Author's Notes: This is the first fanfic I have done in YEARS, and the first one I've done in the Legend of Zelda fandom. I'm trying to get into the habit of writing again for NaNoWriMo, and thought I could practice with fanfiction. If you enjoyed it, please let me know, and I'll keep working on this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or settings or anything.
The princess had never looked more like an angel; she was literally glowing in front of him. After weeks of fighting monsters and seeing the ruins of their kingdom, it was a blessing to see the princess again. She had such a determination in her stance. Honestly, he was also surprised she hadn't aged a day. She looked the exact same as when he had last seen her.
Calamity Gannon roared and charged at the princess. Link lifted his sword and started racing towards her, ready to defend her. She lifted her hand, and the glow around her shined even brighter. Link narrowed his eyes, but then they widened again in shock. Calamity Gannon was being sucked up into a ball! And then, he was gone. The princess lowered her hand, the triforce symbol fading back into nothingness.
The clouds above them broke and melted away. He saw the blue skies again, skies that he thought he would never be able to see again. He sheathed his sword, almost reluctantly. Was it truly over?
Then, the princess turned and looked at him. He could see the many emotions swirling around in her eyes, mainly tiredness and relief.
"I have to ask, do you really remember me?" She heard him ask. He nodded yes, and her smile grew bright. She ran to him. He opened his arms, and she jumped in them. He wondered when the last time she had had another Hylian touch her. He realized it had been over one hundred years since that happened. No wonder her embrace was so tight. He hugged her even tighter to let her know he was here, he was real, and he was never going to leave her side again. He would make sure of it. The memory of their last few embraces flashed through his mind. The memories of them fleeing Hyrule Castle, just trying to get as far away as they could to be able to regroup. The memory of her collapsing in tears. The memory of her protecting him as he was determined to give his life for her.
All of that was over now. All of that heartache was worth it. They were all safe now.
He wondered about the Hylian in his arms. Would she be okay? Would see have nightmares like him or even worse because she had been with Calamity Gannon for one hundred years? Link had been in many battles that really messed with his mind after, but none could compare with the pure malice radiating from Calamity Gannon.
Sure enough, the princess began crying. He rubbed her back as she cried tears of joy and tears of sorrow. He silently vowed to be beside her as she moved through her grief and fears. Even though she had watched over them, had she truly seen Hyrule Castle, her home, in ruins? He knew he would know all too soon once she could go through all of these emotions.
She knew Hyrule Castle had been destroyed. She remembered it from one hundred years ago. But to see the ruins up close was different. To go through the rooms and find so much destruction was horrifying to her; yet, as they ventured deeper and deeper into the castle, she started getting used to it and started becoming numb. She was just too sad to really have emotions at this point. In her room, a few of her things remained untouched, such as her diary. She picked it up, and put it in a leather bag she found nearby that had stood the test of time. She found a few more things that had lasted and put them in the bag too. Earlier Link had offered her the Sheikah Slate. Her mind was too overwhelmed right now, she told him. She would have to take it back later once she could think a little more clearly.
And then it was time to leave the castle. Link had suggested they stay with Kakariko Village. He knew Impa would love to see the princess again, and she agreed. She would love to see her old friend again too.
On the way out of the castle, she saw a mirror and really looked at herself for the first time. She thought she looked very good for being one hundred and seventeen years old. Link also had not aged one bit. Zelda thought perhaps the triforce had kept them looking and feeling young. Maybe the triforce wanted them to help rebuild Hyrule, which Zelda was more than willing to do.
She hoped her presence and knowledge of the guardians would be enough. With Link by her side, she thought anything would be possible.
It was night time at Impa's house. Impa and Zelda both cried at their reunion. Zelda was very gracious for the bath and new clothes Impa had provided. Years ago Impa had made her a new set of her favorite clothes just in case Zelda was to return. Zelda was very appreciative and couldn't stop thanking her. Impa declared that her guards would keep visitors at bay until Zelda was ready to see them. Zelda thanked her old friend and said she would likely see the people again tomorrow. She only needed one night's rest.
"Are you sure? After that long battle, you deserve to rest," Impa gently said.
"I'll be alright. I'm eager to think about something else," Zelda replied.
When it was finally time for bed, Zelda felt a little apprehensive. How easily would she go to sleep? It would be the first time in one hundred years that she actually fell asleep. She was worried until she finally laid down. Sleep came all too easily for her.
A few hours later, Link heard movement on the bed next to his. He had been trained to be a light sleeper just in case an enemy snuck up on him. He never knew if a bokoblin were to sneak up on him. But what could be happening in the bed next to his mat on the floor? He sat up and looked at his sleeping princess. She was tossing and turning in her sleep. She was also talking incoherently in her sleep. What horrors had she seen while fighting Calamity Gannon?
He gently touched her hand, hoping maybe that would calm her. It didn't work very well. He wondered if he should hold her or try to wake her. He hated to wake her as it was the first time in a century she had actually slept. He wondered if she would be rather narcoleptic as opposed to his insomnia. He decided to climb into bed next to her as he would wake up before her.
"You're safe," Link whispered into Zelda's ear. "He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore." Link kept whispering over and over as the tension slowly dissipated in Zelda's body. Once she was finally fully calm again, Link couldn't help but gaze at her sleeping face. He could still barely believe they were together again after all those years. He could barely believe that all of it was real. Soon it would hopefully be like a bad dream that everyone had to recover from. The blood moons would hopefully cease restoring monsters from the dead, and his princess would be safe.
He knew that deep down, the princess had grown to care for him. He could see it in her eyes and actions. They were good friends. Zelda was the only person who knew his feelings on some things. It probably helped that they were bonded together by the triforce. Yet Link felt like he was able to open up to the princess. She had treated him like a normal Hylian, not her chosen knight. That was after he saved her from the Yiga Clan. Since then she had been kinder to him and actively tried to get him to talk. He smiled at the memory of her trying to get him to eat a frog. She was creative in her methods to get him to talk all right.
He laid his head down in preparation to sleep. Normally it took his brain a while to allow him sleep. This night, next to the one he had fought so hard to save, he fell asleep easily. They were finally safe.
He fell asleep hoping tomorrow Zelda would be better. Hopefully tomorrow the nightmares would cease, even though he knew from experience they could get much worse and horribly affect the most hardened soldiers all day long. Hopefully tomorrow she could start to find true peace.