Birds in Tabantha swiftly fluttered away from subconsciously flexing toes.
Age-old bolders broke free from Eldin mountains in rockslide-generating steps.
Rivers with bountiful fish filled the newly-formed footprint craters across Lanayru marshes.
Scorching sandstorms from Gerudo Desert cascaded down off her lifting soles.
Small creatures scurried behind Faron's woods at the familiar sight of pungent yet divine flesh.
The daughter of Daphnes Nohansen had once more gone on a light stroll through her domain.
The leisurely march of Princess Zelda had become something of a ritual for the Hylians. Growing to such a gargantuan size had been a necessary sacrifice she took on to protect this realm from the Calamity. To question her right to walk in her own homeland would be to question a noble maiden who had shouldered the kingdom's burdens. To complain about the smell of her feet would be to stand against the will of the Golden Goddesses themselves. Many felt safer under her watchful eye; beneath the sway of her blonde hair and white dress; in her town-encompassing shadows: in the warm atmosphere she blessed the land with.
They knew to bow as the princess' delicate hands waved above the clouds in a silent greeting. They knew to steer their carriages away from her steps, though it was hard to tell where the majestic soles would make landfall next. She was a free spirit who enjoyed discovering new sensations, so her dainty steps never quite touched the same path, preferring to tread fresh ground each excursion. The wide, sprawling spaces of Hyrule's wilderness provided plenty of room for her to stretch her heaven-piercing legs. Though the tragedies of the Calamity had left its scars on the land, she was still entranced by the sight of its wonders. Sometimes, she was so lost in their beauty, and in her memories of visiting them at normal size, that she stopped paying attention to where she walked. The land she knew had changed a lot since her confrontation with Ganon, so Zelda often lost track of where settlements were located. Sometimes, she'd discover a new town by only by sounds of it crunching underfoot, like autumn leaves; or find the splintered ruins of an outpost plastered to her heel hours after compressing it in the ground.
The princess' sandals, monoliths in their own right, were left in a different spot each time. Today, they flanked either side of Hateno, the humble village in her shade receiving a view of stringy dampness clinging between her skin and the insole as she slid the stuffy footwear off. The stiff sole support towered over the finest homes of Bolson Construction and the lab on the hill. Zelda's very essence had been imbued in the leather; a fog of her perspiration soon covered the horizon, hiding the sky above the sandal straps. Braver or greedier villagers readied their rock climbing equipment, hoping to find treasures from afar that had been abducted in the sole ridges and buried in layers of earthy residue on the toeprints.
This was where the magic really began. Feeling her kingdom's ground underneath her bare feet was a meditative experience, a communication between the slumbering spirits of the land and her tender flesh. Zelda's toes formed deep trenches as they lovingly caressed and tilled the earth, gracing them with much-needed hydration. It made her ears tingle above. Her steps were graceful, never putting more than the slightest pressure; and obligingly, the land beneath gave no resistance, kissing her meaty arches and sinking into the crevices. Without a thought, she could mold the topography and relief like clay. All the words from her mother and tutors about Hyrule's magic seemed so dense and unclear when she was a child. Now that she had grown, and could see and feel it all beneath, the beauty of the land made so much sense.
Everywhere would receive the loving touch of their ruler's foot marks. Tabantha's snowfields providing her a pleasant breeze before they melted... A satisfying warmth gushing from Death Mountain's brittle boulders... The rustle and tickle of the Great Forest's leaves soothing her... Leaving oases of sweat in the harsh Gerudo Wastelands... Before washing the sand grains off in the ankle-high Lurein waters.
Something snapped. Her ears lifted, and her pleasurable stroll halted mid-step while she peered at her sole inquisitively. A Yiga encampment, or the remains of one. Perhaps they were defiantly attacking her sole; perhaps they had barely escaped the camp; or perhaps they didn't see her city-engulfing step until it was too late. It felt all the same either way: slightly itchy, with a Windcleaver sword jammed uncomfortably between her little and fourth toes.
Thankfully, there was a solution to the princess' discomfort. Ancient Sheikah Towers had raised from their long slumber, stirred by her heavenly steps. The servants of the royal family had built these tall beacons immeasurable time ago, for scouting and detecting Ganon's energy. Now, they could fulfill a new purpose and serve the royal family once more. Zelda's itchy toes engulfed either edge of the pillar, feeling their intricate engravings. Carefully, gently, she used the sharp tip to scrape the caked debris off. Her relieved sighs echoed across the land. Grime stuck from her barefoot journey peeled off in landslides, some clinging to the towering structures. It remained there even as she stepped away, illuminated by the faint blue glow - a symbol of the goddess' reach high in the sky.
Hyrule had changed in uncountable ways, and it would take a long time to recover from the effects of the Calamity. But the omnipresent, purifying footprints of Zelda provided hope of a new beginning for the land... if they could recover from those, too.
Giantess World
Story Notes:
Originally posted as a comment on lovely artwork of BOTW Zelda that
fooooly made, reposting here since it got good reception https://www.deviantart.com/fooooly/art/Zelda-botw-932618831
Chapter End Notes: