Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Please Link?”

“Out of the question.”

“Please! Purah and Robbie need me, it’ll be quick, we will be out a max of two maybe three hours, no one will know, and when I get back I promise I’ll pray twofold!” Link sighed. It didn’t particularly matter to him if she prayed or not, though saying so would indeed have been blasphemy of the highest order, especially as the chosen one. No, it was that the Princess was once again asking to traverse through highly yiga-infested areas to reach a new research destination despite the bequest of the King to remain in the castle. 

“You’d have to do it if I ordered you to.” She threw him a loaded look. Had this been a season ago he’d fear that his progress in befriending his charge had violently rewinded, but as it was she was mostly pouting for the fun of it. Still…

“Just this once.”

“Really?” He nodded. “Oh Link, you have no idea how much this means to me, don’t worry no one will even miss us, and if they do I’ll just say I lied to you or something. Besides, you can try out your new shield technique. Thank you so much, you won’t regret this.” With a quick movement of limbs, she suddenly was hugging him. Her hair wrapped around his face, and the familiar scent of old paper and mechanist grease filled his nose. 

With that, she was off packing her bag before he could process it. 

She had never touched him outside of what was necessary. A warm feeling spread through his chest. He took one breath to steady himself. So he had indulged her, what harm could there be in that? 

Tomorrow he would go back to regulation, today she just needed a break. 

An hour down the road after losing half their supplies traversing through a river, he most definitely regretted it as he fished the Sheikah slate and a very solen Princes out of the current. 

“Not a word, sir knight.” He motioned, they wouldn’t hear it from him. Despite her big personality, her stature was barely above his own, so it was easy to pull her up, again their touch warmed him. It was broken just as quickly as it had formed. 

After much deliberation and a satisfied Zelda, they began their journey back to the castle. Twilight was breaking and the woods seemed to illuminate in the dulling light. She detailed to him the varying successes of the trials she conducted till with great effort she paused mid-thought. 

“It really means so much to me, Link. Thank you, for everything.” Her smile was shy beneath her silken curtains and she rode on. He nodded, but his breath was traitorous, stilling in his lungs. She rode ahead not noticing he had fallen back, and his skin prickled. The feeling was not an unfamiliar one. 

But she was the Crown Princess. 

The feeling would leave. With one more steadying breath, he road forward to close the distance. She couldn’t possibly do something like that again, the occasion had just called for it. She had been grateful, moved beyond words. That was all. 

Correct as always, no one noticed their brief (several-hour) absence. 

Chapter Text

The tents had been set up an hour ago, but she refused to stop fiddling with the tarp. Link had offered his assistance several times to no avail. The Princess had been eerily quiet during their travels today and it had come to its simmered conclusion as she thrashed the fabric around as it tangled in upon itself. Small exasperated curses left her mouth as she kicked to right it, but Link had already decided that offering again would only prove to make her mood worse. They would need to eat soon, so without much ceremony, he began rustling together spicy peppers, hylian shrooms, and cured meat to toss into the pot. 

Suddenly she was upon him. Her brows knotted in the center as she looked down at him unapprovingly. “Can just this once I try to cook the meal?”

“No need.” She flung the tarp down and sat looking cross on the log in front of the fire. This was clearly not about the tarp or the dinner. Maybe it wasn’t about anything that happened at all. The Princess would be mortified if she were to ever learn that the door of her study was not as private as the ones to her chambers. Sounds weren’t terribly distinct and it’s not like she held secret conversations in there or brought suitors to her private spaces, but he definitely heard her murmurs. 

Today’s sound had been muffled sobs. While he had not been allowed in the sanctum, he knew the conversation with the King had not gone well. She had left with her shoulders stiff and her steps mismatched as she fled. She skipped lunch and didn’t even stir when Link brought her a slice of fruit cake from the kitchens when she refused to leave for dinner. Her usual afternoon departures for the Goddess’s springs instead had been at dawn break in the mist of the castle town. 

Wordlessly he handed her the ingredients he had pulled out. Maybe she hadn’t expected him to do this for her stern expression melted away. “I just…I don’t want to be helpless anymore.” Her voice was small and he didn’t like how it sounded so unlike her. He came closer. At first, she flinched. He never sat with her while on their travels. There was enough trouble with him being granted trips alone with her unsupervised, he didn’t need to be seen being closer to her highness than necessary. 

Carefully he showed her how to cut the mushroom, how to simmer the peppers first, and finally how to take the fat off the meat. Her hands were clumsy at first, but rather than jump in, and speed up the preparation, he watched her, no corrections, no comment. Her methodical technique eventually paid off as she confidently finished with the last slice of meat with some deftness. 

Link had made this meal a hundred times while in the Tabanatha Garrison, training in the frigid snow of the mountains. He could make the meal in 15 minutes flat, although he had tried to cut it down further. Food poisoning was not worth the extra five he gained from recklessness. Two hours later, the tough meat skewers left the pair chewing in prolonged silences. 

“These are terrible,” She cringed her nose up at the food and looked to him for agreement. He took a hearty bite. The tips of her ears and nose flushed pink at the sight. “Well, at least I can’t mess up the tarp.”

As if on cue a rain pocked opened and began to pour over the pair. With as much speed as either could garner they quickly pulled the tarp up over the tent and made a run inside the flapped entrance. The situational irony was not lost on him. But she had curled up onto herself. Slowly her body heaved and he realized she was sobbing again. Hesitantly he drew closer. 

“You don’t understand what it’s like. You are so blessed in everything you do. You drew the sword when you were a child, you're praised for your bravery and hard work. Everyone adores you. I’m just…” The rain began to come down harder. “A failure.”

Link had heard her voice this before, but maybe it was the rain, her terrible cooking, or the way she looked now, but he couldn’t stop himself. 

“You aren’t. You are the strongest person I know.”

She eyed him carefully, her arms wrapped into her legs as tightly as she could, slightly shivering from her wet clothes. She didn’t speak any more that night. But she also didn’t cry. He lent her his dry tunic and stepped out of her tent. She needed to sleep if she was to endure the journey to Faron and he needed to step away. 

She had held his hand for longer than a Princess and Knight should. 

“Just this once,” she whispered as her hands entwined with his. Her fingers were delicate and tapered at the end in contrast to his blunted calloused hands. But she held him as though he was something to be treasured. 

They would not talk about it in the morning.

Chapter Text

“Sorry to do this.”

“It’s my job, Princess.”

“Oh, hiding in the bushes from the Court Poet is your job?”

She leaned in closer as the click of the poet’s heels came closer. She had been dodging him all week in fear of his most recent “ballad” he had composed. He had been pinning for her a long time before Link had been assigned to her guardianship but the man had had his fervor renewed when she had mistakenly lent him one of the books of her private study where he had found a “letter” he mistook as his. 

“Why did I give him that book, I can’t believe I didn’t check it, mhm my legs are cramping.” Link wished he could offer something sympathetic to her, but any speech beyond the bare minimum was out of the question. 

She hadn’t expected him to find her in the rose garden and in a moment of panic had flung herself at him with full force taking them both into the thicket they now laid. Her hips straddled him, her dress straining against the shape of her thighs and her chest heaved with anxiety at his approach. So Link counted. He counted and avoided acknowledging the way her neckline hung dangerously low in his face, the way her thighs felt on his, or how her hair brushed against his face. 

“For just this once I’d like to tell him a piece of my mind. His stanzas are pitiful, his rhymes are contrived, and…” As though they had not been in their position for what had felt like hours (two minutes and 10 seconds) she looked at him. 

No, reader you don’t understand, she looked at him. 

“Link-” His hand was on her mouth as the shadow of the poet played among the leaves. The man made a discontented sound and left. They waited. 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 40, 60, 100.

“I believe he is gone.” But the Princess made no motion to move from him. Link made no move to remove her. Her hand nervously pushed her hair out her face tossing a majority of it over her shoulder. 

“Right. Well,” She swallowed, her hands still planted on each side of his head caging him in. If she just leaned closer, Link could- “I suppose I should get up.”

“Right.”

“Right.” She swallowed again slowly, her hips were a tender inch away from his own. 

“So, the letter-”

“It was for somebody else. I wasn’t going to send it. It was an experiment. It’s so stupid.” A moment was lost as she untangled herself from him, standing finally leaving him on his back. He should stand to join her. But he was still human, even if his silence afforded him praise and admiration, he still was a teenager. “Are you alright?”

A thumbs-up arose from the bush. 

“I hope you aren’t hurt. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“My pleasure, your Highness.”

Chapter Text

Sweat dripped from his brow, as the steam arose from the pools. His eyes surveyed the horizon, trained to detect any movement, ears poised for even the smallest movement.
“You already cleared the area Link, I didn’t come all the way here just to not have you come into the healing springs you so clearly need.” He sighed. “Don’t you sigh at me. You know I almost miss when you were quiet all the time.” Another splash echoed from behind him. “Just come into the water please.”
“I’m on duty. I am not at leisure to relax.”
“I order you to come into this Goron hot spring to heal your wounds. Come here.” He carefully avoided gazing at her and instead pursing his lips.
“Just this once, since you asked so nicely” He replied sneeringly.
Eventually, he rolled the blood-soaked tunic over his head leaving only his undershirt stomping into the spring. “See? Isn’t that better? You are almost as stubborn as Revali. Is it just you men in general?” He ought to not rise to her taunts, but instead, he maliciously nodded in agreement with her.
She sent a splash over his head. He’d have retaliated if the heat was not so soothing. So he remained still, the faint sulfur smell mingling with the clay of the mountain. His silences however seemed to draw something out in the Princess.
“You scared me.” He finally opened his eyes to observe her. He regretted this quickly as he was met with her bathing dress pulled against her too tightly. “I know it’s your job. Protecting me is what’s expected of you. Battling against the Calamity, its monsters, our foes. But” She softly bit the inside of her cheek. Urbosa always reprimanded her for the anxious tick, but Link liked how it made her lips look. “I don’t know, if you were to get seriously hurt if you were to…I don’t think I could carry on.” Tears streamed down her pinked face and her lip trembled dangerously.
“I will be here for you, always.” It wasn’t enough, but there was no more he could say. There was only one spring of the Goddess left. The Princess was no fool. If she failed, if he failed, the kingdom was lost. But she smiled in spite of this, eyes rimming with tears.
“Link, if it isn’t too much to ask, will you fix my hair?” He drew close, careful to avoid touching her soft skin as he lifted her locks from her shoulders. He tried to tame it into a bun with a slight struggle. Aryll, his sister, had long hair, but Link didn’t fear beheading when taming his unruly sister’s mane into braids for school. “If we survive the Calamity…”
“When we survive the Calamity.”
“I want to cut my hair.”
“You could cut it now, I’d help.” She giggled at this, softly gliding her free hand through the hot spring bubbling surface.
“My Father would be aghast. Though I’m sure he wouldn’t be thrilled to know how little I wore around my knight.” Link attempted to focus on the capacity of his worn-down hair tie. “What happens in the wild stays in the wild right Link.” His fingers trembled despite having affixed her hair as securely as he could. “Link?” Her bare shoulders touched against his knees and he attempted a deep meditative breath.
“Yes, Princess.”
She sighed heavily, “I give you permission you know, I thought after all these months, you’d know, but, well I give you permission. Please, call me Zelda.” Her neck was longer than her hair suggested.
“Princess, that isn’t…”
“Why?” He paused. There were a million answers, there wasn’t one that mattered. “So it’s settled. When we are here, in the wild, just us, you will call me Zelda. Now come back into the water, you’ll catch a cold jumping from hot to cold like that. I mean not really, but it makes you more predisposed.” He submerged his head to clear his mind of her.
The next week her guards took her watch in three shifts as he laid feverish on his military bedroll. She had run out on four of the guards without detection and one filed for reassignment to the Akkala reason.
Link shook his head in loving disbelief when his superior officer reported this to him with a tray of medicines from Castle Town. A bowl of soup in tow. Link went to reach for his rupee pouch when the man shook his head.
“No need to pay, Princess sends her well wishes.”

