It was a combination of reaching a convenient rest point and Link's stomach informing him that it was coming up on noon and he'd never had breakfast that had Link taking a break at the Dueling Peaks Stable, right as the sun was hitting its zenith.
The stables provided a very small cooking station for guests, one that was never clean enough for Link's tastes, but at least they kept it clean enough that nobody got sick from cooking there, and Link had laid claim to it pretty much the second he got there.
He scowled at the hastily prepared food on the worn old dish that any good traveler kept in their pack for having way too much Goron spice- a mistake he'd never make at home, but the cooking stations there at the stables always had lingering flavors from previous guests' meals, and overspicing his food was the only way to mask those flavors that always seemed to clash with what he wanted. Having a house to go to every day had spoiled him, and if it wasn't for the fact that his days as wandering swordsman were over, he'd be annoyed with himself for it.
It took some powerfully bad food to make him not want to eat at all, but overspiced food was still sometimes a struggle to get through, so in the name of having something other than the subpar food on his plate to focus on, he glanced around to ensure that nobody was in hearing range, then looked at the Sword, propped against the seat next to him.
"I don't suppose it's in your ability to contact Zelda from here, is it?" he asked her, keeping his voice down- out of earshot or not, he didn't need people wondering too much about the guy sitting there and talking to seemingly nobody.
It is, Master Link, the Sword informed him. I can make telepathic contact with whomever is needed, though the queen's awakened power makes it easier to communicate with her than it would someone whose mind was not open to the spirit realm. What message would you like me to pass along?
Link gave another look around, before turning back to his food. "Ask her if there's anything she needs me to look for while I'm out. The less often I have to run out, the less time she has to spend looking for things to do back home."
And the less often you have to worry about her safety, I assume? the Sword asked, and she didn't have to sound amused.
"Just ask her," he grumbled, giving the Sword a baleful glare.
Of course, she replied, then cast her thought out on a narrow thread to the queen. I apologize if my voice is alarming, Your Majesty, but Master Link has requested I inquire if there is anything you wish for him to find for you before he returns.