"Do you hate me, Link?"
There was a long pause as Zelda waited for the wheat haired young man sitting on the patch of grass next to her to answer. After what to her felt like ages, Link finally looked up from the bowstring he'd been testing. His expression displayed confusion. Rather than replying, his large, blue eyes waited patiently for her to explain herself.
Zelda sighed at his silence and leaned back on her hands to look up at the clear sky. A warm breeze kissed her skin. Summer was fast approaching. "It's not that difficult a question," she informed him wryly, pointedly directing her gaze away from him. "I've told you already that you can be honest with me. I want to know what's on your mind."
Link just continued to look at her, not a word passing his lips. Finally, she caved and turned back to him. Her reward was a simple shrug before he went back to testing his bow.
Zelda frowned at him accusingly. "Now you're doing it on purpose."
Her companion cracked a smile but didn't look up from his bow. "Your question wasn't worth answering," he finally spoke as he ran a thumb along the string. He gave it deft pluck and the string made a twanging noise as it vibrated.
Zelda bristled. She shifted her weight forward so that she could cross her arms over her chest indignantly. "How so?" she demanded. "Listen, I…" she trailed off as the heat of shame caused her cheeks to flush. "It was because of me that…that…you know…"
She couldn't speak the words. She couldn't bring herself to say what was surely on both their minds. That because of her, Hyrule was ravaged by monsters for a hundred years. That because of her, all their friends were now dead. That because of her, Link had to live in a Hyrule that was unfamiliar to him, where almost all the people he'd known before his death were long gone. She thought that if their roles were reversed, she'd likely despise him.
Link…he was so young. Hardly more than a child. And yet, he stuck out everything fate and the world threw at him without ever uttering a single word of complaint. Even her own ugly words of the past, he bore with grace. He never faltered in his duty; never tried to give up or let himself be defeated by harsh words or difficult situations. The things that must go through his head…Zelda couldn't fathom it.
Link just shrugged again. Zelda thought he wasn't going to answer her but he surprised her when he slung his bow across his back and, looking back at her, said, "I'm afraid I don't understand the reason for your question. Was there something more you could have done that you chose not to?"
Zelda bristled again. "Of course not!" she denied hotly. "You should know better than anyone that I did everything I could to—"
"Then there shouldn't be any confusion," he cut her off, his tone still mild. "You did everything you could. So did the others. Therefore, what happened was not something that could have been stopped."
Zelda sighed and looked down at her knees. He was right, of course. "I'm the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. That's not something you have to tell me."
Link pulled his knees to his chest and crossed his arms over top of them. Laying his cheek on his forearms, he quirked a brow at her as if asking what her point was.
Zelda mirrored his actions and looked back at him from under dark lashes. She sighed again. "You're like a puppet, you know. You do exactly as you're told and you never seem to have any opinions about anything. It's frustrating. Sometimes, I wish…I wish you'd act like a man."
The moment Zelda said this, she turned her face away so that Link wouldn't see her flaming cheeks. She couldn't believe she'd actually said that, though it had been weighing on her mind. You don't just tell a boy to act like a man. How mortifying.
However, because she turned away, she failed to see Link's eyes widen or the way he stared at her in surprise.
In an attempt to save face, she continued, "You know I've…I've been fighting all alone for so long. A hundred years. I felt so guilty." She buried her face in her arms. "Now I'm free and you're the only thing I have left. So, if you're unhappy…if you're displeased with me at all, I want to know. I want to rebuild this kingdom together with you, but I want that to be something you want, too. So…please tell me. Do you even like me? Or are you still merely fulfilling the duty placed upon you by my father?"
Once again, Link answered her with silence. Zelda bit her lip and focused hard on the medium sized stone to her right in the hope that turning her mind to something mundane would confuse her tear ducts which were receiving uninvited signals from her brain. Hard as she tried to keep her composure, Link's persisting silence weighed on her like a crown of boulders—crushing her. Link really was all she had left. He was her sole remaining friend and confidante. She'd had her suspicions, certainly, but if he really didn't see her as anything more than the destiny the goddesses had given him, then she really was all alone.
"My duty is not separate from what I want."
Zelda blinked and lifted her head from her arms. She really hadn't thought he was going to say anything. She turned her face back to look at him and saw that he was watching her with steady blue eyes.
"I am to guard the princess and keep her safe. I am to accompany her wherever she goes and think only of her wellbeing. She is the moon and the sun and her life will be what gives my own life meaning. That is what it means to be the princess' knight. I swore an oath of devotion to you. That is an oath I intend to keep to my dying breath. It is not merely my duty, it is my pleasure." He cocked his head to the side and regarded her measuredly. "The legend is very clear. My soul and yours are bound to one another. Am I not here because of a promise I myself made to you?"
