Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda and all characters associated with the franchise belongs to Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto. GrimGrave owns nothing and does not make money out of writing fiction.

To celebrate being on the favourite list of 200 members, here's a super-fluffy piece for you all! Thank you guys for supporting me!

Beta'd by Supreme Distraction, who also helped me with the title! Thank you ever so much, hun!

The Time We Share

She was gone again.

The other side of the bed was neatly tidied, but the faint outline of the person that had been lying there was still present.

Hilda released a distressed sigh. ´Did she even leave a note?´ Ruby orbs quickly scanned the royal chamber – nothing. 'No...´

That was it, wasn't it? She was gone, yet again.

Back to Hyrule where she belonged, where she ought to be. After all, as a princess, she had her duties to uphold – Hilda knew that far too well. As a fellow princess, she too had to put the needs of her people before her own.

…

By the Goddesses, she felt more like a caged bird than a royal, trapped behind stone bars and forced to sing for the hapless crowd. As much as she loved and deeply cared for her kingdom, it also felt like a shackle that kept Hilda from doing what she wanted for herself.

´Zelda…´

Princess Zelda of Hyrule – the only one who brought joy to the Lolian's heart.

And the only one who just as easily brought dread to it: each time the Hylian went back to Hyrule, a hole was left in Hilda's heart that yearned for its missing piece – love.

Unending love for Zelda.

Actually, it wasn't as much of a hole. It was more of a crack—a crack that the Hylian princess had slipped through and built herself a little nest.

…What was it with that sappy thought?

´How ungrateful.´

Hilda got out of bed and got dressed properly, trading her sable nightgown for the white-and-purple attire befitting a Lolian royal.

She glanced over at the window and was greeted by the perpetual eerie light of the Dark World. Simply looking out at her kingdom of Lorule made her feel at peace, but it did little to calm her vexation this time.

"…You could've at least woken me up… Zelda."

The Lolian sighed again and tucked a few strands of lilac hair behind a pointed ear. What was the point of happiness if it only lasted briefly? Her ladylove would come back, and just as quickly disappear again.

If she was completely honest, it hurt. An awful lot at that. The crack in her heart became like a gaping void, though each day together with the Hylian princess was like a dream.

But were the days of pain and gloom worth the brief moments of happiness? The more Hilda contemplated on it, the more she began to doubt it. The agony of longing weighed more than her joy as it was.

"Perhaps we'd be better off apart… Light and Dark shouldn't mix to begin with."

Did she truly mean that?

A certain memory came to mind: back when the Lolian princess was on the brink of despair, having nearly doomed the world of Hyrule, it was her—Zelda—who brought her back from ruin.

She, who should've despised the Lolian for her selfish actions, showed sympathy and restored Lorule's Triforce. There was no obligation to do so, yet the blonde had poured her heart out with this act.

Let there be peace between us again, Hilda…

The way Zelda had said her name so devotedly made the Lolian's heart skip a happy little beat.

…No, she hadn't meant what she had said. Light and Dark was not a bad mix at all.

With a tired groan, Hilda gazed over the beryl fields, ruby eyes on the verge of tears.

"…I miss you."

"I've missed you too."

Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she spun around, startled. "Zelda…!"

The blonde smiled. "Who else would I be, silly?"

The purplette frowned. "You took me by surprise… what are you doing here? You… You usually don't return until at least the next day…"

The Hylian's expression fell, her eyebrows knitted together with worry. "Forgive me. I had hoped to return before you were up. But there were duties I had to attend to."

´As always…´ Hilda thought bitterly. "That still doesn't answer why you're here."

"How could I not come back? Today is a special day, after all." Hilda gave her a puzzled look and Zelda pouted. "Don't tell me you don't know?" When the Lolian continued to stare, puzzled, the Hylian giggled. "I can't blame you. You've been just as busy as I have these past few days."

A quick stride had fuchsia-coloured lips brushing against with amethyst ones, and sky-blue orbs looking into ruby ones for a moment. "I've got something for you, my dear… Could you close your eyes for a second?"

The Lorulean princess did as she was told. She heard the faint chime of what could be jewellery and Zelda giggling as something was placed in her open hands.

The blonde gave her a chaste peck on the cheek. "Open your eyes."

Ruby orbs widened, the sight leaving the Lolian open-mouthed: in her glove-clad hands rested a golden pendant the shape of the Triforce – the Hyrulean version with the points sticking upwards and a blue gem in the middle – and her heart ceased to beat for a moment.

As soon as she could tear her eyes off the jewellery, however, she couldn't believe what she saw: Zelda was now wearing a similar pendant, this one more akin to the Lorulean version with the corners pointing downwards with a lavender gem in the middle.

"Happy 1-Month-anniversary, Hilda."

….

The Lolian looked back at the pendant in her hands, its golden brilliance reflecting her on the surface. It was shaking… were her hands trembling?

"Hilda…" Zelda's voice was rich with concern. "Are you crying?"

Apparently, she was. Elation and guilt struck her like an arrow and the Lolian tossed the pendant onto the bed, her arms wrapped around the Hylian. "I love you…"

The blonde returned the embrace, but said nothing.

"I love you… I love you… I love you…" she chanted, burying her face in Zelda's shoulder.

´As long as you're with me, I don't need anything else.´

"I love you."

´I'm so happy… I'm so terribly happy…´

"It's hard on me, too," Zelda whispered. "It pains me every time I leave, you know. But we can't let out kingdoms suffer because of our…I don't wish to say ´selfish´, but that's what it boils down to."

The purplette tensed up.

"…But even I feel that it's unfair." She cupped Hilda's cheeks, sky-blue meeting ruby. "You know, I asked Impa to handle things for a few days…"

The Lolian perked up, her expression hopeful before amethyst lips quirked upwards into a small grin. She pushed the Hylian princess down against the bed.

"H-Hilda?"

Hilda bit her lower lip in anticipation. "My present for you."

Before long, the flaxen-haired woman was arching back into the bed, fingers buried in dark-purple tresses.

FIN

And with this, I'm finally off for my hiatus. Don't ask when I'll be back, because I don't know. See you around!