Chapter Text

“Not a word.”

“Urbosa would never.”

“I’m not worried about Urbosa.” She giggled but continued to brush his hair back. He had finally relented to her insistence that she knew these things better. The careful brush of her makeup brushes had tickled but predictably had been better applied than if he had attempted again. Link knew she was taking longer than she needed to help him into his vai disguise but he couldn’t say he minded. 

It was rare these days to justify being this close to Zelda’s face. Even rarer to justify that the desire was platonic. 

“Done. You know, it’s unfair you look that good, you are already beautiful normally, then you wear your veil and well its breathtaking.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” Wildberry. Yes, definitely wild berry was the closest color match her face right now. Link had avoided ever looking over Zelda’s form in her Gerudo attire, but as she stumbled out ramblings justifying her praise for his undeniable aesthetic beauty, he found she was equally beautiful. But he would not say so. It was not his place. She was not his. 

“You are awful talkative today.” Changing the subject was Zelda’s usual out from situations she didn’t wish to face head-on. It was a temporary pause allowing herself a debriefing before replying again. He nodded if only to contradict her conclusion. “I guess that’s good, I mean, it’s nice to have this time off, but it’s nicer to be here this time for a social-ish visit.” They had left Divine Beast Vah Nahboris and returned to their rooms in the Gerudo palace. Zelda wanted to enjoy a night in the town with Urbosa while Link stayed close, but Urbosa had given some excuse and ditched them. But Zelda didn’t seem too off put by the change of plans. “You know, I haven’t been here since the attack.”

Yes, he knew. She never sent him too far from her again after that. Link appreciated her cooperation but he wish it hadn’t come from a brush with death. 

“It’s funny looking back now, we hated each other so much, now look at us? What a difference time makes.” Hated? She must have sensed his puzzlement for she stilled, looking into his eyes searching. He hoped she didn’t see her reflected back so clearly that his feelings became transparent. “I mean, I didn’t hate you, I just, I hated what you represented, the successful one, I was so mean to you.”

“I never hated you.”

“Oh,” The pause seemed stifling in the heat, Link began to wonder if the clothes wore out of their effect even if that made no sense. “I think, I just assumed. I mean, you hardly spoke. Well, you hardly speak now, but it was worse before.” He averted his gaze. He needed to tell her the truth. “Are you telling me you weren’t silent out of anger? I don’t understand.”

He meaningfully cleared his throat. But his stomach seized, his words died in his throat and his false starts were silenced. 

“Just this once be honest with me, I don’t care if you hated me, things are different now. Just please, I want to know, why are you silent my knight?”

The sands of Gerudo sifted loudly outside the window of the room. The sound of guards in the courtyard training echoed in the stone walls. Her anger was cooling, and now she awaited him. 

“I must bear my burden. The people of Hyrule, the kingdom, my family, you, you all rely on me. I carry the mantel of men, heroes, greater than me. I cannot falter, not with so much at stake, with so many watching me. They don’t want Link to save Hyrule. They want the Hero who drew the sword that vanquishes the darkness. So I bear my burden in silence. I don’t…”

“Want to disappoint people with the real you?” He nodded. 

 “I…I didn’t know you felt that way.” The silence grew, and even the outside noises dampened their heavy feelings. “I assumed you were retaliating against me, like so many others. But I see now. If it’s worth anything. I know Link is going to be the one to save Hyrule. I have not a doubt in my mind.” They did not talk about the hug they shared. Neglected to notice how they fit into each other, the way their skin became goose-skinned at the other's touch. 

They did not wish to discuss why they had held the hug longer than necessary, why her hands slid along his back as their hearts beat quick, quicker. 

They were friends, nothing more.

Chapter Text

“Mipha has a crush on you.” The statement was shocking if only since Zelda had been the one to voice it. Had the revelation come upon her, or was she speculating? He did not move to acknowledge her as he studied his map to find their route to Akkala. “You can pretend you don’t hear me all you want friend, but I know you hear me.” 

The evening light now had been swallowed by night, the fire had begun to grow low and the Princess had long retired. Their meal had been simple and quiet, no longer filled with speculation or questions but amiable silence enjoying the soft call of swift-footed frogs. But she must not have slept well. 

“Do you like her?”

“Who?” She was trying to sneak up on him. It was a game she played often but won never. 

“Don’t who me, Mipha, do you love her?” His heart squeezed painfully so he shut his eyes. It helped when there was too much to feel, too much to think. He shook his head. Zelda hummed thoughtfully. If he kept his eyes closed long enough she may leave. He did not think it wise to tell her that Mipha during their last visit had proposed and that he had had to turn her down. That their swift exit was not a planned one. 

“Zora’s marry for love.” Link nodded. Having spent many summers in the company of the people, he knew many of their customs and often thought Hyrule’s could use an update. “I will never know such softness.” 

Zelda already was engaged. The man just never came to visit, never sent her horribly disjointed poetry, nor even bid her well in her pursuit to save his life, his lands, or his mistresses. Link had loathed the thought of providing security detail for the man, but he never came. A dry letter came in his stead quarterly with an itinerary of his recent accomplishments and on its heels, honest downstair staff gossip regarding his promiscuity. 

Link would not lie to himself now, he was relieved he was a repulsive creature, for Zelda in turn never sought out his attention. Link could only hope that he would fall to the Calamity before he saw the love of his life whisked away to her wedding bed by the revolting fiend. But it was not right she had to endure the humiliation regardless.

“I have not even been afforded the luxury of pointless suitors and stolen kisses.” She fully emerged from the tent to sit next to Link as the fire continued to dim. Soon their site would be but a bright glow of orange, and eventual dawn to keep the stalkoblins away. “I hope this isn’t terribly invasive to ask. Have you ever kissed, Sir Link?” Zelda often fell into her formalities when she felt shy. He thought hard. 

His mother kissed his forehead and cheeks, but she had fallen to illness before those memories had any weight to them. Aryll had stolen kisses from him as a small babe, but those were often followed by small clenched fists to the eye such was the temper of that wild child. Mipha had many times explained her desire to kiss, but maybe too shy or slow, Link had not contemplated it as an offer and more of an observation. 

“No.”

“Your frankness is refreshing as always. No, I don’t suppose I’ve seen you court or pursue anyone either. Perhaps you do and if so forgive me my own pigheadedness in not noticing.” He shook his head again to her snorted laugh. Link should turn the embers to keep the fire alive till morning. Zelda should go to sleep so she would not slide off her saddle as she had during her research stints between Kakarikko and the Castle. They flickered lower now, the only light a nearly full moon shifting through the gaps in the trees. 

“I would have liked to have been kissed.”

“There is time for that still.” Link thought again to the Court Poet, who despite his bouts of melancholy would have fainted at the chance to kiss Zelda. Any person across greater Hyrule would faint at such an offer. He wished he could say so. 

“Link?” Her voice sounded odd, tight. Her hands were clumsily against his knee and dread filled him that she had met a terrible fate, that her voice was strangled in distress. But when he turned he saw her lips had parted as she stared at his own. 

“Princess Zelda?”

“I would like to be kissed.” His brain was a pace behind. She had mentioned that desire. He had no solution. 

But he did, didn’t he?

“I would like to be kissed tonight,” She repeated. She again drew closer, her hand gently held his cheek and her thumb grazed against his high cheekbone. Her eyes blinked slowly and in the last dying of the embers Link could see her emerald eyes sparkle. 

What happens in the wild stays in the wild, right? That’s what she had said at least. 

If there had been the snap of a twig the spell would have broke. Link found himself a thread away. Their hands had fallen together and her thumb ran across the top of his hand reassuringly. His hair sagged from its style, and Zelda’s frizzed from the salty rain. 

“I would like it if I were kissed now.” 

“Just this once.”

The world ended. It began anew. A civilization arose, it fell, the sky came crashing down, the rivers and lakes teamed with life, the old Gods left, Hylia blessed the lands, Master Sword broke, Link was freed of divine duty, and Zelda had a study of her own design. 

It was soft and long. 

When they finally stole away from the other the fire had died. The moon had been covered beneath a cloud and there was nothing to be said. 

Neither slept.

Chapter Text

“This is a terrible idea Princess.”
“Live a little Hero. I’ve seen children do this.”
“Shield surf along the cliffs of Hebra in the dead of winter?” She pouted but continued to push the shield towards him. He didn’t even need to hear her say it. Please, she’d say, I’ll order you to do it, she’d counter, is the brave Hero scared she’d tease.
He sighed. When had he grown so soft?
“You need to hold on tight to me okay?” She nodded eagerly, and flung her arms around him too quickly, and he flinched.
“Sorry, is this too close?” He shook his head. It was definitely too close. It’s just shield surfing he told himself, she has to be this close. It was all he could think to soothe himself as face snuggled into his right ear, her nose pressed into his hair.
“Okay, I’m kicking off now.”
The wind whipped wildly about them, the crunch of the ice was muffled between their laughs. The exhilaration was like nothing else, her shrieks of delight filled his heart and he began manuvering to tactfully accelerate.
“Oh my Goddess!” His eyes remained trained on their path, but he longed to see her face. See the way her smile finally reached her eyes, the way her body loosened with joy, the way her eyes became inquisitive, curious. Her hands threaded together and she held herself closer to him still. Their heartbeat seemed to meld together into one.
He loved her.
“Link, the snow bank!”
In a flurry of white haze and with a loud wooden crack he found himself pulling the Princess onto him as he landed on his back. A puff of ice flew around them on impact.
“Zelda! Are you-”
“Perfectly safe, are you-”
“I’m fine.” They both sighed in relief, eventually giving way to light hearted giggles.
“Oh Link, your shield, I’m afraid it’s broken.” He shrugged. There would be other shields in Rito, he had other shields on the Sheikah slate as well. She smiled brightly at him and leaned into their horizontal embrace.
Her hair shone in the blue contrast of winter sky. It was unusual to be sunny this time of year, but it seemed as though the sky wore its best color to compliment her. If he ever asked Zelda what she thought of herself, she’d surely say something dismissive, something derivative about her appearance and that her personality was acrid.
And maybe she was. But Link loved that about her. He could no longer deny the warmth he felt in her presence. He knew the legend of the hero, as well as any Hylian, did. The Goddess had been reincarnated again and again to guide the hero in his journey, through his curse, for she loved the hero.
But Link did not love the Goddess or her reincarnation. He loved Zelda. The way her fingers stained with ink after hours of diligent note-taking. The way she hummed when she thought she was alone. The way she always read to the children of the villages they passed through. But he also loved her fury. Her sarcastic biting remarks. Her frustrated rants about the failings of her kingdom. Her imperfections endeared him in a way he knew not how to describe.
“What are you thinking about Link?”
Just this once, he could be brave. He would tell her. Tell her she smelled of the hot rains of Faron, the breezes of Lurelin, that her eyes were the color of verdant fields in spring. Tell her that he no longer laid his life down for her station, but for her. Tell her that he would give his life, his soul, his rest in pursuit of her smiles, her joy. Tell her that he loved her.
“I’m thinking about making that soup we like.”
She kissed his forehead.
Later, he sat quietly contemplating over his lukewarm bowl. He wasn’t hungry.

