Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zelda was beyond thankful that the rest of the night had passed without another incident.

When she woke up, the hastily covered roof was a glaring reminder of how dangerous she was. Is sent a chill down her spine, and she was more than anxious to get out of the village, away from the reminders of what she was capable of.

And she wanted to get away from people. People she could potentially harm.

Link, on the other hand, insisted on accompanying her. A sentiment that Impa wholeheartedly agreed with.

Impa had suggested that she and Link travel without any royal regalia or identifying markers. Though Link would never leave the Master Sword unattended, Zelda knew that the Champion’s Tunic was just as telling about his identity, as the blue had become synonymous with the royal family.

Zelda had been wearing Sheikah garb for the past few days, but Paya had asked the clothing shop seamstress to work on something more fitting for the princess. At first, Zelda had been nervous when Paya told her, but when she brought in a pair of comfortable trousers and a loose shirt held more firmly against her by a corset-like belt, Zelda calmed down. She wouldn’t be stuck riding and exploring in a dress. They fit perfectly, and Zelda smiled at Paya.

“Thank you, Paya. This means a great deal.”

“Oh, I… you’re welcome.”

Though Zelda had been used to her clothes being mostly royal blue, she was pleasantly surprised by the white and deep green combination. It was a refreshing change of pace. She braided her long blonde hair back away from her face, and headed over to the stable with Paya to wait for Link.

As she approached the horses, Link’s white one, Cloud, eagerly shook his head and tried to make his way toward Zelda. She smiled and went to greet him, feeling an energy around him that she used to feel around Storm. She felt drawn to Cloud, and reversely, Cloud seemed to want to be around Zelda.

The horse was already saddled, and Zelda was deep in conversation with both Paya and Cloud, affectionately praising the steed, when a chorus of hoofbeats alerted her to an incoming traveler. She turned to see Link riding into the village on a graceful brown mare. The hair on her mane and tail was a few shades darker than her coat. She was reminiscent of Epona.

Link bounded off her with ease. He was wearing a red tunic with some green fabric strapped down around his waist by two belts, and a leather pauldron over his shoulder. He was decked out in his gloves, riding boots, and even a hooded cape that concealed the Master Sword underneath it, though the hood wasn’t up, offering her a glance at his hair. It was longer than it had been before.

“Are you ready?” Link asked, gesturing to Cloud.

Zelda turned and shook her head. “You can’t mean I’ll be riding your horse?”

“No,” Link said, his face impassive. “You’ll be riding your horse. I wasn’t joking when I said you could take Cloud.”

“I can’t take your horse, Link.”

He scoffed, as if it were a funny suggestion. “Of course you can. And you will. Your horse…” he trailed off, his scrunched brow betraying his struggle to remember something, presumably the name of her horse. Then he softened and his eyes flicked up to meet Zelda’s with a crooked smile. She felt her heart skip. It was the first time he had looked at her without a hint of confusion, almost as he once had 100 years ago. He nodded once, confidently; “Storm. You said your horse was Storm. There’s a bond between you and that horse’s bloodline. Besides,” he said with a smile. He ran his hands affectionately on his new horse’s neck, “I have Catherine now. Don’t I, girl?”

Catherine pushed her head against Link, as if she were agreeing with him.

Zelda’s muscles twitched. She wanted to reach out, to at least grasp Link’s hand in thanks, but instead, she grabbed Cloud’s bridle, keeping occupied, though her eyes were on Link until he finally turned to her. She fought to keep her hold tight on Cloud. “Thank you. Truly.”

“Of course, Princess.”

With a sudden realization, Zelda remembered that Paya was still beside them, watching everything. Zelda grabbed Paya’s hand, noting how the girl’s eyes lingered on Link’s back as he turned away. “Thank you again, Paya. I will see you soon.”

Paya squeezed Zelda’s hand in response and stepped back.

Mounting Cloud, Zelda followed Link out the southern path from Kakariko. For some time, they rode in silence.

As they passed the Guardian graveyard, Zelda sighed. “Whether or not you remember, do you ever see a place and just know that a horrible event happened there? Do you instinctively know that this field is when Hyrule was truly doomed?”

