The eerie still of the East Reservoir Lake rippled gently at his feet as water once again began to fountain from the trunk of Divine Beast Vah Ruta. Nearly a week's journey from Kakariko Villiage–they were forced to seek refuge in the Lanayru Wetlands thanks to a relentless rain storm - and within an hour of gaining access to the mechanical beast, Zelda had it up and running again. The cluster of Zora that crowded around him to watch erupted in cheers before taking off into the water. The playful urge to bound forward and join them swirled up in Link's chest but as he had done already so many times since the defeat of Calamity Ganon he held back and resigned himself to the shore, a safe distance and his thoughts.
Their arrival together to the Zora's Domain was much different than his first. Well, the first arrival that he could actively remember. Link discovered he'd become more sensitive to that fact and the reactions of those he met during his travels as they related to his memory. He may not recall where he had once been or people he knew but the world that went on while he was asleep remembered and his ignorance did not offer much bliss or exemption. Promises and friendships he made followed him one hundred years whether he could recall them or not. Brief flits of memories returned to him, sure and from them he could string together a general understanding. But for the most part they were all still disjointed slivers of a past he wasn't able to confidently claim with all sincerity to know. And neither he nor Zelda or even Impa could predict if he would ever completely regain them all.
But from what he could recall having Zelda by his side was a welcomed relief when they entered Zora's Domain. For one, the attention was split and thankfully unevenly weighted toward her. Even the elder Zora, whom despite his part in freeing Ruta from Calamity Ganon's influence still managed to gaze upon him with a degree of quiet disdain, were able to table their grudges in favor of spending time with the Princess. And Zelda indulged each and every one of them with patience and sincerity that Link found both exhausting and admirable. It was not a surprise to him that one hundred years ago he gained a reputation of being one of few words as her appointed knight. Zelda held a conversation with the same natural confidence with which he wielded the Master Sword.
Was he always this way or was it learned in his training? What was he like ...as a kid? Before he became the appointed knight? Most of what returned to him pertained to Zelda and Calamity Ganon. Memories people shared suggested he was social but ever since he awoke in the Shrine of Resurrection he discovered it felt almost instinct not to fight to find his voice even when demanded of him. Peace returned to Hyrule and yet for him so many questions remained. It seemed a bit unfair…not to know what it was he should miss. The world they were working to rebuild – he held no reference.
"Link!" Sidon appeared out of the water about twenty yards from him. Link snapped out of his brooding and immediately scowled at the Zora Prince. Sidon sheeplishly flashed a sharp-toothed grin. "She's fine!" Link glanced up at the mechanical elephant. Zelda must have been playing with the terminals because the trunk was lifting and lowering, spraying the Zora that play below. All seemed well.
Regardless she was not supposed to be alone. "It was all clear as I promised."
Link shot another heated glare back at Sidon. "Honestly Link do you think I would leave her in there if I thought anything was amiss with the Divine Beast? Vah Ruta did become mine to pilot since you freed it. You should have seen her, really. I've been fussing around with those terminals every day for weeks and I'm clueless compared to her. I have so much to learn. Besides, I think she can handle herself from the sounds of it now that her power has awa-" He stopped and rolled his eyes at Link who started to trudge toward him, sword and all, into the water. "Fine, fine. Let us go to her. But you know what she will say."
Link was tempted to strike the back of Sidon's head as they swam together to the Divine Beast but as always it was difficult to stay angry with the Prince. Link thought the plan was clear. Zelda was insistent, borderline delivered a direct order, that she examine Divine Beast Vah Ruta on her own. Link, Sidon, and Zelda finally agreed only after the pilot checked, double-checked and promised to remain with Zelda while she surveyed Ruta's terminals that Link would stay on shore. He would never admit it outloud but he was not eager to re-board Ruta or any of the other Divine Beasts again. However, despite the fact his memory still lay in pieces and there were only a handful things that he was certain of, protecting Zelda felt as much a part of him as his right hand. That did not need any restoration despite the Shrine of Resurrection's payment for his life. Even with Calamity Ganon gone it was just as she had said- courage could not be forgotten. The same went for his sense of duty.