Chapter Text

“Can I help you, Princess?” Instantly he saw her drop his notebook from where she had been flipping through it. Her cheeks were red and her arms went up to show she no longer held his personal belongings. He’d accuse her of snooping, but he had already confirmed as much. 

“I was looking for my collection tote-I hadn’t meant to-oh!” Link held forward an unassuming canvas bag that the Princess had been using to collect mushrooms in an hour ago. It still had smears of dirt from where it had held her specimens and their lunch. Her face which had grown pink in the humidity of the jungle now raised red.”Thank you, I…I didn’t mean to” But Link merely nodded and went on to continue replenishing their water supply. 

What his Princess didn’t count on was that he knew she had been reading his entries. He hadn’t actually planned to catch her today but she had grown complacent to his willful ignorance. He had noticed several weeks back when while he practiced his blade strokes she had contentedly read under the tree. Maybe she had forgotten to bring a backup book or it had finally tired her, but she then began digging through his pack. 

At the time he had assumed she had left his journal out by mistake, that she had removed it in search of something else. 

But when he found it smuggled within her research bag he couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. When he had decided it would be better to continue the charade rather than confront her was now lost to time. But he wouldn’t lie to say he found her “sneaking” efforts amusing. 

The contents of his journal were hardly lewd nor especially private. Often they were dedicated to arranging schedules, observations, and at worse his musings after his family. A dull read for sure, but the Princess was anything but persistent, and Link didn’t think it terrible that she was curious after the man who haunted her shadow. The Princess was constantly curious, often to her own detriment as she was known (whether she was aware or not) as a snoop. 

Link just hadn’t imagined she’d have kept up with it so long. 

“I didn’t mean to pry. I thought it was mine.” Her eyes looked anywhere but at him. She was terrible a liar as his little sister. But he shrugged as he split an apple with her. Link realized she would not eat fruit unless it was directly handed to her, so his little ritual had been made. She chewed on her bite longer than necessary, perhaps searching for the magical words to wipe away her embarrassment. 

Link ought to say something to settle her spirit, but he was finding it amusing. 

“No, I didn’t Im’ lying, I guess I was just surprised. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you write.” Her fingers were nervously peeling the skin off the slice she had been lightly nibbling on. “You have very nice penmanship.”

 Link fought back the smile that tugged at his lips, but let her continue. “Well, I mean, now that you know, that I’ve read it I mean, can I ask you something?”

Now it was Link’s turn to avoid her gaze. He had imagined this scenario before, especially when they had ridden the high of their kiss, their first kiss, as it seemed neither was content with it being singular. He imagined how she might broach the topic. But he hadn’t imagined she’d be so direct. 

“Yes, Princess.”

“It's so silly, so really please stop me if it's too invasive."Now it was his turn to be puzzled and a smile wiped across her lips. “I noticed when you write about us, even in its privacy, well-assumed privacy, you always sing my praise. I mean, you never say an unkind thing about me, you don’t even write of my failures to awaken my powers. Why is that?”

Again he mused that her curiosity would get the better of her one day. One correctly laid question and she would unravel their agreed silence on the subject of them. 

“Because you are kind.” It was a simple answer.
“I most decidedly have not been, yet you still write of me as though you believe I will succeed.” He nodded and she laughed. “Well that’s most unfortunate I suppose. If you are wrong I mean.  I’m sorry again for invading your privacy. I guess…there is no excuse, but well I hope that in time, you may rely on me as I rely on you.”

“I didn’t mind.” Her face flushed then. The peel she had been meticulously removing fell into the leaf-covered dirt.

“I misheard you.”

“I knew you were reading it for a while. I didn’t mind. I let you, because I” struggle to keep to this moral high ground and not declare my unwavering feelings, “I struggle to talk. But I want to talk with you too. To share.” Instantly her face brightened. It was back to normal as she discussed at the end and without fear her thoughts on his entries. His blessing was all she needed. In another life, he’d have been mortified but as it was, her curiosity was welcome.

"While we are admitting things Link...I've also watched you as you bathed." 

"What?" Her curiosity was a dual-edged blade that he was a victim to. 

"I don't mean to, but you sometimes sigh so loudly to yourself while you are away, and after a while I just got curious, and well I didn't mean to see anything. But, well now I'm glad I've told you. No more secrets!" She declared in delight.

Link tempered his outrage by observing the durians that hung overhead. His face didn't speak of the war of feelings that emerged within him knowing his baths had apparently been audience by a Royal. Embarrassed, he allowed himself an unkind thought of her, just this once. 

Peeping Princess. 

Chapter Text

“Do you think anyone saw?”
“Doubtful, but let me do the talking.”
A wicked smile passed her lips as she nodded. Her plain cotton dress was on her frame easily and her hair had been pulled into a messy bun allowing a few curls to lay haphazardly at its back. Her toothy grin only sold the look more.
So unladylike. Link couldn’t suppress a grin of his own at her infectious barely covered giggle. Each was a gift, and he had grown greedy.
Her Father had berated her amongst his ministers, reprimanded her for speaking out of turn, and reminded her that her sole duty was to seal the Calamity and produce heirs, not socio-economic project lobbying (whatever that meant). He had thrown her from the Sanctum and left her standing bewildered in the hall amongst the many Royal Guard, hers included.
Link hadn’t been especially pleased to be stationed outside himself. As of late most meetings required him in the chambers with his charge, and although the conversations left him fidgeting, he preferred to be in support if only in spirit. The pair as of late had developed their own signals, their own signs, and it seemed those meetings no matter how dull, were amusing if not for his snarky companions' secretive gestures regarding her company.
But this had been different, and before he knew what he had suggested, they had snuck through the laundresses, stolen a dress, and made a quick hasty exit for castle town. If his fellow soldiers only knew he’d probably never live it down. He supposed he wasn’t such a stick in the mud now was he?
Castle town bustled alive with music, delicious food, and people. So many that people seemed not to notice the two new additions as they bobbed and weaved between stalls. Despite the raucous, there really was nothing unusual about the busy lively streets outside of it being a weekend market day. New vendors had flooded the streets after weeks of traveling commerce to bring new wares to castle town, castle staff shifted to enjoy a day of reprieve, and musicians filled the plazas with happy tunes to entertain the midmorning shoppers.
“I’ve never seen Castle town like this.” Link loved the way her eyes alighted, the way she looked alive when they left the gray stone prison of her royal life. He explained into the shell of her ear that this was normal. It was necessary to lean his lips this close, he reasoned, if was loud and he had to be certain she heard him.
They ducked into stalls and grabbed apple ciders, shared fresh bread, and watched as florists haggled with unsuspecting men placating wives at home. Her hands were wrapped tightly in his, and she assured him it was so they didn’t lose each other. Link tried not to focus on her perfectly they fit together. As they moved through crowds his hand found themselves at her hip to guide her when crowds fluxed with increasing townspeople. She had flinched at first but did not remove his, understanding it was necessary. They finally found themselves taking in the music of the piazza as happy couples disjointed joined in dances.
“I don’t know this dance,” Zelda whispered to Link. Her soft breath tickled against the shell of his ear and he felt his heart speed up. He swallowed the feeling.
“My mother tried to teach me when I was young, but it never took.” Her breath hitched and again he reminded himself she only was near his face because it was so loud, there was no other reason she’d be there otherwise.
“Indulge me?” She raised her hand in invitation.
“Just this once.”
It was awkward and disjointed, and Link was too quick compared to Zelda’s methodical mentality, and yet they enjoyed their dysfunction. The music was too fast for either to catch in tune with, but they stepped as best they could. Link caught onto the steps faster and had her spinning between his arms despite her extra half steps to guide herself into the turns.
The tempo finally dropped and both panted triumphantly in the arms of the other. But suddenly the crowd was shouting, and to Link’s mounting horror, he began to hear their cacophony turn to a swing word. Kiss, kiss, kiss! And Zelda seemed to hear them now too.
“I guess that’s how you finish the dance?” Around them their fellow dancers were embraced in kisses, some brief, some heated, some tender. But it was too late and Link felt himself go stiff in his Princess’s arms as she looked back to his lips expectantly.
“We should get back to the palace, we’ve been gone too long.”
Her smile faltered but she nodded as they made their way through the delighted hums of the crowd. Their return was silent, but their hands were melted into each other, for safety of course, as they navigated their way to the Eastern gate. However, before he knew it she was tugging him into an empty guard station along the wall.
They stared at the other brazenly, they were never meant to stand this close, stand in awe of the other. “Thank you, for today.”
“It was my pleasure,”
“I’ll have to give these back, I guess.” Gesturing to her dress, he laughed. He wasn’t sure when he had started laughing so freely. But he only nodded in response.
“Well, we should finish our dance then Hero,”
Their kiss was long but chaste. Her hands had settled themselves into his hair, as his rested along her hips, and they held fast to each other.
Later, His Captain asked if the Princess was feeling better. Link could only shrug in response as a smile tugged at his lips.