Link stared out at the Guardians. “I remembered that this is where I died. That alone is enough for this place to raise the hairs on my neck.” He looked over at Zelda. “But Hyrule wasn’t doomed that day, despite how it feels. It’s free now.”

Zelda couldn’t bring herself to look at him, fearing when she did, she’d see herself holding his lifeless, bleeding body once again. Spurring Cloud on faster, she kept her eyes straight at the path, taking in the more beautiful colors of Hyrule and letting them distract her.

. But everything brought back memories that now belonged only to her.

The mountains of Dueling Peaks were closing in on either side of her, rising up into the heavens. She’d stood up there beside Link, admiring the view of the castle… and each other. If she closed her eyes, she could see herself standing beside him, she could feel his hands in hers, and his lips against hers. The memory was nearly as painful as that of Link’s death. In many ways, the Link she’d known had died and never returned.

“This place is filled with painful memories,” she muttered.

“At least you have memories, painful as they are,” Link said, following her gaze. Save for his adventures these past months, Dueling Peaks meant nothing to him besides a cold peak and two shrines that had required him to use his rather shoddy sense of memory.

They’d both fallen silent again. Link moved Catherine up beside Cloud. “Have you seen the shrines yet? Were there any in your time?”

Our time, her mind corrected, though she didn’t voice this aloud. “There were a few that had begun to appear. I’d seen one in the west, in the Tabantha province, just south of Rito Village. I could not figure out how to enter at the time. I take it you obviously did?”

He nodded. “It was the Sheikah Slate.”

With a frustrated sigh, Zelda shook her head. “Of course it was. Why didn’t I think of that? Ancient technology would have been activated by a key, by we had been too literal. That’s why we never found one. Stupid me! How could I not have figured that out? How did Purah not figure that out?”

Link couldn’t help a small grin that spread over him. “So, was I right to assume that you were involved in the Ancient Technology projects? You seem to be as scholarly as I’d heard.”

Zelda had been more than involved. She’d been dedicated. The Ancient Technologies had been her fail-safe. Knowing that there were Guardians and Divine Beasts to fight Ganon in the event that she couldn’t unlock her power had always been a priority for her.

“Do you remember the even that caused you to become my appointed knight?” When Link shook his head, she continued. “Purah, Robbie, and I were looking at a Guardian, one that Robbie had specially modified. I was distracted and tripped, touching the Guardian in the process. It aimed its gaze at me, beeping rapidly. There was nowhere for me to go, and no way for me to take cover. But then, you were in front of me just in time, blocking the hit with—of all things—the lid of a pot. You got me to safety, and my father’s reward was your position as Appointed Knight to the Princess. I was terribly unhappy about it at first.”

“Did we not get along?”

“No, we got along well when we did speak, but I was jealous of the Goddesses’ favor on you. I didn’t understand you yet, and thought that everything had been so natural, so easy. I had yet to unlock the sealing power.”

Link nodded, something in his mind was turning. “So that’s why you were a bit cold toward me at times. My memories are a bit split between animosity and friendship. I thought perhaps we’d fought, or I’d failed you.”

Zelda winced. Of course he’d have memories of her childish grudge. “I apologized in the past for my behavior, but seeing as you likely don’t remember that, I’d like to apologize again.”

“Don’t apologize. There’s no need.”

Zelda smiled sadly at him but nodded all the same. She looked around the road again, eager to get off the subject of her past actions. “How is Deya Village? Are they still our primary fishery? I’d like to see it.”

She went to veer over the hill, but Link moved Catherine in front of her. He shook his head. “Deya was destroyed with the Calamity. All there is now are ruins.”

“What?” she led Cloud around him, urging the horse up the hill. She glanced out from the overlook. The lake that had once been a clear blue fishery was not murky, littered with the rubble of destroyed buildings and fallen trees that had become apart of the watery grave.

Link rode up beside her, looking out at the ruins. “I heard the stories. They were lost in the aftermath of the Guardians. Most of the survivors headed south, as far from the castle as they could and built a new village, one that’s now the fishery for the kingdom. It’s called Lurelin, just off Cape Cresia and the Necluda Sea.”

“Lurelin? I like that. I’d love to meet the villagers and see the village.”

“It’s not near here. I could take you another time though, if you’d like.”

