It was finally over. Link and Zelda turned to each other, both wondering what would happen next in this new land on the ground.
"So what's the first thing on our to-do list?" Zelda inquired to Link.
"You're the one who wanted to live down here! How should I know?" Link laughed in response.
"Hmph. Well, you're right. I guess if we're going to live down here, we actually need a place to live, like a village or something."
"Well the first thing we should do is connect the Faron, Lanayru, and Eldin regions. You know, so we can actually travel the land without having to fall from the sky. I want to keep my feet on the ground from here on out!" Link exclaimed.
Zelda thought it over, and finally replied, "That's the best place to start. Our new home could be at the center of the three regions!"
"There's one problem, however. Who's going to help us?" Link inquired with a slight eye roll, but still grinning. Zelda didn't intend to dig through swaths of earth herself, did she? "I'm sure a few people from Skyloft will be interested in joining us once Groose tells them all about his adventures. And the Kikwi and Mogma will be willing to help. But is that enough?"
"Of course not, silly! The Sheikah are going to help us, too!" laughed Zelda with a huge smile. "If my knowledge from Hylia is right, I only have to pray at a statue of the Goddess and help will be on the way! They are sworn to protect me after all, being a descendant of Hylia." Zelda noted the confused expression on Link's face, and suppressed a sigh. Sure, he's a hero, but sometimes he doesn't think. "Did you think Impa was the only Sheikah in this entire land?"
"That's going to take some getting used to, you having all this wisdom and everything," Link mused. "But I guess you're right. It wouldn't make sense for her to be the only one. I just...hadn't thought about it before," he added, feeling bashful. "I was too busy saving you."
She blushed and smiled. He's so adorable, if not stupid sometimes, she thought with a smile. But he's still my hero. "So shall we go see if my plan works?"
Link took her hand and started making his way towards the Goddess statue. "Of course. I don't want to do this alone!"
"Please, to those sworn to protect the descendant of Hylia, hear my prayer. I am in need of your help. I am the Faron region waiting for you..."
Link stared in awe as Zelda prayed at the statue. She glowed with soft, yellow light as she spoke, and her voice reverberated in his head.
With a sigh, Zelda turned around. "I hope one of them will be here soon to confirm my prayer actually worked."
"Well I think it did. I could hear you loud and clear in my head, and you were glowing. So if none of them show up, they're super deaf," Link responded, still in awe of her power.
"What do you mean you could hear me in your head? You mean you heard me talking, right?" Zelda asked, puzzled by what he meant.
"Surely you must know, your highness," a new voice answered. Zelda and Link turned towards the entrance of the temple, shocked at the sudden appearance of the Sheikah. He was tall, muscular, and looked to be a few years older than Link and Zelda.
"Know what?" Zelda asked. "And just who are you, where did you come from, and how did you get here so quick?"
"With your wisdom, you should know that the Goddess and her chosen Hero share a bond fueled by the magic of the Triforce. And forgive me for interrupting. I was at a nearby temple, awaiting your call. My name is Oman Au," the stranger Sheikah replied, his red eyes glinting with amusement.
"I guess that makes sense," Link piped up, turning red as Zelda turned to him with a puzzled look. "When I first lost you to that tornado, I had a feeling that you weren't, well...dead. I sensed you, I guess." He turned to Oman Au, changing the subject. "So you were in a temple, like Impa had been all these years? You look rather...young to have such a task."
Oman Au smiled. "Well, temple isn't quite the right word. It's more of a shrine. But why does my age matter?" Link got a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders as Oman Au laughed. "It has been many years, I'll let you know that much. But I have a special purpose to serve, though that is neither here or now. What's important is why you have need of our services, my lady."
"Please, call me Zelda," Zelda awkwardly responded. Goddess descendant or not, I despise formalities. "We...I...called you because we need help settling in this land. We need to know how to unite the regions and build a safe village for anyone who wants to join us."
"Well it's a good thing you called for me, Zelda," Oman Au stated. "We Sheikah pride ourselves on our advancements. Those like myself who look after shrines also work on creating new items to help with everyday life. For example," he continued while pulling out a mechanical looking beetle, "these are useful in our villages to get fruit that would otherwise be impossible to reach."
"Wait, I have one of those as well! I found it in a dungeon!" Link stammered incredulously. "There's more of them? And just where are these villages? I saw nothing of the sort on my journey!"
