Author's Note: Many thanks for your lovely reviews and your interest in this story. The fact that people are taking the time to read this makes me very happy indeed. Sorry for the long wait. I hope you also enjoy chapter two.

Best,

Helena Mariel

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda and all rights belong to Nintendo.

Chapter Two: Lon Lon Ranch

"All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing... I was so young...I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm… Now, it is time for me to make up for my mistakes. You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time. When peace returns to Hyrule, it will be time for us to say good-bye... Now, go home, Link! Regain your lost time! Home... where you are supposed to be, the way you are supposed to be..."

-Zelda, Ocarina of Time

xxx

A group of roosters, perched on tiled rooftops with their blue feathers rustling in the wind, crowed in unison; their synchronized chorus proclaimed the arrival of dawn to the rest of world. Households and businesses began to stir and show the first—albeit somewhat lethargic—signs of life. The farmers, who lived on the north-west quadrant of Kakariko, left their homes just as the first rays of light shone over the silhouette of the mountain range towards the east. They silently marched towards the fields of pumpkins and rice, their hoes and farming tools in hand. The women left shortly after, heading their way in unison to the nearby river while carrying loads of laundry in woven baskets. A thick curtain of fog spiraled lazily around the Pillars of Levia, adding a wistful touch of mystery to the otherwise quiet, uneventful mountain village.

Inside the manor, the creaking of old floorboards echoed noisily across the living quarters as the domestic workers rised to perform their early morning chores. Fireplaces were lit, candles were extinguished, and floors were wiped cleaned with damp washcloths. In the kitchen, Laira and her staff worked diligently to prepare the morning meal for the household; they baked loaves of Tabantha bread, sliced freshly picked apples from the orchard, and boiled eggs brought in by Cado from the village's communal chicken coop. In the middle of the ample kitchen stood Paya, who was discreetly waiting for an opportunity to sneak a piece of bread off from the counter. Across the room, Laira wistfully watched Cado as he walked back to the village. "That man sure is a catch… I don't know what that Rola was thinking, letting go of a man like that. They do say that one woman's loss is another woman's treasure…"

Paya shrugged sheepishly as she stealthily sliced the loaf of bread with a knife. Love and relationships were not exactly areas of expertise for her. "Hands off, Paya," Laira happily warned the girl as she stood by the cookpot, from where she vigilantly watched over the boiling eggs. "Breakfast will be served to everyone in thirty minutes."

The teenage girl groaned loudly. "Oh, come on, Laira. I'm starving!" Paya whined, eyeing the warm bread greedily. Laira shot a definite warning look at the girl. "You know the rules, missy. My kitchen, my rules. Elder Impa might be the master of this home, but I am the captain of this operation. No one eats before everything is set on the table."

Paya pouted in defeat; there was no use trying to convince the stubborn woman. Laira had been working her grandmother's kitchen ever since Paya could remember. The Sheikah woman was a master in her craft; people would visit the village from all over Hyrule in search of her apple tarts and her fortified pumpkin soups, which travelers preferred for their defensive properties.

"Fine," she conceded and reluctantly left the warmth and pleasant smells of the kitchen. As she made her way into the foyer of the house, her eyes wandered towards Link's room and her mood considerably soured. The hero had been unconscious for several days now, ever since he and the princess came back from battle against the Calamity. Her grandmother had assigned two healers to assist with the hero's caretaking and hygiene; she suddenly remembered that she should be preparing the supplies for their arrival. Paya had voluntarily chosen to assist them on several occasions; she couldn't help but take advantage of any opportunity to be by Link's side. She sadly thought of Princess Zelda and could only imagine the pain she must have been going through.