“Very much. Thank you.”

Link turned back to the ruins of Deya Village. “Many of the places you knew close to Hyrule Field have been destroyed. Kakariko and several of the stables were the luckiest. The further out from the castle, the less destruction there was.”

“So, you’ve been around? Everywhere?”

He nodded and led Catherine away from the cliff, back down to the path. Zelda followed a moment later. “When I woke up, I wasn’t as strong as I assume I used to be. I had a lot to do to train. The Master Sword wouldn’t give herself up easily.”

Zelda couldn’t help but feel giddy, despite the destruction she’d just seen. The survivors had created something new, and she was able to speak with Link, almost as freely as they used to. “But it was still safely in the Lost Woods… with the Deku Tree?”

He smiled again, keeping his eyes on the path. “The Deku Tree showed me the day you brought it to him. You said you had something to tell me.”

Zelda tried to keep the surprise off her face. Without his memories, she didn’t want to say anything that could jeopardize their fragile developing friendship. “Did I? It was a long time ago.”

Again, they fell into silence as they made their way to the path. As they neared Proxim Bridge, the castle came into sight for the first time. Zelda gasped, a relieved feeling washing over her. For a moment, she’d expected to see Ganon’s spirit swirling around the peak once again, but it was oddly still. From the distance, it looked as it had when she’d lived there. She could almost ignore the stone-still Guardians that were scattered around and pretend that it was 100 years ago and she was still living her normal life.

“It might not be safe there yet,” Link said, sensing her desire to visit her home. “Impa called for it to be inspected just before you woke up. We can’t go in yet, not until it’s been cleared.”

Shaking her head, Zelda bit her lip. His words were an easy way to snap back to the present. “No. Of course. But you had said you’d seen my father? Could you bring me to him? Or, rather, to where you spoke with him?”

“It was on a cliff on the Great Plateau, not the castle.”

“Regardless, please?”

Link nodded, looking at the raised land on the other side of the bridge. “He hasn’t been there since I woke. Don’t bring your hopes up too high, for your own sake.”

“I won’t… but I have to know. I parted with him on poor terms before he was taken from this world.”

“By the Yiga?”

She steeled her expression and rode on. “Yes.”

Up ahead, she could see an abandoned Bokoblin camp, and further up the road, where she’d once expected to see a bustling outpost were more ruins. She rode past them, seeing the reminders of a fire etched into the stones, buildings that looked as if the Goddess herself had trampled over the outpost. It was a disaster, beyond all hope of repair.

Link could see her dismayed expression. A strong desire to change her mood came over him and he found himself redirecting her attention. Riding faster so she would have to catch up to speak and move past the ruins quickly, he turned in his saddle. “So, you were friends with Kass’ mentor?”

Zelda spurred Cloud on so she wouldn’t have to scream just to have a conversation with him. “We both were. He was brought to the castle by Impa to combat the Yiga threat.”

“Was he still a musician?” he asked, riding further still and slowing only once he’d passed the ruins. Zelda seemed none the wiser to his distraction.

“He played the same accordion. He was placed in the palace as the court poet.”

“So he was my friend… not my enemy?”

“Why?”

Link started to chuckle, thinking about something in his mind. But he turned to her and tried to suppress his laugh. “Kass told me stories. His mentor used to secretly spread rumors about me. He was upset that I held a high position when I didn’t come from noble birth and said that you and I shouldn’t speak because of the difference in our station. He felt differently after my death and devoted his life to helping the two of us, though we’d never know were it not for Kass.”

Zelda’s mouth dropped open. “He was jealous?”

Link fought back his laugh again. “He was more than jealous; he was in love with you, Princess.”

“What?” she exclaimed.

“Infamously.”

“I never knew.” She stared off at the castle, trying to call up a moment with Kilik where she might see his true feelings. But she had been blinded by her own affections for… another. She looked up at the Plateau again. Ghosts were all around her.

They rode along the plateau, with no way up that she could see, and she thought back to her father, trying to remember the sound of his deep voice. She closed her eyes and felt goosebumps running along her arm. “What did my father say to you?”

“He told me he was the King of Hyrule and you were his daughter and I was to rescue you and defeat the Calamity before your hold on Ganon grew too weak.”

