She soaked in the sunshine, letting the warmth fill her for the first time in a hundred years. She'd missed many things while trapped away, attempting to seal away the evil that was Calamity Ganon, but it was the smallest ones that she had missed the most. The sun on her skin, the breeze in her hair, air that didn't taste like death and destruction filling her lungs.
She knew he was watching from afar, her trusted knight, but she had asked him to give her some time alone to soak up those little things that would have made her time more bearable. She didn't regret her sacrifice, she just would have preferred if it was a little more comfortable.
She got down on the ground and laid on the grass, feeling its damp, dewy and yet soft texture beneath her body. She curled her fingers in the long blades, feeling the reassuring tug of something that wasn't going to fall apart the second she touched it.
She looked up at the blue sky, watching clouds roll over head. She was sure it was just the stress washing away but she swore she saw her friends in them, the champions that had given their lives to help her and Link fulfil their destinies and save the world. How she longed to speak to anyone from their time again, someone who would understand her confusion when everything she thought she knew was different.
She heard footsteps, closing her eyes at the heavenly sound of something approaching that wasn't going to hurt her. The crinkle of grass and crunching of leaves that was so gentle and soothing, unlike the screams of malice and sounds of her castle crumbling into disrepair.
She opened her eyes as the footsteps stopped, looking at Link's hand that was held out to help her up. She grabbed around his wrist so he could hold her arm and pull her to her feet. ''Is it that time already?''
Link nodded and Zelda felt disappointed. After all this time, he'd gone back to his silent self, barely speaking a word to her. She'd yet to hear him say anything, which only concerned her that his opinions had changed.
''Kakariko village?'' Zelda asked, earning another nod as they walked back through the grass to the horses that Link had gathered. She took the last few moments to feel the grass that had gathered in the toes of her sandals and dampness of the grass. She knew she'd feel it again but things would be different; she would have all of her responsibilities back again, preparing to lead her kingdom back to its former glory.
''Princess,'' Link said and Zelda's attention immediately turned to the sound, soaking in what was so simple and yet sounded almost poetic to her ears. ''We have to go.''
''Just one more minute,'' she insisted and Link nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill her lungs like she'd been longing for in all of those years. She slowly let it out and opened her eyes, marvelling in everything that surrounded her. She knew this would become normal soon but for the time being, she wasn't taking anything for granted.