Paya harbored no jealousy or ill-will towards the princess. Her selfless sacrifice had saved the entirety of land of Hyrule and kept the dangers of the Calamity far away from its citizens. Her grandmother had issued a kind warning to not get her hopes up about Link. "He and the princess have a bond that transcends the restraints of space and time," Impa had told Paya shortly after the guards had brought Link's wounded body into the house, "you would do well, my dear, to get rid of any illusions regarding the boy. The will of Hylia has eternally bound their paths together; no earthly force could ever dream of tearing them apart."

xxx

Every bone in Zelda's body screamed in agony. The pain had stirred her from a string of convoluted dreams that had kept her from resting through the night. She grudgingly cracked open her eyes and immediately closed them again. Sunlight was pouring in freely from the window, flooding the room with its bright rays. "Hylia, what a night…" Zelda murmured in protest and stretched her aching limbs. She suddenly realized that she had fallen asleep on a chair by Link's bedside. Zelda massaged her neck with her hands, gently working out the knots and tension there as she looked intently at Link. He was still unresponsive, but his position had slightly changed since she'd fallen asleep, which fueled a flame of hope in her heart. Movement meant that he was one step closer to being responsive. "Good morning, Link," she smiled and, feeling unusually brave, reached out for his hand.

A knock on the door surprised Zelda, who was too slow to pull her hand away before the door was pulled opened. "P-p-princess Zelda!" Paya stuttered in shock and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. "I d-didn't expect a-anyone in Master Link's room!" Flustered, Zelda nearly jumped off the chair. She hurriedly ran her fingers through her tousled hair in a half-hearted attempt to make herself look somewhat acceptable. "My apologies, Paya… I must have fallen asleep looking after Link last night. I'll let you work in peace," Zelda replied, doing her best to sound regal despite the awkward situation. She smiled at Paya and left the room quickly, but not without taking note of the amused stares of the healers who obviously found the situation entertaining.

Zelda made her way across the manor and stepped outside, back to the balcony she had now become so familiar with. She wrapped the wool blanket she had slept with tight across her body and watched a small group of children running after one another. She spotted Koko and Cottla trailing towards the end of the group. Their carefree laughter, so innocent and pure, elicited a smile from the princess. The girls saw Zelda and waved excitedly at the princess, who waved back in return.

Zelda heard footsteps approaching, and turned around to find Impa observing her kindly. "Blessed be the soul that is healed by the child's inner light," Impa said as she, too, watched the children, who were already making their way into the village's humble schoolhouse. "It is an old Hylian proverb. It was one of your mother's favorites." Zelda glanced curiously at Impa. "Was it? I was just thinking… I hadn't seen the smiling faces of children in so long…" Zelda whispered, a wave of melancholy suddenly overwhelming her. The two women remained silent for several minutes until Impa broke their amicable silence.

"I overheard what happened this morning," she spoke cautiously, waiting to gauge her princess's reaction. Just as the elder had suspected, Zelda's cheeks flushed and her hands curled into fists by her sides, a sure way of telling whenever something was occupying the girl's mind. "I… it was an accident. A terrible transgression, nonetheless," Zelda mumbled, her eyes fixed on the horizon. "I fell asleep. I know it wasn't proper of me to share a room with Link, regardless of the situation. It won't happen again."

Impa huffed. "And why ever not?"

Zelda turned towards Impa, her mouth agape in shock. "W-what? What do you mean by that?"

Impa chuckled gently. "My child, you and I have lived through different eras, our paths separated by a chasm for one hundred years. Unfortunately, all of those we knew and held close to our hearts are gone. The ladies, the dukes, the counts and their wives; all of those who would have rejoiced at the opportunity to insult your virtue have been lost. No one here will judge you for your so-called transgression."

An indescribable jolt of energy coursed through her veins. It was a combination of overwhelming sadness for the past as well as an overpowering anticipation for the future. "They are all gone. Mother and Father are no longer with me as well. Only you remain here by my side, Impa. I do not know how to proceed."

"The answer is set plainly in your sight. All you need to do is open your eyes."

Zelda frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It is obvious to me. A century has not changed a thing inside your heart. You love Link. You love him madly, and you have for a very long time."

"Have I?" Zelda asked, amused as usual at Impa's intuitive observations.