Zelda continued back on the path, still unsure of how they’d scale the cliff on this side. They should continue further, towards the gate that would lead up the plateau. “And you’re sure it was my father, the king? If what I’ve been told about the Champions is to be taken as absolute truth for all the departed, then his spirit should have stayed in the castle where he died, as theirs did with the Divine Beasts.”

Link laughed, his contagious, and hearty laugh. “I don't think I have any reason not to trust his spirit, Princess." He groaned in annoyance with himself. "Forgive me, Your Highness. For some reason, I can’t stop calling you ‘Princess’ despite your station.”

Each time he slipped and called her Princess, it gave her a sense of joyful relief. Some part of him was remembering what he used to call her, since he would have no problem transitioning to her new title if he didn't remember.

“I'll answer to either. I'm not technically a queen. Or a princess, for that matter. Perhaps you could call me Zelda?” she tried.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, as if it was the silliest thing he'd ever heard her suggest. “I'd never do that.”

She laughed smugly. “You'd be surprised.”

He looked at her in disbelief. “I would never. You're just trying to fool me.”

She shrugged, feeling almost smug in her knowledge. “Believe what you want. But you have called me Zelda a few times.” Granted, it was while their lives were in imminent danger, but she was intent on making a point.

Scoffing he shook his head, but he went quiet. She could see him thinking, like he was trying to recall that memory.

Zelda looked at the cliff again as Link continued to slow his pace. “Has something about the Great Plateau changed, or are we going to the gated entrance?”

Link snapped his head in her direction. “Oh, no. That was sealed off. I left a ladder around here. Climbing this wall without it just takes too much energy.”

“Climbing the wall?” Zelda asked, staring at the near vertical incline. She shook her head, not about to question it. If anything, she believed Link more than capable of scaling the wall. “Right. We’re in front of the Temple of Time. Whereabouts from here?”

Link hopped off of Catherine and gestured for Zelda to follow. He pulled a long rope ladder from inside a crack in the wall where it dangled. It looked awfully unsafe, and it would be a long fall if anything should happen. “We’re going straight to the Temple.” He pulled something out from his belt pouch and handed it to Zelda. “Here. Take the paraglider. If anything happens, just pull it out. It’ll open and catch the wind. But I’ve climbed this plenty of times. You’ll be fine.”

Zelda took it. “Oh Goddess…” she muttered. Better to get it over with. She put her foot on the shaky ladder, taking her steps slowly and carefully. Each time she looked down, Link was holding the ladder, stopping it from swaying, his eyes on her. It made her feel only slightly better that he was letting her go first.

She let out a huge sigh of relief as she hit the grass atop the plateau. While she waited for Link, she took in the destruction. The temple had been sacked, walls crumpled from a Guardian blast. The view showed her more ruins, more decaying or dead Guardians, and even a few Bokoblin camps that Link led her safely around.

Despite the mess, the Temple of Time was still always a sight to behold. It was several stories high and, though significantly shorter than the castle itself, towered high above the plains of Hyrule Field so the Goddess Hylia could watch over her kingdom from the land itself.

The steps that led up to the main entrance were swallowed by grass and weeds springing through the cracks in the stone, neglected by years of disuse. Chunks of rubble had fallen in the path, having been loosened from their original homes, now covered in a blanket of ivy. An army of Guardians lay long-dormant along the sides of the temple, their attempts to bring down the temple clear, though ultimately unsuccessful.

Standing in the doorless entry, Zelda could see the entire left side of the temple caved in, but she suspected it was caused by damage to the exterior. The interior was mostly untouched by destruction, though fallen ceiling tiles had taken out a stone or two. But prominently, the statue of the Goddess Hylia remained perfect, glowing with the radiance it had always emanated. Most of the windows had even remained intact, casting a rainbow of colors through the panes with the sun’s light. For the Goddess who’s answered her prayers, Zelda would have tolerated nothing less.

Link had let her take in the sights, but she noticed him lingering by the destroyed wall. When she shot him a confused look, he motioned for her to follow him around the side. Zelda did, but with a final glance at the Goddess, she resolved that the temple would be among the first things rebuilt in honor of Hylia’s role in defeating the Calamity. Without the Goddess’ grace, Zelda’s sealing powers would not exist.

