Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda or the characters. If I did Link and Zelda would've been canon by now.
Everywhere around her, it was dark. A sinking blackness, one that didn't seem to have an end, but just kept going and going. And it was hot, so hot, and it reeked of death. And the screams. She couldn't get the screams out of her head. They never ceased, just like the never-ending darkness that seemed to swallow her whole.
Princess Zelda could do nothing but listen and wait. Wait for what even? Did she even remember? She tried to remind herself of a coming hope, the light, but why? What light could find her in a dark place like this?
In her delusional state, the Princess saw visions of the Champions. Floating around her in the darkness, their spiritual glow the only contender against the black. They were once her army, her generals, her friends. Now, they were all dead, slain by the very evil that threatened to swallow her.
The first to come to her was the Goron Champion, Daruk. His tall, imposing shadow loomed over her, his usual cheerful smile replaced with a face of agony. "How could you do this to us Princess? You abandoned us when we needed you most."
Zelda already felt the tears forming in her eyes. "I know--"
Next came the silhouette of a large bird, soaring above. The Rito Champion, Revali, landed beside Daruk. "How could you let us put our trust in you? In the plan? Even when you knew there was no way to control your power, you let all of us go through with it!"
Zelda tried to reach out to him, but the tendrils of darkness kept pulling her back.
Glowing from beneath her came the shape of the Zora Champion, the dear Princess Mipha. Although she looked the youngest, she surpassed all of them in her many years. Her once kind eyes burned with a hatred.
"How hard could it be, Princess? We all managed to do our part perfectly, yet you can't even access your sealing power. None of us ever believed in you, and our deaths only prove it."
Zelda chocked back the tears as she struggled against the chains of darkness. She kept screaming to them over and over, until her voice was hoarse, with not even enough power left to cry out. Either they didn't seem to notice her, or they didn't care.
Coming behind Mipha was Urbosa, the Gerudo Champion. Her once toned and muscled body was a motherly comfort to Zelda, but now she just seemed poised to attack at any moment. "It's simple Zelda. You left us to die. You left all of us to die."
"Urbosa, please…"
Finally, came the person she wished to apologize to more than other. Her father, the last King of Hyrule.
"Hyrule is destroyed, Zelda, because of you. The last princess of Hyrule, a disgrace to her family, and now to her dead kingdom."
Gradually, Zelda became aware of the feeling of falling, but she could not move. She simply watched as her friends and her father disappeared above her. One by one.
Daruk, colliding with a weapon made of pure fire, only to be engulfed by the molten lava below.
Revali, struck out of the sky, his sanctuary, with his once beautiful wings now destroyed and unable to carry him to safety.
Mipha, brutally caught on the end of a spear, before coming to rest in a mixture of water and her own blood.
Urbosa, caught by her own lighting in a series of deadly bolts, crumpling into a shaking heap.
And finally, her father, attacked by a rogue Guardian and falling from the summit of Hyrule Castle itself.
Zelda wanted to look away; she never wanted to open her eyes again, but the swirling darkness forced her eyelids open. She endured every second of her Champions' deaths. Over and over and over again.
An unfamiliar voice rang around her, vibrating through every inch of her soul and what little was left of her body. "You were unable to save them Princess. Now you are unable to save even the one you hold dear to your fragile heart."
Link.
Suddenly, Zelda was standing on the battlefield once again, surrounded by Guardian corpses that the Hero had defeated. Everything was exactly the same as in her memory, one that she desperately wanted to forget. She stood behind her knight as he struggled to stand. He leaned against the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Sword that Seals the Darkness, the Master Sword itself, the only support for his ragged body. The reincarnated Hero, using the legendary blade like an old man would use a cane. What a pitiful sight.
Emerging out of the chaos, a stray Guardian caught sight of them, and Link prepared to take his final stand, protecting the Princess with the remaining will of his very life. The possessed machine crawled over the shells of its fallen brethren, pushing the rubble aside with its strong, spider-like legs. The Guardian focused its target on Link, the knight's gaze unflinching.
Zelda tried to call upon her power, to reawaken her gift, but she couldn't do it. She could only watch, useless yet again, as the possessed Guardian fired at the Hylian Champion, and hit its mark with deadly accuracy. Link cried out in pain, the laser burning through his tunic and marring his skin beyond recognition. He fell down to ground with a thud, defeated at last.
"No, please no!" Zelda wailed, falling to the ground alongside him and taking his body in her arms. She brushed the stray hairs away from his face, already becoming cold, and cupped his cheek. Tears poured down her cheeks and landed on his tunic, clearing away the dirt that had stained the beautiful blue cloth. Once, it had been a symbol of peace and unity in the land; now, it lay tattered and destroyed. "Link, please wake up," Zelda pleaded. She pressed her forehead against his.
"Please don't leave me, not again. You always have the nerve to follow me even when I tell you to go away, remember? Don't abandon me now. I want you to keep standing next to me, no matter how many times I--." Her voice completely broke. She couldn't even manage to get out the final words. Her body shook as she sobbed into Link's empty chest, imagining a warm heartbeat that was no longer there.
Suddenly, the Malice in the air was taking shape, growing into the dreaded Calamity that she had already held back for so long already. It swirled around her, growling, waiting for the moment to strike. Like a predator knowing it had already ensnared its prey.