Chapter Text

“I don’t need to sleep like you do.”
“Nonsense, we are safe here, just rest.”
“Princes-”
“Zelda.”
“Zelda, I am a solider, I’ve slept in worse places. Don’t worry after me.”
That should have been the end of the conversation. The wind was rattling the windows of the barrack room and left her face chapped despite the down comforters she laid under. She let out another exasperated sigh.
“I’m not asking you anything outlandish, I’m asking you to lay down and actually rest.” Oh yes, it was totally normal. She was just asking him to lay down in bed with her. No, not just with her, but under the covers with her. Again he shook his head, and remained seated against the door. Despite his protests, she had insisted to visit the Tabanatha Garrison. Insisted that it’d be a short trip.
And now they were waiting out a blizzard.
“Fine Link, freeze. See if I care!” But Zelda clearly cared as she continued to stare at him, piercing him with her sullen gaze. The windows shrieked under another rush of wind and her eyes nervously watched the straining window. Several times she had asked how the windows stayed closed in such conditions, and several times Link instructed her to sleep.
“We sleep together all the time.”
“Sleeping near each other at a campsite is not sharing a bed. People will talk,” Her face pinked at the suggestion of gossip. With a huff she turned her back to him and it seemed she was finally tired of trying to convince him to change his mind on the matter. And Link wanted to be relieved that he would no longer endure these major tests of strength. A brisk breeze flew under the door and up Link’s spine as he ground his teeth together to concentrate on staying awake. The room shook slightly, and Link could only guess that another snow pile had shifted from the roof as it grew heavy with new weight. Instantly she sat up from her place in the bed. Her eyes wide and clutching her heart despite the layers of long underwear she wore. Just then a distant rumble shook the walls and in a flash she jumped from her nest of blankets and haphazardly landed in Link’s lap.
He swallowed dryly as he closed his eyes. He tried to refrain from resting his hands on her scrambled form. Before he could inquire if she was alright she interrupted.
“Is that normal?”
“When there is heavy snowfall it’s common to hear distant booms. We are safe here.” She nodded, but rather than break away leaned in closer. Her wide eyes spoke of her age, and Link became increasingly aware of her abnormal persistence in requesting his presence. “You don’t like storms.” Her laugh felt hollow to his ears as she stared anxiously to the weak point of the wall, as the window rattled in reply.
Link wasn’t sure he could trust his judgment calls anymore.
With great care, he carried his charge to her tangle of blankets allowing her to settle in skeptically. He once again eyed his spot near the drafty door, when he sat on the edge of the rickety bed and began undoing his boots. He hadn’t realized how cold had grown until Zelda’s heat bled into his own from the bed. They silently agreed to sleep back to back, and for the first time that night she seemed to breathe easier, her frame falling in a slow rhythm.
She moved so they laid flush to each other, and he couldn’t help the calm that it brought him as their hearts matched pace. The wind howl seemed bearable in the warmth of that barely passable cot. He felt sleep tug at him.
Link’s dreams were never terribly creative. He awoke in a field alone. The sky was suffocating in its blueness as he lay in a wilderness his heart knew but his mind did not. He did not know his name, he held no weapons, and could only lay frozen as darkness pulled him into the mucky dirt below the long blades of wild grass.
But tonight was different. He had returned to the field, the mucky grass had him in its grasp, when a voice broke. She said only his name, and he knew he needed to find her. No longer did his absent mind frighten him, for he instead was emboldened by purpose, focus.
“Link, open your eyes“
He was startled to find her deep green eyes filled with concern bearing down on him. “Oh thank god, you were having a nightmare. You had me so worried.” He had never known what he was like asleep and felt nervous at the thought he had been observed, vulnerable. “I didn’t know what to do…I’m sorry I woke you.”
“That’s my line.” She considered him for a while.
“I guess even heroes have fears.” Their noses briefly brushed and both seemed to feel the tickle for soft laughter fell between them. Still, they lay there pensive. Link moved in closer so his hand could rest on her shoulder.
“My mom would stay with us when storms rolled through Hateno.” Zelda smiled bitterly to herself. Softly they drew closer till their foreheads laid against one another, their knees brushing under layers of underclothes.
“When I was young, my mother would hold me when I awoke from bad dreams.” Link felt his old fears erase. They were safe. The snow was falling gently now, the worst of the blizzard beginning to pass. Tentatively she pulled the covers over their heads, now laying in the low light and warmth beneath the moth-eaten down comforter.
“Just this once then, stay with me.” He brushed his nose to her cheek as confirmation as her fingers gently raked through his loose hair, and Link knew he was doomed.

Chapter Text

“I’m tired of watching you struggle.” Link looked over to where the Princess sat, though her eyes had not lifted from the pages she was reviewing he knew she had seen him wrapping his wounds. She had offered to help several times over the last few days, but unlike some wounds this one was deep, spanning across his left breast. He had neglected to tell her that he had dug out several arrowheads from the wound so the worst was over, and worried over if this would upset her.
“Not necessary.” But she had already come close.
“Either you do this the easy way, or I start ripping your tunic off.” She replied breezily, it was a cheeky joke, she was trying to make light of the situation. Link’s body thought otherwise as his jaw tightened. He began to open his mouth in protest when her hands hooked along the hem of his tunic and began lifting. Her fisted hands brushed innocently against his sides, but his body longed for more.
He tore himself away, unceremoniously removing his tunic to drop onto the stones next to them. He’d have to wash the blood out of it later, but for now, it could sit sticky against the rocks. The Princess’s eyes widened and her hand stuck out to touch him only barely stopping before their contact. “Link…this is worse than it was yesterday. Why didn’t you use the balm I made?”
He made a noncommittal shrug. She’d hate it. But he could not tell her he had been afraid. Too afraid to ask her in case she had offered to apply it, offered to touch him again.
The ocean air was refreshing and the morning was now giving way to a balmy afternoon. But Link was sure the weather wasn’t what made his skin prickle. The thought of her kiss on his lips was still fresh. Neither had discussed it, in fact, it had all seemed a dream at times, until moments like this.
Lately, the Princess’s touches were a constant, but since their return to their treks, they had grown too familiar, confident even; he was losing his resolve to continue fighting against them.
Her fingers had begun tenderly rubbing her healing salve into his skin with meticulous care. His mind wondered if her gentleness was purely innocent, for her fingers ran along the wound smearing the greasy lotion back and forth longer than necessary. The affected area was already saturated.
But he made no action to stop her. After a time, her fingers stilled in their motion, but rather than move away fell absent-mindedly to a nearby scar. The scar was sharp, and precise, but it had gone white with age.
“This is from a Yiga Blade, correct?” Her voice was hard, but he knew it was not steeled with bravery. He could still remember how she looked when he finally carried her back to Vah Naboris.
He shook his head of the memory and detailed that the wound had come from an encounter with a Yiga. He had not detailed how the man had pressed his foot into his chest as he ran him through with his sevenfold blade, of how he had never killed anyone before, of how he was only fifteen. She did not need to know these details.
“I never thanked you for saving my life.”
“You need not thank me for fulfilling my duty.” She smiled, but her eyes remained sad as she stopped her tracing of the scar.
“Well then thank you for just this once letting me take care of you.” If she moved an inch more she’d be sitting in his lap. When they had decided their nearness was appropriate was a mystery, but so long as Link’s hands remained in his own space, she was safe from his perversions.
“It’s funny. You'll probably be the only man I see like this outside of my husband. Actually, I suppose, you also will be the only man I’ll touch outside of my marriage.”
His eyes clamped shut, but still, her fingers laid against him, tracing along his sternum now.
She knew what she was alluding to. He knew she was seeking his frailty on this matter. His voice finally rose, “Zelda.” It was a warning.
Since that night, she seemed far too eager to edge the boundary that was laid before them. Link had thought that time would their feelings would grow tepid, but if anything it had tempered them into hot steel.
Both had bristled during their first journey alone together. The evening preparations of times long gone had been awkward as they both attempted to communicate to the other they needed to bathe.
Those awkward fumblings were long gone, and now each night was a trap of a different make. Again he felt her press against his skin with curious fingers edging closer, closer.
“Am I the first girl you’ve ever touched?” He wasn’t going to play her game. He stood unceremoniously and handed her the jar of salve and made his way into the forest. He wouldn’t go far, he wouldn’t leave her, but he just could be near her.
“Link I order you to stay.” He stopped in his tracks. Now Princess Zelda rarely gave orders. In fact, even when their relationship had been at its most turbulent she refused to issue him orders. Whether on the basis of principles or a distaste for her power, she refused to call them the exception being the day during her investigation of the shrine by the towers of Hyrule Field. Neither moved.
“We have to talk about this.” He dared not look at her. Her voice was cloying and too soft, he could not face her.
“There is nothing to talk about.”
When he returned the Princess was restless, ripping pages from her notebook and crumpling them into furiously tight balls. This however was preferable to her earlier attentions. She sat unmoving at his return, adamantly avoiding seeing him, but as he cleaned there encampment, he could feel how her gaze intensified a hot branded iron along his neck. He heard from over his shoulder her shuffle to stand and how each shift of sand was a step closer to him.
“Look at me.” She retorted with all the strength of her noble blood. He had no words. He had no answer. But that silence alone was enough to pull his own pyrrhic victory. Link knew better than this. His defenses would drop and he could not promise he would not act. His strength would falter, and it would no longer be a question of if, but when. Zelda was closer now, and her fingers reached for his hand. He stole it away.
“I demand you look at me.”
And he did.
Finally they caught the others gaze and the stormy beach seemed to surround them. Her eyes were brimming with tears. Tears he was responsible for.
“Why won’t you just talk to me? I’m not blind, I know you feel like I do. Why can’t you just admit it? The dancing, the stolen glanes, the kisses, for Goddess sake just now, tell me that means nothing?”
Neither spoke more as they watched wave after wave curl and ebb into the bay. The palms hushed under the touch of the wind. The sweeping shoreline of Hateno was peaceful, but from the horizon spoke of storms and dangerous currents. The horizon blurred where the sky and sea met in their own tumultuous embrace.
“I am sworn to you Zelda, in service, body, and soul.”
And Link could swear he saw her resolve melt. After a while he tentatively reached for her hand. Her touch was light but accepting. He offered the Princess his sleeve to brush away the stains of their fight securely running down her chin in crystalline drops.
Zelda was the first to break.
“Tell me it means nothing.”
“Then I have nothing to say.”