Link stood beneath a ladder, one that was all-too familiar to her. One that had apparently withstood the tests of time and war.

His bright eyes glistened with eagerness and he grinned. “Are you feeling brave today, Princess?”

Zelda's heart stopped. He'd asked her the same thing when they first scaled the Temple of Time. It had been 100 years ago, only days after he’d saved her from a relentless attack by the Yiga Clan in Gerudo Desert. She’d realized her misguided judgment of Link had been hasty, and found enjoyment with her Appointed Knight. She’d asked Link to accompany her to the Temple to pray, but found herself in this same position, on the side of the ladder that led to the top of the Temple, his eyes soft as they looked on at her.  

With anxious excitement, Zelda nodded. “I’m feeling quite brave. Shall I?”

Link stepped back, letting her take the first small step until she could grab the ladder before he followed her up. They climbed up to the edge of the roof, where Link's hands hovered by Zelda at all times. The flat edge of the roof was slender, and Zelda was moving with far more vigor than she should have been.

“Are you always this excited to do these kinds of things?” he asked as he followed quickly behind her.

She stopped herself, fighting the smile on her face. “Sorry. Sometimes I am. You go ahead first.”

He eyed her suspiciously as he passed her to pull himself up into a small room at the top of the steeple, and he pulled her up into a room where she stood beside him.

“This is where I saw him… the King. He led me up here. Something about being in here felt right, but I don't know why the King would have led me here specifically. You might think the Goddess Statue in the main room would be more appropriate.”

Zelda carefully moved to the edge, where there was a large piece of the wall missing now from a Guardian's beam. She leaned against it, feeling the cool stone against her warm cheek. “Oh, I don't know. This feels right to me.” She could almost feel his hand in hers once again as she had all but half-dangled her body out the window for a better look at the beautiful field below her.

Now, she looked out over her destroyed kingdom. Everything was different. Link was different, the people were different, the fears she had, her prayers, her family, even she was different.

Turning, she caught a glimpse of Link’s soft gaze, admiring her without her knowing. And when he'd been caught, the red flushed into his face and he tried to turn away.

Zelda smiled, fighting back a chuckle. “Come look. The world is so much more peaceful without Ganon.”

He moved beside her. “Have you ever seen such a view?” Link asked. He was looking at her again, waiting, but his expression had turned back into the now-familiar one of him searching his memories.

Zelda looked back to the field, always feeling like she was invading on something private when he got that distant look. She'd wait to answer him until she knew he was back.

Something softly brushed against the back of her hand.

For a moment, she expected to see her father's spirit, the entire reason they'd gone up there in the first place, but she looked down to see Link's hand lightly brushing hers.

His eyes were on hers, no longer staring inward, but outward again. She could see his own mixture of vague recognition, memories of this place and of her, fighting through confusion. The frustration on his face spoke volumes. He didn’t remember it clearly. He likely wasn’t sure what he was remembering. But though his mind didn’t remember, it was as if his body did.

His skin brushed against hers again, turning so his thumb was lightly brushing over her knuckles. She was positive he wasn't aware of what he was doing.

Zelda was worried that if she didn’t speak, it would make him realize what he was doing. She struggled to answer his question. “H-have you seen the very top of Dueling Peaks during your travels?”

He scoffed, moving beside her to rest against the wall. “There were shrines up there. I had to move quickly between them. Why? Have we been there before?”

She smiled, looking back into his intense eyes. “You brought me there the first time, yes.”

Though he’d moved, his hand still rested against hers. “I look forward to going back with you, then. It will be good to finally see the hard-won peace, a Calamity-free castle, a sky that isn’t streaked by Guardian’s beams. Maybe even hear the echo of intrusive construction in the field below.”

His lips turned up, and Zelda leaned back against the stone with her own smile. “I’d love to hear that. Hyrule’s recovery would be a sweeter sound than music.”

“Don’t tell that to Kass.” Link chuckled, infectiously causing Zelda to join in.

Zelda looked out over Hyrule again.

In the glare of the sun, she could clearly see the beginnings of a new tomorrow, for Hyrule, and for herself.

And for the first time in her life, she felt an immense and overwhelming sense of hope.