Her power was exhausted after fighting for so long, and she couldn't hold on any longer. The Malice quickly moved towards her, opening its jaws to swallow her whole and--
Zelda woke with a start. Although the air was cool, sweat clung to her nightgown. She tried to calm her breaths and focus on her surroundings.
She wasn't trapped in the castle anymore. She was in Link's house, in Hateno Village, where she had been living until further progress was made rebuilding the Kingdom. The Calamity was gone, defeated by Link and ultimately destroyed by herself. It couldn't hurt anyone anymore. It couldn't hurt her anymore.
These thoughts didn't comfort Zelda any more than the first time she had awoken in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and shaking terribly just as she was now. And it didn't help the next night, or the night after that, or every night since her rescue from the Beast. And still, she couldn't stop herself as she threw up in the bucket next to the bed, placed there by her earlier self as a precaution.
Immediately, she heard feet running up the stairs and Link-a living, breathing Link-was there rubbing comforting circles on Zelda's back as she continued to hurl out whatever contents were left in her stomach.
Once she was done, he silently took the bucket down to their small kitchen to wash. While she waited for him, Zelda thought back on all the kindness and sacrifices her continued to make for her, even though his role as the Hero was fulfilled. Once they had reunited after Ganon's demise, he brought her to Kakariko Village, where they were both greeted and treated for their wounds. Link, of course, rebuffed any aid until he knew the Princess was taken care of, refusing to leave her side for even a moment.
After they had both recovered from physical wounds, Link offered a room in his own house for her, in that quiet way of his. He even let her sleep in his bed, quickly commissioning Bolson and his construction company to make another bed for him that would fit somewhere downstairs. The bed ended up in a book under the stairs-a snug fit, not that Link complained about it. That was the Hero, always giving and giving to her, even when Zelda had less than nothing to return.
How long could she go one like this? Zelda pondered. How long would she be able to live under the kindness of Link, before he could give no more?
A few moments later, Link returned with a glass of water, silently commanding Zelda to drink. She wordlessly accepted it, letting the cool water refresh her. With still-shaking hands, she set the empty glass down and pushed a few stray blonde hairs from her eyes, still dripping with sweat.
"Thank you, Link," Zelda mumbled, finally taking in the sight of the Knight before her.
He was wearing an old shirt, but she could see the white scars that were illuminated from the faint moonlight. There were so many, each one crisscrossing with another silver cut that sent daggers into her heart every time Zelda saw them. She wanted to fall to his feet and beg for his forgiveness for all the hurt she caused him. But she was a coward, and all she could do was look down when Link quietly sat down at the edge of her bed, pushing some of his own chestnut-brown locks out of his eyes. It's getting longer, Zelda noticed. His hair, once grazing his shoulders, now went as far down as his chest, with not even a band properly holding it all back anymore. He'll have to cut it soon.
Link was looking at her with that passive expression that he always wore, which often infuriated Zelda before the Calamity. How childish it seemed to her now, when the signs were all there. As of right now, she could see the concern in the slightly dipped head, the sympathetic eyes, a partly raised corner of the mouth. Small signs, but always there.
"I'm sorry, Link. It's just that...I know he's gone." She didn't have to explain who he was. The Calamity greatly affected both of their lives, and continued too even when he had been sealed away. The people still lived in fear that Ganon would someday return, and Link and Zelda were doing their best to assure the people's fears, reuniting the kingdom once again. "But, he's always there," Zelda continued, "...and the fear never leaves. Every night, I watch my friends become trapped inside those Beasts, and I have to see you…I see you..."
"I get them too," Link said after she trailed off. "The nightmares." He paused for a moment. "I see them, but it's like their spirits will never be at peace. And you're, surrounded by that blue fire. And I get scared, that I'm alone again, that you've disappeared…that I couldn't save you."
Zelda's emerald eyes widened and looked to her knight, never hearing him say so much in one sitting before. Bright blue met vivid green, each filled with the truth of their own fears. Link gave her a small smile.
"The nightmares…they never do seem to go away."
Zelda felt her lip quiver as a whimper escaped her lips, and before the tears had even left her eyes, Link took her in his strong arms.
She collapsed completely into his embrace, letting herself sob into his chest, as he pulled her in closer to him. He continued to hold her until she felt as though she had no tears left, leaving the princess to feel utterly empty, with a void of nothing inside her mind. They stayed like that for a long while, Zelda not wanting to leave the comfort when in Link's arms. She felt safe, she felt protected, she wouldn't care if the world was ending at that very moment. As long as they were together, the Hero and the Princess would face the challenge.
Tentatively, Link brushed his hand through Zelda's hair, running the silky stands though his fingers. In response, Zelda snuggled closer to him, allowing Link to rest his chin upon her head. When her breathing evened, Link pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, whispering a single word.
"Together."
They collapsed onto the bed, Link easing Zelda gently into the covers. When he tried to pull away, she only tightened her arms around him. Still holding onto her, Link wrapped them both into the warm furs of the blankets and sheets, where they embraced each other throughout the night, neither one of them willing to let go.
And they would continue to stay together for all nights to follow, helping each other through the nightmares of the darkness. The Princess and her Knight, protecting each other even in sleep.
Slowly, they would each learn to heal. Together, they would learn to mend.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! This is my first time posting my work on this site and it took a lot of debating with myself but I'm happy I did! Special thanks to @fioreofthemarch and @Italicised for helping me edit this, please go read their stories as they are each amazing writers!
Feel free to leave me a review, I would really appreciate it! Constructive criticism only, thanks!