Both Zelda and Oman Au chuckled at him. "They are hidden in remote parts of this land, so heroes like you don't wander upon them and cause mayhem!" Oman Au joked. He continued on with a more serious tone, "If you would like, I can take you to one tomorrow. Not only will we have more hands to help out with your project, but we can see what other inventions might help us out."
"Sure, that sounds fantastic, Oman Au!" Zelda exclaimed. "I can't wait to meet more of the Sheikah and discover their way of life!"
"Perfect. Then we'll head out tomorrow at dawn," Oman Au replied. "You two settle in here at the temple. I'll make sure it's protected, then wake you when we need to head out."
"Link? Are you still awake?" Zelda whispered in the dark, unable to sleep. I want to talk to him about this 'bond' Oman Au mentioned earlier.
"What is it, Zelda? Are you okay?" Link sleepily replied.
"Yes, I'm fine, but there's a million questions floating around my head." She shuffled closer to where Link had settled down earlier. "This...bond Oman Au mentioned, you said you could feel it? How?"
"Well...I'm not exactly sure. Maybe I just have an emptier head than you, but there's this...sensation at the back of my skull. I first noticed it when you were blown away in the tornado, like I mentioned earlier," he said. "Why are you so interested in this right now, anyway? We need to be sleeping."
"Because while I was lying awake, I tried to feel this bond, but I couldn't. And it worried me. You sense something, why can't I?" Zelda said, with a note of despair in her voice.
Link sighed. "Come here." Zelda scooted right next to Link, close enough that they could make out each other's faces in the dark. "Look at me. Just because you can't feel it right now, doesn't mean you won't be able to. I think the reason I felt it so strongly was because I thought you were dead. I thought I lost you." He turned his head away. "I was so upset that night when I regained consciousness and had to talk to your father about what happened. My best friend was gone because I failed her." A tear slid down his face as Zelda put a hand on his shoulder, her heart squeezing. "But when I drew the Master Sword, that feeling in the back of my head appeared. It felt like you, your confidence, your happiness, your...spirit. That's when I knew you were still with me." He looked back up at Zelda, putting a gentle hand on her cheek. "That's also when I realized how much I cared about you. I had always liked you, even harbored a small crush on you," he confessed with a small smile. "But having you torn from me, leaving so much unsaid…I realized how much I love you," he whispered faintly as he leaned in to kiss her.
Zelda's eyes widened in shock for a brief moment, then shut as a thousand butterflies rushed through her at once. For the most wonderful moment, it was just the two of them in the entire universe. She let her mind clear as she focused on the way his lips felt against hers, how this moment had happened far later than she originally planned. And as she focused on this kiss, she felt a tingling sensation in the back of her head. She pulled back in surprise.
"Is everything okay? Did I rush you? I'm sorry, I thought you felt the same…" Link stammered out the beginning of an apology.
"No, it's not that! I...I felt something like you were describing!" Zelda exclaimed, putting her hand on Link's mouth to get him to be quiet. "When you kissed me, you were all I could focus on. Every little worry I'd had disappeared, and I felt a tingling sensation at the back of my skull that felt like you!"
"So wait...does that mean…" Link began.
"I love you too, Link," Zelda cut him off, kissing him again.
"Well I was going to ask if that meant you could stop worrying and let us get some sleep," Link joked after breaking off their second kiss. "But knowing that you love me back is good, too!"
Zelda gently pushed him away. "What is it with you and sleep?"
"What is it with you and pushing?" he retorted. "The Goddess statue, not sensing my Loftwing…"
"Oh, fine," Zelda huffed with a smile. "You win. But only this once!"
Link grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back to where he had originally been sleeping. "I'll take it. But I'll never let you forget this little victory!"
Zelda sighed, snuggling closer to Link. "Of course not. Now let's get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow has in store for us?"
AN: So this is my first ever fanfiction, hope you all enjoy it! Sorry if it's a little rough to start with! This is my take on what happened 10,000 years before BoTW, official timelines (mostly) be damned. The bond is a reference to the fact that in most Zelda games, Zelda can communicate telepathically with Link. Oman Au was chosen based on one of the shrines in BoTW and where I think it would be in relation to Skyward Sword (the location of the Forgotten Temple in BoTW and the Sealed Temple in SS don't quite match up...but whatever lol, geography is hard!). If you'd like, please leave a review and tell me what you think! I'm not going to upload on a regular schedule because I don't force myself to write when I'm not in the mood for it.