Chapter Text

Princess Zelda beckoned her knight over once again requesting another refreshment. Her face was flushed but poised, the perfect image of regal indifference, still, Link could tell she was uncomfortable, her shoes had been slid off under the table at dinner and she subtly rolled her shoulders to release their tension as she did while reading for hours. At her elbow was his lordship, indifferent to her discomfort as he prattled on about his recent interpretation of some philosophical text.
The Winter Ball was in full swing and much to Link’s shock the King had demanded his appearance, not as guard detail, but as an honored guest. His Captain had spent hours preening over him before with rattled nerves he ushered the Hero towards the formal ballroom. He was expected to mingle amongst Hyrule’s aristocrats.
Link, however, was not one for mingling. The tintinnabulation of celebratory toasts and insincere compliments left him feeling shaken. His muscles strained under his uniformed coat, his hair felt oddly stiff under gel and his uniform’s beret, and his gloves dulled his senses. Link would rather have stood wading through the swamps of Dueling Peaks in search of frogs for his charge than stand amongst the refinery of King Rhoam.
He focused on the task at hand. Retrieve the Princess’s drink. But she eyed him curiously on his return, eventually excusing herself from her fiancé, her Minister of Trade, and other present company.
They stepped into the cool air of the gardens before either of their masks dropped.
“If I have to hear him talk a second more on Hylian morality in comparison to our allies I might puke. You could even say I Kant stand him.” She looked expectantly to Link. He was sure it was a joke, but whatever it was rooted in was lost on him. “Sorry, Kant was a philosopher, the one he was discussing…you know, I could lend you books again. I mean, if you want that.” He had barely handed her back her borrowed copy of “Foraging and You: the difference between delicious meals and deadly poisons” after successfully bringing her all 29 varieties of Hylian shrooms for her current research.
“I would appreciate that, Princess.” She had been delighted to learn he read, though less so when she realized he had no access to the castle’s library. She must have been tired for she did not correct his formal use of her title. Link disliked the way his arm had so easily taken hers to guide her around the garden. It was appropriate and necessary he thought as he escorted her safely through uneven grounds. But, then why did his fingers press into her arm so possessively, and why did her breathy giggles leave him tingling all over?
She rolled her shoulders again. “This dress is so stiff. I can’t wait to take it off. Although I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss one thing from the night, though I’m sure i’m not the only one.” Zelda flung him a loaded look, running her eyes along his figure without care for how obvious she was being. His chest tightened and he refused to acknowledge the way his blood heated just beneath his coat, his throat closing under her close inspection. “You know, his daughter wishes to dance with you, Sir Link.” Dance? Who? She must have caught on to his surprise, for she elaborated. “The Minister of Trade, his daughter, well most of my court really, they all want a dance with you.” His hands sweated and clenched at the thought. He had not been briefed on being required to dance, and he wasn’t sure he knew the formal ones. It had not been something basic training deemed necessary. Zelda seemed to feel his discomfort.
“They cannot engage you unless you ask. It would be improper for a lady to approach a man so brazenly” His sigh must have been evident for she stifled her own amusement. “It seems my court is as enamored with you as my handmaidens. Whatever shall you do?” Rhetorical question, he decided.
Link, of course, was not blind to the stares he had produced when he had entered the dining room with the Princess and her escort (the pigheaded man had the audacity to be late) as they collectively made their way to their seats. He luckily had been placed amongst three older men too busy squabbling over smokey drinks to strike up a conversation with him. Although he wouldn’t have noticed. He could not tear his eyes away from the Princess as she tirelessly fussed with her water goblets position in the dishes arrangement.
She suddenly stilled in their walk, they had approached the end of one of the yard’s winding paths. Zelda suddenly released her hold on him. “Yes, it seems you are quite popular…”
She darted a glance up to him, and he smiled back uneasily. She seemed cross but he couldn’t pinpoint why exaclty. The silence was too heavy, so he nodded hoping it might prompt her to continue.
“Forgive me, I must sound like a cross lover.” What? “Sorry, we should return. I’d hate for my intended to find his way into that poor desperate girl's bed.” A curious look crossed over the Princess then. She looked odd inthe moonlight as she bit back her bottom lip. He did not like how interested he was in her lip color, nor did he care for his mind reminding him of their recent stay in the Tabanatha Mountains.. Her neck was flushed and the sight left Link’s stomach curling, yearning, but he resisted. He instead fiddled with the seam of his glove along his thumb.
“He won’t afford me a dance, you know? He hardly looks at me. Not that I mind, I would not give him the pleasure.But, I like dancing, I do, but… I only want to dance with you.” He wanted to tell her he didn’t know how to here, amongst these people, that he’d disappoint her. She continued in earnest, “Even as Princess I cannot ask you…even if I could afford to be so unladylike.” But she smiled in spite of herself, she could not dance with her lowly knight, not when her fiance was available. She sighed stil, “I will miss this though.” Her hand trailed slowly, agonizingly along his uniform, tangling her hand purposefully in his ceremonial cords. A weak moan tumbled from his lips. Her mind must have caught up with her body just then as quickly she let go.
“I’m sorry. That was inappropriate. You look lovely, but that is no excuse. Oh, what must you think of me now? Abusing my power just to touch you? You certainly do not want this attention.” His mouth spoke before his mind could filter.
“That would not be my place, Zelda. To want.” Her face flushed, her eyes grew half-lidded. His own face must have joined her as his muscles tensed at her tortious suggestion, her brazen act. Desire was a match to their dry kindling.
They did not return to the ballroom. She would explain later to her Father, her spirit had grown tired and she had left to her bed chamber. Link’s absence was unnoticed. Noblewomen were sure one of them had taken him and now awaited scandal to break on the morrow.
The Hero and the Princess stood before the precipice. A question hung heavy in the air as their lips fought against each other. Her hand was on her chamber’s door knob and Link too easily enclosed her. Too close, too near, her breath too heavy.
“Do you want to come inside?”
Zelda was between his arms, his breath panted needly against her ear. His hands were clenched into fists on either side of her head and they stood unmoving, her hands gripped onto his hips, her eyes burning, daring him to resist. His body crushed into hers, his greedy mouth inches from her own, her fingers trailing dangerously lower. Link could hear her wet swallows and feel as his body urged him forward, past the point of no return.
Just this once he lied. In the darkness of the hall, among the silent cold stones of the castle walls attentive in their vigil, he lied.

“Good night Princess Zelda.”

Chapter Text

“Must the man be asinine and a plagiarist?”
“You sound like Revali, your Majesty.” Zelda shot him a flirtatious smile and tore up the letter with a flourish and Link delighted in throwing its remains into the fireplace.
Zelda scoffed at the sight of the pink bowed boxes slid haplessly under her door, passed bouquets of flowers to unsuspecting maids in the castle, and had all but laughed at an awkward proclamation from the castle’s court poet.
All this with the aid of her knight.
It was a well-known fact that her majesty's engagement was precarious at best, and since her disappearance at the ball, potential suitors of all sorts seemed to rise to the gambit. But if one engagement left Zelda tepid, several pursuers' attempts for her hand left her cold to romance. As if by clockwork, her “betrothed” now had taken to sending quipped letters of cliched metaphors.
“Well, now that our space here reeks of whatever’s mistress perfume he scented this with, I say we make our way to the lab.”
Without much ado, the pair made off. It was one of the few places the Princess found refuge from court drama as of late.

Link couldn’t say he disliked Robbie so much as the man confused him, his erratic take on what Zelda spoke of with levity disquieted the knight, but then he supposed working day in and day out with Purah might make someone like that.
And Zelda could go on about the man, praising his ingenuous, but neither seemed to notice the other in terms of their humanity. A comforting thought for the knight as they often worked closely together. But Zelda talked without end of her discoveries, her work, while Robbie mooned over their lab assistant Cherry. So Link could be content.
But today was different.
“Princess Zelda, I hadn’t expected you to be here today.” Before Link could process who was before him, he saw his charge with great speed throw her arms around the older man with delight.
“General Hoz! When had you returned?” Link felt his nostrils flare, but otherwise reminded himself of his composure. General Hoz: Leader of the Gerudo Border protection, missions classified but affect felt by merchant lines and their allies in Gerudo, and Link discovered, his predecessor.
The man stood a full two feet above the Hero and sported a full beard that only spoke a whisp of his age where white hair could be seen. But he wasn’t really older was he? Surely nearly ten years their senior, but not so outlandish that Zelda’s affection were-
Link should not consider the action of her greeting in any particular way.
Not when he had turned it down but a week ago.
But had he ever seen her so wide-eyed and smitten? Her voice was soft, girlish even as she enthusiastically caught the General up on her life. When his burly arms finally released Zelda made no uncertain move to affectionately stroke his face, an uncomfortably familiar gesture. The same gesture she gave him before they kissed.
And he felt-
He shouldn’t feel anything about it either way.
Her betrothed was a soft man who had never known the taste of labor and slid into the beds of women with oily efficiency.

Robbie was a brillant scientist whose interests were firmly wrapped in schema for Guardians and inventing. 

The Court Poet was a blundering youth whose persistence while annoying was harmless.
But this General Hoz was no mealy-mouthed genteel. His skin was tanned by hard work, his hair tame and regal, and deep-voiced. Masculine without attempt, chest wide, strong-shouldered, and without a trace of insecurity in him.
To which Link could admit was a juxtaposition to his own appearance, though he’d never give the thought legs.
And Link hadn’t realized just how closely he had been observing the pair until-
“And this is my knight, Sir Link. Come say hello Hero! General Hoz was my most trusted companion before his big promotion. It is so lovely to see you!”
“Only so lovely as it is to see you, my lady. You have grown quite beautiful.” The word somehow became personified, an invisible foe that only proved to further the adrenaline rush as the intruder’s hand brushed a hair behind his Zelda’s ear with marked tenderness. And Link attempted to ignore the taste of bile that crept up his throat as the contact left her giggling, for all he could see now was red.
Link made no move to acquaint himself with the thickset man, only offering a curt nod.
The Hero could not ignore the near snarl his face was in as the Princess snaked her arm around him, guiding him enthusiastically through the space. He could only focus on the flex of his glove, the tension of his lungs, and the way Zelda’s hand affectionately squeezed the muscled arm of this trespasser.
Link shook himself at the thought and blandly followed. Yet it continued, as Zelda’s fingers pulled at the wrist of the man explaining in detail the working of the guardian's mechanisms. She bit her lip playfully, fluttered her eyelashes at him, and when Link finally felt it might be too much, her voice broke his line of thought:
“General it’d be an honor if you joined us for dinner. Just for old time’s sake!” And it was in slow motion, the way Zelda made to move the hair from her face, the way the General smiled with earnest interest.
And without his permission, Link’s voice-activated.
“That won’t be possible, Princess.”
Too fast now, every pair of eyes were on him, even the binocular devices Robbie wore stilled from their work to contemplate the normally obedient, silent knight. If Link hadn’t felt the oppression of their shocked gaze, he might have noticed how Purah looked at Zelda with renewed interest. How Robbie grumbled about the 100 rupees he owed Cherry, or how the General fought back a sage grin.
“Princess, I’m afraid your Knight is correct. I’ve been too long for the road, I am meant to report before the King and Council to receive our next orders. I pray that you understand and accept my apologies.”
Where once a shocked gaze had laid was quickly replaced with a venomous one. But Zelda nodded politely.
“May our next visit General be a social one. Take care. And with that, the nearly hulking man squeezed through the door frame and left in his wake damage.
For now, Zelda was laser-focused on her knight. Her expression was unreadable as she considered him carefully. But she made no comment instead returning to tinker with the device before her, noting with meticulous details their respective function.
Sensing the drama unfolding Purah made her way over.
“What delicious men you bring to me, but stil you don’t share.”
“Purah, I’m trying to concentrate.”
“Don’t mind me, I merely was salivating at his broad arms, could you imagine a man like that carrying you to your chamber?”
“Purah, please.”
Link had ducked out of the lab then to stand guard by the door. The Sheikah was nothing if not astute and Link’s obtuse actions had left an opening.
It’d be hours before they’d make their way to the library before they were again alone.
Neither seemed eager to discuss his indiscretion, for it opened the door to discuss the night of the ball.
The clack of their heels in the silent library announced his inquisition, “What about the General is so distasteful for you?” Zelda quipped. He blanched but thought better then to rise to her bait. He reached for the book she had listed in replacement of a response.
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were jeal-”
“Speculation does not suit you.”
“Was it his muscles you so desired, his refined beard, or perhaps his position?” Her voice was challenging, so alike to their olden days. She had securely placed herself in position to watch his face, but he did not give her the satisfaction of expression.
“So if not that, then pray to tell what is it that blocks us from dinner guests? His jaw tightened. “Oh, I’m sorry, were you expecting me not to be curious as to why General Hoz couldn’t join in my evening meal?”
He considered this as he handed off another addition to her growing pile, “You are to commune with the Goddess tonight. I was not sure you would want an audience.” The corner of her lip lifted but her eyes bore into him, eyes he pointedly ignored.
“I see. So, it won’t bother you then if I request General Hoz join me in the garden tonight. Your services won’t be necessary while I’m in his preview.”
“That would be a breach of protocol.” If she was looking for a fight, she certainly was discovering one. But Link reminded himself to not rise to her jests, as he observed her listed requests further and began searching for the among the shelves.
“As was your outburst.” Unreadable, but the tone was quite clear. Link was towing the line of insubordination.
Amongst the stacks of books, enclosed in rows meant for a single scholar, Link, however, could not ignore the way her chest flushed in her cotton shirt, how its neckline was abnormally low on account of the humid spring heat. Nor could he ignore the way her perfume intoxicated him. They were too close in proximity to be engaging in a battle of wits, especially when his had been evicted.
“It won’t happen again.”
“So long as I keep you away from the General I presume.” She countered.
Link hadn’t realized how either had grown so close, their faces inches from each other. “It’s a shame really, he’s a brilliant tactician, and he is always looking for a mentee. Course, your jealousy proceeds you.”
And her accuracy with words was a weapon, and the room was spinning, and he could not help but again consider how he had tensed at the sight of them. How he had felt watching her so fond of this man. A challenge Link had not encountered, expected, for there was no battle to be fought, no communal mockery of the longing looks, instead her interests were plain.
His senses were alighted a new as their bodies now lay pressed to the other, intent more plain than what would be deemed proper but he would not fall for the trap.If he could hold fast from taking her in her chambers, he surely could resist admitting his personal failings.
“My concern is for your safety, both in body and reputation.”
“I didn’t realize my bed company was of your concern.”
Her acidic tone burned and the playful pokes now had turned caustic.
Collectively their eyes widened at her retort. A blush formed across the bridge of her nose, and Link felt how his hands suddenly rush to take purchase on her hips, neither seemed to notice how their collected tomes tettered from where they had been stacked precariously.
“Why won’t you just admit it? Just this once? Admit your being jealous, that you are flappable, and that you saw something in him you coveted!” Zelda flared with a volcanic frustration of her own.
And his gaze was dangerous.
And her breathing hitched under its glacial hold.
And understanding followed soon after. Zelda had cracked his ancient core, and found a jealous foolish boy.
“Then find comfort that he is a married man.” She considered this, “and that I do not harbor affections for him beyond admiration.”
Link’s tongue again was quicker than his mind, “He wants more than your admiration.”
And now the library's silence was suffocating. Neither knew how long they had been entangled in the other, their heartbeats matching the tone of possessiveness, but they refused to discontinue now. Despite the heat, his body felt cold, his legs were numb and he tried not to consider how the General could very well carry the Princess and delight in her-
“And if I am?” Link finally husked.
“What?”
“Jealous.” The words were shameful, but Link could not help but enjoy the slack of her body against his as her intensity died, and again it was as if they were before the door of her chambers, in the silence of the hall, desire lain plain across her soft features.
“Then find comfort that I want more than your contrite kisses. I want you.”
They were late to dinner and they never made it to worship before the Goddess. Under pants of desperstion and groans, they had found a worship of their own amongst the pages of time.