Sidon was right. Link did know what Zelda would say and the thought sank deeper into his stomach the closer they got to the Divine Beast. Things had only gotten worse between them since the battle for Hyrule. When she looked at him now it made Link feel like despite reuniting, she never felt further away.
"May I ask…Do you really remember me?"
Speechless. That was what Link had been. Day after day he fought to save her from Calamity Ganon and when she was finally there before him he froze. A slideshow of returned memories flashed before his eyes and yes, he remembered her…but only from them. Zelda had not aged a day. One hundred years of holding back Ganon from unleashing his malice on the world fatigued her crystal blue eyes but they always seemed tired in his memories of her. Tired of the expectations of her father. The weight of her blood curse. The pressure of countless unanswered prayers. Deep inside he felt the familiar beacon to protect her pulse and vibrate his core. He knew it was Zelda…but did he really remember? It was a heavy question and after all he had been through- all she had been through- he could not bring himself to just answer yes. He did not know how to begin. Seconds bled into minutes and she showed him mercy and moved on. The more he thought about it the more he wondered if that had been more for her sake than his own.
He did not find his voice again until the night the storm sidetracked them in Lanayru Wetlands. They spent all day under a shelter of trees and rock. Lightening branched bright yellow across the rain swollen sky. Starting a fire was futile so as night fell and the weather refused to let up, they were forced to huddle close for warmth. Silently he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and tucked down beside her with his back against the cold stone. He just started to drift into sleep when he felt fingers brush over the back of his palm.
"Your hands are freezing Link." Zelda sighed and scooted closer to him, opening the blanket for him to join her. When he didn't budge she sighed again and took his hands up in hers before lifting them to her mouth. "You need not suffer completely at my expense." She let out a breath and warmth curled around his fingers. "You'd actually be quite useless without your hands."
At first he almost pulled his hands away in favor of obliging her original offer to share the damp blanket. Even though it was a gentle gesture he felt her grip was iron-clasp on him. He remained still and watched her as she smoothed over his knuckles with her fingers between each breath. Strands of blonde hair were matted to the side of her face with rain. The tip of her nose was red. He wished he could get the fire going. Words bubbled up faster than they could be contained such that he wondered how long they had been waiting. "I'm trying." He said.
Zelda paused and her head dipped forward ever so slightly in his hands. It was the same microscopic crestfallen gesture he recognized in every memory that surfaced of Zelda interacting with her father. Or when her prayers failed. "It's not your fault, Link. You did not ask be brought back; to lose your memories. But it was the only way we could stop Calamity Ganon. It was foolish for me to think we could have it all. His defeat and…your memories returned."
She returned to warming his hands. "Do you resent me?" Her eyes flickered up to meet his. "What I did? For the price you paid?"
He was alive. Air in his lungs, beating heart. How could he be angry with her for that? That was his initial thought when she asked him but the question lingered after the rain finally stopped and in every day since. Genuine anger did not feel like a natural emotional to him but then again, he couldn't be sure. No one, no matter how intimately they claimed to remember him, could tell Link what went on in his head and heart one hundred years ago. It just didn't seem possible for him to hold both a fierce dedication to protect her and deep resentment...
Link and Sidon climbed the ramp into Vah Ruta's belly. He hadn't been inside the Divine Beast since he freed it from Ganon's Blight. It was even more cavernous and confusing without the pockets of Malice. Metal gears sang around him and he fought the urge to plug his ears with both fingers. He was glad to have been the Champion of the ground and not a Beast.
Zelda was to the left of the main terminal. Sidon let out a cheerful "Hey-yo!" And Link half expected her to hiss at the sight of him but she didn't. When she turned the look on her face nearly made him ill with worry. Fair skin slick and ghostly pale. Her eyes wide, panicked. Without hesitation Link sprint toward her faster than it all must have all registered with Sidon because the Prince was a good five seconds behind Link when he reached her.
Link did not touch her. Instead he stopped just before her and tilted his head down to find her gaze. Sidon came up beside her and placed a webbed hand on her shoulder. "Princess? What is it?"
Zelda did not break eye contact with Link despite Sidon's question. Her voice was hoarse as if she had been screaming. Maybe she had. "It's not over. Ganon. H-He's going to come back!"