A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 27: The Sick Princess

The general store sat quietly without a customer in sight. This was rare, especially during the winter season when crops and food were a much-needed necessity. It wasn't as if Pruce expected a swarm of people every morning; it was usually only a person or two that would poke in every hour or so. Today, however, the store had remained completely empty since dawn. This wasn't an issue for the store owner though, for business had been good this winter and if anything, this gave him time to craft the arrows that usually filled some of the display crates. As he sat behind the counter near the front, his hands swiftly worked as he tethered feathers to the ends of thin wooden rods, with a basket of arrowheads sitting within reach. He hadn't once looked up from his task until the store's front door opened as the first customer of the day walked in.

"Celessa! It's good to see ya, girl," he said as the young woman walked in with a smile on her face.

"It's good to see you too, Pruce," she answered cheerfully as she began looking at the dairy products that sat in baskets on display.

"It's been quite a while. How's your... um, what did you call it? Ah— How's the pilgrimage coming along?" he asked as he watched his customer sort through the basket with a bunch of bird eggs in it.

"It's actually on hold at the moment!" she said, choosing one of the eggs from the basket before moving on to the rice display. "It was all about learning about Princess Zelda, only for me to learn that she's very much alive and living here!"

"Ah, you heard about that, eh?" Pruce chuckled. "Does that mean you'll be staying in town for a bit?"

"Absolutely," she answered, picking up a bundle of Hylian rice before glancing over at the dark fruit on display near her. "How much for the truffles?"

"Twenty-four, hasn't changed," the storekeeper answered. Celessa pursed her lips in thought before shaking her head, choosing to grab a bottle of milk instead. "If you're staying, then I guess you don't need arrows, huh?"

"I use a sword and shield, not a bow," she said, moving to the front to place her items on the counter. "Though, I should probably learn to use one soon. Monsters are much stronger than they used to be, and they don't seem to be going away, even with the Princess's return."

"You know, I heard a story that she was holding off some evil in the castle for a long time with that power of hers," Pruce mentioned, setting his arrow parts aside in order to start counting up her goods. "If she's back, then doesn't that mean whatever she was holding back is gone? Wouldn't the monsters also disappear? Twenty-two rupees total, by the way."

"Unfortunately, I don't understand that kind of stuff too much, not yet at least," Celessa said as she reached into her pouch. "But, maybe I'll get answers later. I've still got a lot of things I want to ask her. Recently we've been a little... distracted with some important business."

"Nothing bad I hope?" Pruce asked as he held his hand to take the rupees she had pulled out.

"Depending on what she's doing at this very moment, hopefully not," Celessa chuckled as she took the ingredients off the counter. "Thank you as always, Pruce. I'll see you around!"

"Take care, and stay peppy, ya here?"

Waving back as she pushed the front door open, she walked out into the snow and began down the path towards the inn. As she made her way, she looked down at the ingredients in her arms.

It's a good thing Prima is letting me use her cooking pot... I can't afford to pay for a bed and constant meals, Celessa thought before recalling her comment about the monsters from earlier. With the monsters as strong as they are now, I can't kill as many as before, and even then, I wasn't making too much to begin with.