I do not own Zelda. Enjoy!

Reunion

They had done it. Calamity Ganon had been defeated and sealed away by the Princess and the Chosen Hero. The pair stood in the middle of Hyrule Field after fighting the beast Ganon had morphed into as a last effort to destroy their world. Link, the Chosen Hero, stood five paces away from his Princess, in his Champion Tunic. He had on his back the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and Bow of Light. Princess Zelda stood with her back to her Hero in the white dress she went to confront Ganon in.

Link, protectorate of Princess Zelda, stood in awe of his Princess before him. As he started to kneel before her, she spoke.

"I've been keeping watch over you all this time... I've witnessed your struggles to return us as well as your trials in battle. I always thought- no, I always believed that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years..." the Princess Zelda said as she turned around, "Thank you, Link... The Hero of Hyrule. May I ask, do you really remember me?"

"I do, Princess," he responded.

She stood as a statue praying to the Goddess Hylia, that this was the end of their 100 year battle with the Calamity. The Hero worried for his Princess, for she had been the sole reason Calamity Ganon was locked in Hyrule Castle for the last century while he healed from near death. He called his horse over with a whistle and walked toward the Princess slowly. Before the Hero's horse arrived, he reached his Princess. Link knew his place as the Princess's Royal Guard, but after a century and the experiences they went through, he cared not for the past traditions at this moment.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed to let her know that he was there for her saying, "I…" unable to put into words how much he had missed her, "followed your voice."

As he took his hand off her shoulder, she quickly turned around and trapped him in a tight embrace. Link had never broken the rules, except in the few seconds before, but he felt that she needed this more than the rules from a previous lifetime. So he put his arms around her, even against every muscle in his body screaming at him not to.

"I know," Zelda whispered into the ear of her protector. Just as fast as she had embraced her Hero, she let go of him, remembering the rules set before her. " Oh my, I did not mean to be so brash," she let out quickly gaining her composure.

Link looked into her emerald eyes with his sapphire ones, then responded, "I am sure you needed that, Your Majesty."

Link, forgetting he called his horse to him, received a nudge on his shoulder from him. Zelda, seeing this, broke the trance she was in from looking at her Hero to looking at the horse. After looking the horse up and down, Zelda realized that this horse bore many resemblances to the horse that she had ridden once before. This cannot be she thought to herself, then asked the Hero, "Is this the progeny of my very own horse from a century ago?"

Turning from soothing the horse, Link looked at his Princess and nodded in response. "I named him Storm," Link stated with a smile.

The Princess stood there watching her Hero bring Storm over to her, all the while, thinking of what other quests Link had embarked on to bring this kingdom, now her kingdom, closer to what it had been.

"We should set out to see our friends," the Princess said.

Link agreed that this was a good course of action to take, but then began to ponder on the logistics of traveling and then there was the problem of his Princess's dress.

Catching the tiniest hint of perplexity that came across her Hero's face, the Princess began to wonder the same things. She then thought about the castle and how it might still hold some of her belongings, and seeing as it wasn't but a two hour journey, decided going there would be the best course of action.

"We must visit the castle first, some of my old ridding gear could still be there," Princess Zelda said.

Link, stoic as ever, nodded in agreement. He then offered the royal reins Storm wore to his Princess.

Zelda told him, "Keep the reins and have Storm follow us, as I would like to walk."

Link uncharacteristically said, "No, Your Majesty. It is a two hour walk and I believe not eating in a century might have weakened you." Immediately the Hero felt as small as a grasshopper as his Princess stopped.

Zelda turned around and said, "Very well." Then she snatched the reins from Link and attempted to mount Storm. She suddenly realized that her Hero was correct in his assessment, as she fell to the ground while placing her foot in the first stirrup.

Link let out a sigh of relief as Zelda looked to him asking for help. The Knight helped his Princess mount the Stallion and they were off to the castle. The Princess on Storm and the Hero leading them.

1...2...3...4...

After reaching the castle, Link helped Zelda to the ground and whispered to Storm to stay put. Link followed behind Princess Zelda as she took in all the destruction that was not there before. The further the pair went the more somber Zelda became. She wondered that if she had worked harder that maybe she could have prevented the destruction of her home. The Hero sadly had no words to encourage her, so they trudged on further.

When Link and Zelda arrived at her room she scrambled to find proper clothing until she came across her blue tunic and trousers untouched in her large dresser. Link, taking that as a que, turned to walk of of the room to stand guard.

Noticing this, Zelda requested, "Wait... would you so kind as to stand guard inside the room?"

Link froze. He had never done such a thing and disgracing his Princess's privacy as such would violate his core training.

Zelda, noticing Link's hesitation, pleaded, "I don't want to be alone, especially here."

Thankfully the knight, unable to disobey a request from his Princess, nodded and proceeded to unsheathe the Master Sword and stand guard inside the room with his back to her, respecting her privacy. Although, Link thought it wrong to be in the same room with her while she changed, he couldn't help but feel the same way about being alone in the castle.

Once she was done changing, Zelda wold Link, "Let's go and see our friends'" with as much pep as she could muster.

As they left the castle and went to retrieve Storm, Link thought that staying in an inn nearby would be a good idea. Since the people of Hyrule hadn't seen their Princess in two generations, he thought they would be able to blend in.

Link, after helping Zelda onto storm started off towards the nearest inn, but the Princess stopped him.

"Do you not think we will reach our destination faster if we both ride Storm?" the Princess asked him.

Link looked bewildered at the prospect, not knowing how to answer. All of the traditions were telling that an appointed knight of the royal guard cannot be this intimate with the Princess. At the same time they were the only two left from the castle to know these traditions besides the few elders that are left. He finally let out, "But Princess, the traditions."

"Is there anyone around that will tell on you? Or is there a kingdom that will condemn you to death for such an action? I don't think anyone will think poorly of you for riding a horse with me. I doubt they will even remember me..." Zelda trailed off.

"In time they will remember you, Princess," Link said attempting to raise her spirits.

After reflection, Zelda piped up, "So, my Hero, will you ride with me?"

Link, a smile tugging at his lips, nodded and began to climb onto Storm. Once on, he coaxed the Stallion on and after a snort Storm began a trot to an inn.

Link had never felt so close to the Princess before, not because physically she had her arms around him and her chin on his shoulder, but on a deeper level. He felt like she had connected with him in a way that no one else could when she unlocked her powers. Almost as if it had broken down a wall between them that was raised by the time she spent resenting him.

Unbeknownst to the knight, Princess Zelda was analyzing the same thing in her head. I used to hate him. He reminded me of what I needed to be, but was having so much trouble to become. I remember the legend, but there has to be more to it. My Father chose him as my Royal Guard, but the sword chose him.

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