Chapter Text

We are running out of time. It’s the only thought he can muster as he falls into order and rank. The monster encampments creep closer and grow in number, the men are tired, and Link knows. The King declares it loudly, the kingdom condemns her in private. The Calamity will fall any day now.
Passing through the gates is nothing short of miraculous under the blaring summer sun. Blood and dirt are smeared across the plates of his armor and he will be far too relieved to remove them. His injuries were minimal compared to his fellow soldiers, although none had seen much of the action. Link hardly notices as his horse is taken to its stable and he stumbles down the identical halls of the barracks.
Link slid his armored pads over him in a consorted effort to ignore the ache of his shoulders.His mind wandered as he continued to shed his armor feeling the tackiness of the fabric against his hands. Exhaustion plagued him and the cold water did little to quiet his mind of the battlefield.
Zelda had been detailing her latest plan to unlock her power when the an announcement of his short deployment had been declared. Conflicts in the North required support, and despite her protests, his fielty lay with the Crown. He came to her chambers early the day for his departure.
That morning the Princess offered her sincere farewell to the many soldiers that would join him, bidding them success in their upcoming battle. Only her knight had been held in revere in her bed at dawn. Only her knight held a letter in his breast pocket.
The letter was plain in topic, detailing the temporary transition of guards in the castle to accommodate for his absence, detailing what she was expected to do while he was away, and a blurb on the idle gossip that surrounded her handmaid. Yet, its paper had grown soft from repeated reads, the ink worn, and some words lost to time. While there was comfort in her outline of life, it was her closing sentence that had held him through long nights under the haze of downpours and electricity:
‘Keep your boots dry and take care. Come home to me.”
So he stood under the cool water, hoping like ink, his fears might wash away. Despite his efforts, the smell of graying soap clung to him, and his hair remained stubbornly tangled. When he had finally entered his barracks he was met with the smell of honeyed apples and then a splash of blonde hair, arms wrapped around his waist that pulled him into his room.
Green meets blue.
“I heard from my Father’s guard you had returned. I couldn’t wait to see you anymore.” After weeks of combat, the embrace felt undeserved, but regardless he stayed in her arms. “I hope you don’t mind, I wanted to bring down a treat, but all they had were some honeyed apple slices.” Her regard for him alone was treat enough.
The meal was brief and soundless. Link tried not to ponder long on the oddness of the Princess’s presence in his room, nor worry after who may have seen her enter. While he had often been called to the Princess’s chambers, it felt otherworldly to have her in his. He was glad he owned so few possessions that no mess could have been left for her to discover.
“I hope I did not keep you long.”
“Not at all, I’d have waited regardless.” Could they afford to wait?
“The King will want a report from the border, when I return I will take up my post-”
“My Father can wait, stay here with me. I will brush your hair.” Her finger twisted in a stray wet curl, despite how his heart raced, his mind hesitated, had anyone seen her ghosting the barrack halls?
His body however cared little for his concerns as he sat before her. Their weight gently depressed the lumpy cot as gentle tugs of a brush made their way along his tangles. It was the only indication she was there at all.
Neither commented on the intimate act. They had already broken that particular barrier months before out of necessity. Zelda’s hair was unwieldy and Link’s was prone to matting. But this had been before. Months before they had held hands, before they had danced, before they had-
“So, Malon actually did up and leave with that guard’s wife.”
“What?”
“My handmaiden?” Oh! The gossip from Zelda’s letter. Her fingers ghosted over the nape of his neck and he tried to focus, focus on anything but her touch. His mind attempted to recall other details from the letter.
Schedules.
Dry boots.
Guards.
Take care.
Something regarding her handmaiden’s salacious affair.
Coming home to her. All he knew was her call.
“Did you end up finishing your assessment report on the flying Guardian types?” Link finally stuttered out.
“Yes,” She answered brightly, “it should arrive at Purah’s lab in Hateno within this week. It’s funny Colin, the one with the eyebrows, actually spilled ink on my original copy so I had to transcribe it all over again. The poor guy looked like he’d pass out.” Link couldn’t help the breathy laugh that escaped him at the thought of the guards' panicked expressions. Few had dealt with Zelda outside of the line of duty.
“If he only knew of your wraths, that’d really give him something to fear.” She gently tugged his hair but did nothing more. He tried not to think of how this same hair had been caked with dirt and blood hours ago. Think of what he would do if she needed to run, if his legs could no longer carry him, and all she could do was run. Would his horse be fast enough, would his skill be enough to save her?
But they talked on, talked of small things, of mundane things. Anything to fill the place of a conversation that may never come, the truth both held at arm's length. The shade of the sun tossed long afternoon shadows against the dull walls of his barren room. Hours must have been lost to their tranquil discussion, yet it seemed unfair that time ticked on without regard for either’s desire to hold in this moment. That their feelings, thoughts, and lives were no more than the background to a tragic play.
“You should rest Link.” He hadn’t realized he had lost himself again. His mind was as weary as his muscles, and he knew she was true. But-
“I’m fine. I am meant to report to his Majesty soon. Besides I’ve hardly been sleeping, I don’t think another day would hurt.” Zelda’s fingers suddenly stilled in his hair. It almost shocked him to feel how his hair had dried, that the ministrations of the brush had been replaced by fingers. Even with his back facing her, seated this close he could feel her mind running course on different rebuttals. Some he may never hear.
She finally spoke up, “I understand. Well, there will be time tomorrow then, I’ll take my leave.” But there wouldn’t be. Tomorrow was no longer promised.
The onslaught of encampments had left deep scars in their wake, each day they encroached onto human territories and a disquieting silence rang from his blade.
They no longer had tomorrows.
“Zelda,” He could lose it all, lose the kingdom, the blade, the war, their world. All this and yet, he feared losing her most of all. The Calamity was ineffable. In life or death, it would close their story.
So why should he fight his feelings any longer?
In another life, they’d have the luxury of yearning, of awkward inaction, and wistfulness for what could or could not be. But war never afforded softness, and what should be courtship, fleeting gazes, and stumbling confessions were traded for despair. Just this once, he would be selfish in his act as Hero, sharing in his burden of the knowledge that they no longer had time for each other. That fate knocked on their door, and their delights had violent ends.
“Zelda, while I was gone” Link felt his courage dying, his mouth was dry, and all he yearned to say was the truth. But he could not face her, could not burden her with such foolish notions.
“Link?”
“I saw Silent Princesses. When it is safe again, perhaps we may see them.” She leaned her head against his back a soft giggle filled the air.
“Yes, I’d like that. Maybe we will go for your birthday” He would not live to see his birthday.
Tomorrow she would know of the Calamity’s approach. Tomorrow she would pray in deflated hope that she might turn the tide of a war that children were expected to wage. But for now, Link would let her be content in the love they shared. They would live in its dream if only for now.

Chapter Text

“Three days is not enough,” Zelda repeated. Link could only shrug as he tightened the straps of his horse. They had run through this several times. He had watched as his Princess lay prostrate before the Council. She exclaimed that the ride to Hateno alone took two days and the matter of his estate could take longer. But her pleas fell on death ears. He appreciated once again her command of words, for where he was mute, she was verbose. He did not know if he’d ever have the words again.
“While I’m away-” He began running through his mind which items would need to be sold and which could wait to become rubbish. Aryll would have to be told they could not bring their Mother’s chest of drawers. She would hate him.
“Let me come with you.” Her arms were around him. If anyone saw, surely they’d know. But some observations were better left unspoken. Perhaps passing observers thought better of bringing it up at all, given the present circumstances.
Despite his protests, she had arranged for his own private room in the castle. Thinking better of it, the King had made no question as to its proximity to her own quarters. Were the situation not dire, he may have delighted in the thought of a warm bed and private bathing room. Enjoyed the ease of seeing Zelda in his quarters again. Instead, he had requested an additional cot.
Aryll could take the bed. She was old enough to want her own space now. But she could not stay in Hateno.
“He will not permit this.”
“I do not care, you shouldn’t be alone.”
He no longer could ignore how exhaustion wore on him, in an act of weakness he succumbed to her and pulled her in close, her neck refugee from the light that streamed through the boards of the stable. He had once felt shy of his height, especially as their friendship had grown, but now he was only too grateful to feel her envelope him in their embrace so wholly.
“Who will take care of you if I don’t go Sir Knight?” He wanted to laugh. But he only held her tighter.
The arrangements would be simple. Aryll most likely had already been notified, he hoped she’d say her goodbyes before he arrived. He did not feel up for discussions, questions, or arguments.
A body had not been recovered.
Only the twisted metal of his tower shield had been retrieved.
“I cannot ask this of you.” He whispered. She held on with renewed fervor.
They had been standing too close in the gardens when his Captain had come upon him. They had leaped away in an admission of guilt in spite of themselves. The youth that remained him still awaited reprimand. But the grim truth had come instead.
And now he needed to retrieve his sister.
“Then love, know I don’t ask.” He felt a heat rise to his face, hot as the sun of Faron’s jungle, scorching as any summer in Gerudo before the fall. But inside he was hollow. He could not hide his gasping trembling form from Zelda, but she would not ask him to. Just this once, he would no longer fight back the tears, he would fall before her.
She hummed to obscure his choking sobs. The world need not hear his grief, see their Hero’s resolve crack.
The old man’s muddied boots would be flung under his bed. His weapons proudly shined and arranged across the mantel. Link knew he would not find the photo of his mother in the home, for his Father never left without it.
Another thing lost.
The boy wished he had listened when the old man had instructed him on what to do if he should not return. But he had been a boy then, a boy who soon would pull the sword that would seal the darkness. So he had run, not heeding his father’s mortality.
He wished he could ask after him regarding love, what Link could do in his present situation, in his Princess’s situation, but he had thought there was time left for these confessions, for these goodbyes. The man was set to retire in the next few months and return to his farm. It had been his father’s inheritance and surely his father’s father before, but Link had not inquired, simply assuming it would always be his father’s and never his.
Aryll would sob when Link eventually sold the place. But what choice did he have? It was not his home, not anymore. His Father would never curse the broken step, his sister would never hang from its apple tree again, and Link could never go home.

