Zelda's heart swelled at the sight before her.

There was this man, this wonderful, beautiful man. This was a man that she had pinned over and loved in her previous lifetime; and yet here she was again, seemingly reborn after 100 years loving him still. Probably even more so. This man was Link, the Hero of Hyrule.

Link was surrounded by what looked to be most of the entire village of Hateno. They all smiled brightly asking him many questions related to his recent quest to Hyrule Castle to seal away Ganon. Back in their original time Link hadn't been the most social person considering he reserved words for a special few and his training and duties consumed his life. Zelda watched under her newly acquired, blue dyed Hylian Hood as Link jogged back over to her leaning against the shrine overlooking the village. As he stopped in front of her his blue eyes found her own and she had to quickly look away to avoid him seeing her flushed face.

Goddesses this was going to be challenging.

"It seems they can tell." She looked back over to his face after he spoke.

"You mean they know he's gone?" Zelda asked in a hushed tone. He nodded and she let out a breath she didn't even know was being held in. Quite honestly it wasn't very surprising. From what Link had told her during their trip to Hateno that the entire kingdom felt different; the air felt lighter and smelt sweeter, the horrible clouds and miasma surrounding the castle were gone and it was noticeable from many miles away.

Zelda regained her composure as she and her knight walked the short distance to the quaint house Link had purchased during his adventure. He opened the door for her and she slowly walked inside. The princess visibly relaxed as the comfortable atmosphere of the inside of Link's home washed over her. Or maybe it was just the fact she was close and alone with her Hero. It didn't matter.

Link pulled a chair out at the finely crafted wooden table for her and Zelda took a seat. Link placed his hand over her own and gave her a reassuring look. She smiled at him and he walked to the small kitchen of his home and began crafting what she assumed was lunch. As she watched him work she couldn't help but think back to their huge reunion not very long ago right after the two had put an end to Ganon.

"May I ask… do you really remember me?" She remembered the look on Link's face as he took slow steps toward her, almost afraid.

"Not completely," he spoke to her and for a moment she almost felt her heart crack. "But," he continued as he finally stopped walking right in front of her. "I know I've missed you so much" Link finished as he unexpectedly pulled her into his arms. Zelda's own arms wrapped around him and then her tears began and she sobbed into her Hero's neck for what seemed like another 100 years.

Link set a wood plate of rice balls in front of her effectively snapping the princess out of her memories. She thanked him before taking a bite. Oh it was wonderful. Yes the meal was simple, but to Zelda who had not enjoyed the pleasure of food in over 100 years, the white rice was flavorful and nearly brought tears to her eyes.

Link sat across from the girl with a mug of milk. He wasn't very hungry, for once. Ever since he had taken Zelda with him from the castle he felt a constant feeling of relief and satisfaction that sustained him. He didn't feel the need to eat or sleep, he just wanted to watch her always to make sure she was well and happy.

Link thought back to the one sided conversations they held on the horse ride into Hateno village. Zelda thought it best to keep herself hidden from the citizens of the kingdom, at least until after meeting with Impa and discussing what her next moves should be. He had bought her some simple clothes to replace her old dress and a blue hood to hide her sunshine blond hair and her beautiful face that just screamed: princess.

Link looked across the table to Zelda who had finished her lunch and was looking rather drowsy. She had been so strong and not complained even once, but it was obvious to him she needed some rest. They probably both did.

"Sleepy?" He questioned her. She looked down, almost embarrassed to answer and he let the corners of his mouth turn up at how she was behaving. He wouldn't let her argue with him. She may have been his princess but his concern won over the urge to be polite. Link stood and walked over to the sleepy princess and offered her his hand. She accepted with a smile smile as he led her up the small staircase to the loft where his bed was.

Zelda was still a bit surprised at how Link behaved towards her. His lack of memories was evident as while he was still very polite towards her, sometimes almost too much as if he wasn't even sure how to act towards her, other times he was bold. Very different then the stoic knight she first fell in love with a lifetime ago. She was far from complaining though as this was the Link she had always secretly hoped would surface before the Calamity. She was sure it was the lack of his memories along with a lack of the old kingdom and its customs.

Link helped Zelda into the bed and pulled the blankets over her. The bed was more comfortable then she had expected and the blankets were very warm and smelled subtlety of her beloved Hero. Link gently brushed some of her golden hair out of her face and Zelda couldn't believe this was real. It took all her courage to reach up and grab his hand against her face to verify this was real, that he was real and this was happening. It was.

"Promise me that you won't leave me." She tried to speak clearly, but her voice still cracked. Link's eyes softened and they held so much warmth.

"Never again." He spoke back to her. It was a simple reply but she knew how much meaning the words held. She smiled and allowed her eyes to flutter closed. Sleep overcame her quickly and Link pulled the chair from his desk next to the bed to stay at her side.

For the first time since waking from his century long rest, Link felt genuinely happy.

Hi! Thanks for reading. This is my first story in over 8 years. BOTW has become one of my favorite games largely due to the characters so I wanted to spin my own little tale of what happened after the end of the game. This is meant to be a one shot but maybe if I feel more inspired it could continue into a multi chapter story. Let me know if you like it. I know my writing is not the best but I hope to get better!