is
*But now you both are aroused*
Both?
*Ha ha… wait, are you are serious? Pay attention to her if you want to avoid creating sparks that you both will resent*
Link falls back on the bed and turns away from the Princess.
"Don't tell my mom that I used my finger to eat, ok?"
"Not planning to, it was childish but very effective"
"Thanks, do I need to save some of the salad for tomorrow?"
"No, finish it all if you can. Tomorrow I will buy a Greek yogurt and an apple for you. You are supposed to be fasting, but in case you DO get hungry…"
Zelda smiles "If hunger does strike, I will have a healthy fast food for the road... Thank you for preparing for that scenario. By the way, I want to be the one to cook next time"
Ziel nods "As you wish, just think of what you want to prepare tomorrow and send me a list of what you need me to buy"
The Prince yawns as he places his pillow as barricade between himself and the space where Princess will lay.
I really don't know what I should have noticed from Zelda's behavior; hence I have no idea if I did or said anything that could have aroused her. But I truly believe it's impossible for me to provoke a sexual reaction from her, she hates me.