Chapter Text

When they had taken their leave of the Sheikah villagers, they had been released for their day of work and made their way home for meals. Women hugged returning spouses, children ran through the town center, and Impa noted to avoid the forest. Impa had long ago stopped asking the Princess where her Knight slept when they visited Kakarikko, no longer probing her friend concerning her nightly whereabouts, and eventually stopped commenting on Link’s change of demeanor. Her place was not inquisitor, but mere confidant.
No one needed to know how the Hero would lay his head upon the lap their Princess's lap nor pay mind to how she in turn contentedly stroked through his loose hair. They watched as the light of the fireflies illuminated the inky night sky and contrasted against the pale silver of the moon. They had meant to capture some but instead were taken aback but the dewy gentle grass that permitted them refuge. Link drew in closer to her core as Zelda's soft breaths lulled him into their trance. So they would lay there if only for a moment.
“It’s hard to think this could all go away.”
“You don’t know that Zelda.” She nodded but continued to worry her bottom lip, “When the time comes, the Goddess will guide you. Calamity or not, I will be there by your side.” She tried to brighten but still, he could tell how it weighed on her mind.
“When it's over…where will you go.”
He knew the answer before his mind could covet another life. “My village holds no home for me. I would choose to remain in your service.” She looked down at him, her fingers paying him regard as they traced along the outline of his jaw. Although Link knew they had been more intimate than this, the weight of her love made him squirm. He tried not to contemplate then that their success would be bittersweet. While neither would wish their failure, perhaps they both hoped they may not live to see the other’s future.
Ripped asunder in favor of duty.
“And you, my Princess?” She leaned her head back, her chest rising with a deep breath as she considered the moon with scrutinizing eyes.
“I will move to Lurelin, commandeer a ship and explore the high seas.” Link smiled bitterly. As of late, she had taken to this game. Where she had always been sorely grounded in reality, she now spoke of dreams.
His Majesty had berated the Princess but days ago to truly consider her throne, her duty. Their lives were planned to the letter, and there was no place for feelings in stratagem. They would defeat the Calamity, she would marry, he would service the Royal family, perhaps inherit a title, expected to wed, to produce the next Hero. But no road led to each other.
Just this once he wished to join in her fantasy too.
“Then I will follow you there.” She smirked. They went back and forth adding to the tale, they were pirates, they were in service to the crown, they heeded no master, and they were ambassadors lost from a distant land. Their hair was wild colors, they held disguises, they fought mighty beasts, and they helped islanders along the way.
“Perhaps if my sea-faring life does not suit me, I will cut and dye my hair to live as a Sheikah. Open a school for the children and aid Purah from afar.” He need not look at her to know she speaking from her heart.
“Then I will find you.” His voice was soft, no longer the barks of a soldier, but of a man too smitten for his own good.
“Whose to say I won’t bring you with me? I can’t open a school alone.”
“Then I shall dedicate my life to the way of Kakarikko. I will build your school and I will choose a new name. I’ll go back to my roots. I will keep sheep and build us a home. Then I will take you as my wife!”
Their eyes met, and Link suddenly felt very foolish. There had been no label applied to the association they now shared, no longer content in platonic closeness, yet to presume marriage was-
“You’ll ask me by the light of the moon.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now, and he observed her face had gone unreadable. Surely the game had ended.
“What?” She made no comment but looked at him expectantly. Were they still speaking in hypotheticals, Link could no longer be sure. But she touched him urging him to go on.
“Oh, uh, I’ll lure you to the forest behind Kakarikko village telling you that I will teach you to capture fireflies.” The fireflies as if on cue brightened and drew closer, the air bit with the electricity they now created.
“You’ll have asked Urbosa’s permission. She’d have given you some herculean task to prove your worth. But you will return triumphant. Our wedding will be swift, only the Champions will be our guests. We will take two wild horses as we steal away to the countryside village!”
“And I’ll have opal earrings made to show you my dedication. We will have a bed that lays in the alcove of your study” And he had said too much for the color ran from her face. Time seemed to stop as she looked down at him in her lap wide-eyed. He moved away then unsure why she looked so frightened, why she seemed to sense that this fantasy had some roots in reality..
He wanted to run but her hand caught him before he could make way. Her eyes were downcast and in the pale moonlight, she was ethereal. He decided she had been right, that he should have thought to ask her under the moonlight.
“Link why did you say opal earrings?”
“Zelda you seem to already know the answer.” She took a deep breath and watched in wide-eyed wonder as he presented forth an unassuming box. She pressed a hand to her mouth awaiting his testimony. The stones were a protective charm useful while swimming, but in equal parts, they were customary for Vai to present to hopeful fiancees.
While he had never been one for flights of fancy, he knew in equal measure that if there were ever a time to kneel, now would be the time.
The dew-wet his pant leg and without effort, the box opened to reveal the flecks of the color of the Gerudo-made opal earrings. Tears streamed down her face but she nodded.
All the sounds in the world were beholden only to them.
“They were for your birthday, but I can’t wait any longer, Zelda-”
“Yes. My father be damned.”
But it was a lie. A fabrication. The opals were certainly for her birthday, but they could not fight their destinies. But for now, they would sleep among the grass, the fireflies, and the moon, and dream that things could be different.

Chapter Text

Link had always been right. The golden light that shone from her hands was proof enough. The march of Guardians had stilled under her divine power. If he had words left he’d have told her, told her that he knew she would do it. That her Father, her court, her detractors, they were all fools. But for now, he was content knowing she’d be safe. Even without him.
Zelda’s voice was but an echo in his ears.
“No. Noo...” She was upon him clutching his limp body, he hoped he wasn’t too heavy.
“Link, Get up.” This was it. Their final night together. He would miss the way her eyes shone in low light. Even in her distress, he loved her voice. He loved her.
“You're going to be just fine.” He wished he could bring his memory of her face with him to where he would go now. She was desperately pushing against his wound. It should have hurt, but instead, it was numb. Although he didn’t have a choice, he hated to be the cause for her tears.
Link hoped she’d be able to find his horse.
He had meant to tell her how much he liked her hair that morning. He had meant to ask her again in earnest, if she felt the way he did. Now he’d never know.
He hated that he’d never see her rise to the throne. They never made it to visit his home.
He never asked her why she had decided to kiss him. He never told her that he liked her bad cooking, her clumsy dances, or the way she bullied him.
But she’d be alive to feel their regrets, and he could be content in this.
Link tried not to think of his friends, the suffering they surely were enduring. Link tried not to think of Aryll and how he had all but thrown her into the arms of a fleeing guard. He knew he had failed. His spirit would never know rest for he had allowed the kingdom to fall, when all his destiny had been laid out before him.
She squeezed him, slammed her hands against him, and although there was no audio he knew her rage, her anger, her sorrow. He wanted to hold her bitter hands and give her some long speech about meeting her again. But he had suddenly grown very tired.
And now her voice was too far away.
Just this once, he’d die in Zelda’s arms.

Chapter Text

“You really have lost all your memories, haven’t you?” Lady Paya hadn't meant to hurt Link. But it hurt all the same.
He tried hard not to let the girl’s inquisitiveness rub him wrong. It was a natural reaction. In fact, almost everyone he talked to, dead or alive, was shocked. These things had hardly bothered him when he had first awoken. But lately…
The first time he had been asked was when he first came across another living person. His mind was an explosion of questions and a longing for human contact of any kind. That was when his mouth had run ahead of him and they gave a pitiful gaze, one that in time would become far too familiar. ‘You don’t remember?’ they would echo.
No, maybe, sometimes, not really, no.
But the boy tried not to ponder on this too hard as he ate the cut fruit Lady Paya had offered. She was a sweet girl, who was a bit too sweet on him. It made him nervous. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something more, something akin to guilt. Course that was all he seemed to remember from the past, this dull ache in him.
Guilt.
Kakarikko had been the first outpost he was called to. It had taken him longer than he meant to find the peaceful village. It seemed signs and directions were not his specialty and instead, he found himself lost across a sprawling landscape. With his travels brought enemies, lessons, and memories. He could still remember when his memory had been triggered, or rather when he had passed out knowing a bit more of his life. It had shocked him at first, but the memory was simple. A woman walking describing a journey they must take, asked him something so odd about his sword, that he nearly had not comprehended it. Yet her words still echoed ‘Can you hear it yet, hero?’
After this time, some places seemed to beckon his memories back. And that should be a good thing, the Sheikah doctors had been pleased, and Impa the village elder was practically joyful. Yet, if anything left him withdrawn and eager to escape who he had been.
But the memories came back regardless of his wishes.
When he expressed to Impa the peril he experienced she had only offered him a sage knowing nod. Interactions with the elder left him nervous. Everything concerning people left him in shambles.
Where most seemed to gather at the Stables for the warmth of others and protection from the elements, Link found himself curling into the horses he tamed from the wild, cooking in the quiet hours of the morning, even running with the stable dogs.
After a time, Link began to wonder if maybe he had never been good with people, perhaps he had always been wild. When left to his own devices among the soft call of the forest and grass he felt at peace, unseen, unknown. But since encountering people, he found his reactions were mixed. He had questions but few could answer him. If only to relieve his exhausted mind he had stopped trying to learn about who he had been. There would be time for that when peace reigned over the land.
Yes, lately the easy dismissal of his former life had grown difficult.
Lady Impa and Lady Paya had tried to soothe Link concerning this particular morning’s revelation. It had helped very little. They offered him food, which he tried to refuse till his stomach’s sounds betrayed him. They lent him lodging he knew he would not take in favor of sleeping in the nearby trees. They were kind to him, and he should appreciate it.
So why did it feel like they only wanted something of him? Something he couldn’t give anymore. Link had found himself standing in Hyrule field. He had recovered another memory that had only proven to make him feel even more confused. But there really wasn’t time for all of that while the distant sound of a rogue Guardian was close. He rode his horse quicker than, tactfully avoiding the main road. It seemed Guardians liked it best there where they could maneuver easily.
He had not expected the memory that overcome him. Today had been a more positive memory. The Princess, if he could assume correctly, was carefree catching frogs which she tried to get him to eat. An unappealing offer apparently, though he didn’t know why. They made for great elixirs and if this had been something he had not been aware of, he surely understood where he got all his scars from.
Yet the memory's contents had not bothered him. A part of him felt terribly embarrassed watching these memories that seemed so private. They were his, but really they were this enigma before him. But still, that was not the only root of Link’s discomfort. Zelda, his charge, the Princess, the Goddess reincarnated left him feeling…well he couldn’t quite say.
The memory immediately left him with a pit in his stomach. He wished that he could ask Paya if she knew what was the cause of this sensation, this feeling. He had at first assumed illness, however, he hadn’t eaten anything too odd. In fact, he had even refrained from raw meat since the last time he had indulged had resulted in him holing up in some cave till he could stand again. Apart of him feared that sensation was not physical and thus something unfixable. Again he remembered the sound of the Princess’s voice and felt his chest tighten.
They were alone. Paya had just served herself and was getting them some cold tea. He had to ask, he could no longer stand the sensation that weighed on him and distracted him. If not Pay or the elder then who would he ask? Just this once he would open up.
"Paya, does your heart ever clench up when you think of someone?" Paya practically dropped the pitcher she was filling her cup with. She instantly covered her face and ran off. Whatever was wrong with Link? He must be contagious.