Zelda hugged her knees tighter for want of something to do with her arms. "In another lifetime, yes," she agreed. "And if the legends are true, you've kept your promise time and again throughout many ages. But the blood of the goddess Hylia runs thin in my veins. I am not your goddess." She furrowed her brow and looked down at her knees again. "I am merely Zelda."
Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Zelda wondered how he was going to respond to her confession. While it was true that she still had some command of the goddess' power, compared to the princesses of ages past, her magic was weak and undependable. Meanwhile, Link was every bit as strong and courageous as the legends said. He had not faltered at all, from what she could tell. He was still keeping his promise. But was she keeping hers?
When he looked back up at her, Link was smiling. He lifted his right arm from its place on his knees and reached out to brush her cheek lightly with the backs of his fingers. Zelda started at his touch and had to stop herself from pulling back in surprise.
Far above their heads a cloud shifted and a beam of sunlight fell directly onto Link's face, lighting up his eyes. Zelda always did have trouble tearing her gaze away from those eyes. This moment was no exception. "Then let me make a promise once again. To Zelda." He moved his hand from her face to find her own and took it in a gentle grip. "With the goddesses as my witness, I swear on my life and my honor that I will protect you and the kingdom of Hyrule for as long as my spirit persists." He spoke clearly and evenly. "And if one day the blood of the goddess should run dry, I will continue to stand by my oath. I am, and forever will be, the princess' devoted guardian."
Zelda's hand shook in his grip. The last thing she'd been expecting was for him to renew his vow. And to her, no less. Not the goddess. "And should that promise lead you to meet with a terrible fate?" she posed.
Something in Link's face changed. Just for a moment, there was a flicker of something Zelda did not recognize in his eyes. But it was gone before she could analyze it. "No fate is too terrible when one has courage," he said simply.
Zelda nodded and shifted her hand in his grasp to link her fingers with his. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I have heard your oath and I accept it. From this moment on, you are to remain by my side for as long as we both draw breath. This obligation is non-negotiable and must be abided by in all cases save those where the safety or otherwise wellbeing of Hyrule and its people are called into question. Do you consent to these terms?"
Link locked eyes with her. The honesty and sincerity she saw stole her breath. He raised his free hand to cover his heart. "I do."
Zelda swallowed. Her mouth felt suddenly far too dry. She took another deep breath and said, "Then let this oath be—"
"Immortalized in song! Yes, very good!"
Both Hyrulians broke apart in surprise as the sound of an accordion cut through the previous tranquility of the grassy hillock. Not ten paces away, much to both of their shock, stood a tall, Rito minstrel whom Zelda had met on a few occasions during her travels with Link.
"What incredible luck!" he went on. "Long have I passed along the legends of time immemorial, but today I witness history in its very making. I shall write the most splendid of songs to perfectly capture this momentous occasion. Indeed, the knight's oath shall not soon be forgot. Not for another ten thousand years, at least!"
Zelda felt her cheeks flame again and a glance at Link showed that he fared no better. How they had both failed to notice Kass' presence, she couldn't fathom.
"Now, then! Don't stop on my account," the large Rito continued. He whipped out a quill and a sheet of parchment paper. "I'll just be here taking notes."
Zelda shook her head furiously. "No, no. I believe we're finished here. Thank you, though."
Kass looked momentarily disappointed as he re-stashed his paper and quill but he perked up quickly. "I see. Then I shall be on my way. I must quickly commit this to song while it's still fresh in my mind. The birth of a new legend is such a terribly exciting thing. Good day to you, your highness—Link."
Zelda gave a polite wave as the feathered minstrel flew off, her face still burning. When he was out of sight, she snuck a peek at her companion. Link met her gaze with a shy smile. His face was still pink as well. He cleared his throat awkwardly and held out his hand to her.
Zelda took the proffered appendage. As she returned his smile, the thought crossed her mind that things were going to change from now on. "I suppose we ought to get started making that new legend," she said, moving to stand.
Link followed suit, his hand still firmly grasping her own. He nodded and flashed her a grin. "The legend of Zelda."
Zelda laughed and tugged him down the hill to where their horses grazed. "I don't know," she said, glancing back at him over her shoulder. "It sounds a bit pompous, don't you think? After all, you're the one who does all the work."
oO0Oo
I'm sorry if somebody has already done something like this. I actually haven't read any BotW fanfiction yet but after playing the game I couldn't help myself from writing a little something. It's short and cheesy but it satisfied a craving.
Let me know if you enjoyed it. I've actually got a much bigger Zelda story on the way, so stay tuned. (Eventually.)