Young Eyes
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The briefest of glances is able to stir the most dormant memories.
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Chapter I.
Link is eight when he first sees her.
He is holding his mother's hand tight in his tiny fingers as they move to the subway, headed to see a 'friend' as his mother put it.
And while he is sitting next to mother, eyes down and his free hand nervously twirling about the hem of his shirt, he spares one glance upward and he catches a hint of gold.
There is a girl not far from him with young features as him, her hair pulled back in a bun with her bangs neatly framing her face. For a moment he could vaguely remember the taste of her name upon his lips, the feeling of wind blowing through his hair and sea salt on his tongue. Almost, almost does he catch her name, only for it to be soon forgotten.
She looks up and he feels as though he has known her somewhere before. They share glances for only a moment, before Link looks away and she does too.
He doesn't see her since he got off with his mother.
He is nervous and he is terrified, his fingers clutching tight the straps of the backpack over his shoulders.
A new day and a new school comes by as he slowly makes his way to his new classroom, eyes gazing over the numbers upon doors, searching for the number of his classroom.
He's moved from his original home after his mother and father scream something he does not understand (he hasn't seen his father since that last summer), and he is shy of all the faces he does not recognize.
Link reluctantly opens the door to the classroom, makes his way to the back of the classroom since there is no seating chart by mention of the teacher in the back so far. His gaze shifts to the green cloth that is tied neatly around his left wrist. He remembers his grandmother before the memory fades as he hears someone take a seat next to him.
He recognizes the girl, the girl he's seen back in the subway those months ago. She smiles shyly and the corners of his lips twitch up.
Her name is Zelda.
"Zelda," He would say, "Zelda." The name is familiar and it fits her perfectly in his mind.
By the time they reach middle school, they've long been friends since. Link is still shy as he always was, though less so with Zelda's grins and her joking manners.
Sometimes they hold hands in just the slightest manners, with their fingers intertwined together like silk thread, though much to the embarrassment of the two of them. But it is fine with them because they are friends, and the knowing glances they share is enough for trust to build.
It does not take long for them to be comfortable around each other like they already are, sharing stories and jokes only between the two of them.
Link does not mind this new set up, because she's taught him plenty.
One day they are walking home with backpacks slumped over their shoulders.
"So why do you have that cloth over your wrist anyways?" Zelda asks, curiosity in her blue-jade eyes.
"My grandma made it," He says, "I haven't seen her since a long time... She took care of me for a few years when my parents went through rough times."
Pause. "Oh." Zelda fingers the necklace around her neck, a small gold pendant tied to it. "My mother gave this to me a long time ago. She died a while back and I still miss her, but I still have this."
"It's actually pretty cool that we both have keepsakes." Link hums.
"Well duh! We have a lot in common already!" Zelda grins.
He takes her hand in his for the rest of the walk to their homes.
Sometimes they share stories of heroes and princesses.
"They say that a hero and a princess banished evil forever from this land." Zelda points out in the book sitting in her lap, her finger brushing over the text.
"Do you believe it really happened?" Link asks, peering over her shoulder into the book.
"I always was a sucker for tales like these. Call me crazy or whatever, but I do." She shrugs.
A smile crosses Link's lips. "For a very smart girl as yourself, I didn't really expect you would believe those old tales."
Zelda gently hits him across the forehead. "Shut up. I like my share of fantasies sometimes."
"Heh. I do too, actually."
"I knew you believed those stories too."
"Yeah yeah."
Author's Note: I always did love writing young Link and Zelda. I mean, they are so innocent and cute ahah- I also left a lot of allusions to the Zelda games in there too, so you could say it's a reincarnation thing. ZeLink is a guilty ship of mine. Anyways, feel free to leave a review! I want to know what you think about it and criticism is always accepted uvu