Chapter Text

“I hope this is okay.”
“Please, be my guest!” Link frankly was mortified. He knew he could never have anticipated this, but still, he wished he had. It was a shame he had not consulted Impa, Sidon, heck anyone who might have had a brain cell to share. But frankly, he was still shocked that he had succeeded, in vanquishing the darkness to have even considered what he’d do. So what he failed in foresight, he made up for in politely upturned gaze.
Link hadn’t really planned any of this, if anything he was hoping Zelda would have instructed him what to do. She after all was the expert on their lives. Yet he had understood her baleful gaze begging to go anywhere but where they were then. So he had ridden off without much plan. His horse, Neigh-ru, had done an admirable job navigating considering Link had gone catatonic at the hold of the woman before him. She was too light to be real, too cold, and well, frankly very much flesh and bone.
Link was grateful beyond measure. He hadn’t spoken to anyone really about his fears during his journey. After months of travel, he had learned people didn’t really care for their hero’s issues. But he had been fearful, not of the upcoming battle, not of his memory loss, not even of enemies in the night.
No, what haunted Link was the realization that even if he found Zelda, he may not find her alive. He could only hope his grip on her during their ride had been reassuring rather than frightening, he just didn’t trust she would not merely float away. But now they were here, a hot spring he had bathed in himself, but it was a lot different to watch the girl whom he had all but dreamed of rip her torn dress to shreds and fling herself into the pool with no regard for who viewed her.
Link had averted his gaze, but there was only so much he could have missed when she so thoroughly had undressed. It should be fine, it was fine, well not really.
The Princess had been his charge, his duty, his ruler. Yet, in his travels, he had learned some contradictory tales.
Kass spoke of the affections Zelda held for her knight, but Link wasn’t quite sure he was her only knight, after all, he had only seen himself in service to annoy her, as she often seemed to wish him away. Impa spoke of Link’s unwavering duty for his Princess and how they had shared an unbreakable bond. But the elder made no mention as to the depth of their bond. Worst of all, others spoke of his stoic attitude and unflinching professionalism.

Crushing on the Princess wasn’t very professional of him, though was it? Link tried in earnest not to notice the way Zelda’s knees held the same pink as her cheeks.
Sidon had been the one to identify his swooning heart. He mentioned Link’s perchance to unintentionally leave broken hearts wherever he stepped and made it clear that while a “heartbreaker” he was unerringly loyal in his affections for Zelda. The Prince however weighed the duality of his feelings regarding Link’s love life with the Hero himself. Mipha apparently had loved him, and Link, well Link was sure he loved her too, but just not the way she had needed. Sidon understood matters of the heart were not fully under the command of logic or mercy. Yet in this same breath of grief over their person, he took to teasing Link over the girl who now stood before him.
Her thighs were pale from a hundred years of imprisonment. Why could he see her thighs?
“I forgot how many loose ends I left on my embroidery. I’ll have to mend that for you.” Slender fingers picked at his Champions tunic and he made note that it had been her touch that had protected him on his journey. Yet now, it seemed to be the thing to bring him a Major Test of Will. Her dress had been mossy and stale, she had been all too happy to strip of it. But he had blundered, he had no clothes to offer her, and he more embarrassingly was too short to offer her his pants. So she stood instead in his tunic, his far too revealing tunic.
It had taken her all of a few minutes to realize his memories were…fragmented. He wasn’t sure she’d want to talk about it. She had both sobbed and laughed in his arms, relieved, frightened, distrusting. Her eyes had gone wide when he had mirrored her in kind. She only whispered out in response to his questioning look “You have never laughed out loud before”. The thought made his stomach lurch, but instead of disgust or hurt, her face had broken into a wide smile and she pressed her face into his chest and they held each other.
It was so tender until it wasn’t. Link tried again to avoid tracing where the slit along the shirt's side led up her thigh and spoke of her divinity, and how horrible he was to even leer at her. He needed something, anything to do, so he did what he always did best. He cooked.
They ate ravenously. She laughed when he watched her, and he wasn’t really sure if it was just him but the energy certainly was not mourning. Those days would come, for now, she needed ease and simplicity. He did not notice as she drew close to his face. She wanted to say something important. He hoped it was not another apology, another thank you, or even a sob of self-hate. She deserved more, deserved her life, the one she had given so freely to her people.
“Where will we go?” The question was unexpected, but he had already begun to plan ahead when he attempted to stay his gaze anywhere but to her bathing form and its soft moans in the embrace of warm water.
“Anywhere you so desire, Zelda.” She smiled and he knew he would love her till he died. Well beyond that too since apparently he had, had loved her all along. But she probably wasn’t looking for that kind of commitment. Not after a hundred years of psychic battle.
“I want to go wherever you go.” Focus Hero. But his heart was smacking in his rib cage, his eyes were blown out, and he was a dumbstruck idiot immeshed in love. He didn’t mind.
“I have a home in Hateno.” Tears came fast. He felt his stomach twist in panic. But she shook her head in affirmation.
“I would love to go to Hateno with you. We can stay in your house,” Her words were so beautiful he wished he had never forgotten them. He knew he should have stolen her diary that he would never admit to having read it.
“As long as you wish,”
“As long as you will have me,”
If only just this once, Link hopes Zelda isn’t bluffing.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure?”
“Yes,”
Link was in her bed before more could be said. He tried not to think too hard on what was so desperate to tear from his lips, instead on her trembling form. They were plagued with nightmares. They awoke crying, panting. This was the only way to soothe themselves.
Yet still he hesitated. It had seemed only logical when they had first reunited on the road to share his single bedroll. But now in their home, and really it was their home, it seemed suspect.
His bed was abandoned more than it was filled, and at this point, it seemed to be taking up space rather than providing it. Zelda’s hands found their way onto him such was their routine. She liked to lay her chin against his head, curling her hands into his loose hair and letting her arm go numb under his heavy frame. Link tried to think of anything but the way his body so wanted to betray their chaste touch. If she had ever noticed something amiss she made no mention, but the guilt of the thought kept him asking before each evening, eventually folding to her single request.
Tonight, however, already was different. Her eyes were not heavy with sleep, her limbs tangling into him easily. She held herself and her green eyes were wide in the dark, when he finally lay next to her they could not avoid staring into each other’s pooling gaze without effort. Why struggle against their tides?
“Link,” He always smiled when she said his name, tonight was no exception.
“Zeld-”
“I haven’t been honest with you.” He’d have laughed if she hadn’t looked as though her penance was paid before the Goddess and not a farm boy turned soldier. Instead, he brushed her hair away from her face, replacing it behind her ear. It emboldened her to continue. “I told you a lot about the memories we shared, about what I knew of your family, about anything concerning your life from before.” They had been difficult conversations. He had lost never known their losses, till he did, and now he was grieving them anew. The very home he had bought without thought had been his, the notches on the wall had marked his height and not that of some stranger.
The teething marks on the spoons in the kitchen had been his sister’s, and as Zelda had accounted in detail, his Father’s swords had been buried in the covered well beside the house. They had agreed they would uncover it and create a study area for her research.
“But Link, I never told you about…well…I suppose I hoped you’d have remembered.” It stung. He tried to ignore how she referred to things he should have known. Only after weeks of discussion had he stopped faking his way through these conversations. She had caught him embarrassingly as she recounted an inside joke they had. But she had been more upset at herself than him.
“Link come back to me.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to do that.”
“You always were stuck in your head. I guess I was too.”
“Zelda,” It was her turn to look at him curiously, but where his eyes must have held shyness hers only held him in tender regard. The timing was atrocious. She’d kick him out of their house, smack his face, and he’d have to sleep in the damp mossy field of some neighbor. But if she had lied to him, would she really mind if he had lied to her too?
“Zelda, I’ve been keeping something from you too.”
“Me first!” Zelda feigned a pout but stilled. His gravity was not light enough to bat away with playful flirts. The feelings he held could no longer be contained, not when she so clearly laid prostrate to him.
“Zelda, I…I know it’s wrong. To feel, to presume, but Zelda,” Her eyes were trained to him with such fierce intensity he half wondered when the sun had risen, “I remembered something, something I haven’t told you.” She pressed her lips together, but her fingers never left their position on his own, and he wished beyond anything they could hold each other now.
“Tell me Link.”
“Are you sure?” His voice sounded horribly timid in the dark. But she merely shook her head. The idea his confession would leave her speechless threatened to throw him into a peel of laughing fits. But, there was no returning this truth. If he told her, if he told her and the revelation was too much to bear, he would lose his only friend, his only family, his only love.
“There is nothing you could tell me that would make me leave you.” He wanted to point out that if he stated he was the dark lord, Ganon, himself she’d be proven a liar, but the time for jokes was gone.
“Zelda, I love you.” She laughed, the kind that shook the house, the bed, his soul. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to dissolve into the bed or join her and play off his embarrassment. But he could not process the choices before she had him straddled beneath her, her new hair suited her so much better and did not impede her motion any longer.
“Link, I love you!” He wasn’t going to get a word in edgewise if her lips didn't leave his. He wanted to be shocked and was surprised when the touches felt familiar, but then to his blushing mortification, he realized that familiarity was only bred out of repetition.
“We’ve done this before,”
“We’ve done worse, Link!” He’d have to ask for details on this later, “I didn’t want to push you into a relationship with me if you didn’t feel-”
“I haven’t stopped loving you since the day I lost you,”
The evening was lost to them then. They would definitely talk about this in the morning, and talk of everything every morning thereafter. Because, just this once, they could.