"Now, now, let's not play at being coy, my child. The real question is, will you tell him, when the moment comes? Will you ask him to sacrifice his duty in order to secure your happiness and his?"

The princess remained silent.

xxx

There was nothing like the smell of old books. Books had a unique quality to them; they all had a certain weight and feel. Their size and binding were unique characteristics that responded to the maker and the region of their creation. Some pages were thicker and had a certain grit to them, while others were so thin that light could nearly cross through the paper. Zelda enjoyed the feeling of passing the pages with her fingertips and the sensation of dragging a finger down a book's spine. Inside books, Zelda had often found the answers to her questions and was sometimes left with more unanswered questions, which had left her restless and unable to sleep on more than one occasion. It took Zelda a long time to understand that her quest for knowledge and her passion for books had served to lessen the pain of losing her mother and her sole link to the generations of Zeldas who had mastered their connections with their spiritual powers. Inside of a library, Zelda felt invincible and, interestingly enough, free to explore her vulnerability. She did not know everything there was to know about the world, but that did not matter; she could always try to.

Zelda had spent the rest of the day locked away in Impa's private library reading over books she had not had her hands on since before the return of the Calamity. As a result of Impa's meticulous care, most of the books about the Divine Beasts and the Guardians had remained intact. At the time, it has been decided by the King and his Royal Council that the tomes rightly belonged to the Sheikah tribe, and that they should be the ones to preserve them as part of their cultural and intellectual heritage. Zelda was glad it had been decided so. She would have been devastated if that part of her old life had been destroyed in the fires that consumed the castle during the war. By the time she slipped away from the library, it was already midnight and the entirety of the house was eerily quiet.

She carefully made her way towards Link's room, her bare feet muffling the creaking of the floorboards. The wood felt cold to the touch, sending shivers down her arms. She threaded down the stairs, taking one step at time, and felt foolish. Why was she sneaking around? 'It feels… fun,' she sheepishly admitted to herself. Sneaking in the dark towards a boy's room… at a time, it would have been shameful and it would have destroyed her reputation, but it was just as Impa had said. No one who would have chastised her for it was around. 'Not even Father,' Zelda thought, and the cloud of excitement rapidly dissipated at the realization. What would have he thought of her actions? It had always been clear to her that the King had shown great regard for Link as a warrior and as someone who had always conducted himself with the upmost dedication and respect to his position as a loyal servant to the crown. Would one hundred years have changed Link's disposition? Could they ever become true friends? Or would he forever be cemented on his vows as a Knight of the Kingdom of Hyrule?

Zelda had no answers to these questions.

Finally, Zelda entered Link's room and noticed that the healers had changed his clothes. He now wore the cloth of the Champions, a shade of periwinkle blue that had always made his eyes stand out. His hair hung limply by the sides of his face; she experienced an irresistible desire to brush it back into a ponytail as he had always preferred it. "It keeps it away from my face and my line of sight," he had answered simply when she had asked him about it, as if it were the most obvious choice in the world for him to make. She giggled to herself at the memory and sat back on the chair she had spent the previous night in.

"Here we are again, Link," she spoke, feeling at ease. The tranquility she felt near his presence could only be rivaled by that of a room full of books. "I was thinking today about one of our last trips to Lon Lon Ranch. We had just gone into the season of Spring, and the meadows were littered with daisies and Summerwing Butterflies fluttering in the air. You decided it was a good idea for me to become accustomed to socializing with horses before I was to ride my first Royal Steed out in the lands by myself. Randolph and I weren't getting along; he kept trying to buck me off whenever I tried to ride him in the stables. Father was disappointed, you see, for he had spent a good share of rupees searching for the best horse breeders in all of Hyrule. You were—or are still, I suspect—a natural at it. The horses loved you. You did not even need to bribe them with apples to get them to come to you… 'Be sure to take the time to soothe your mount; that's the only way it will know how you truly feel.' I remember your advice fondly. I felt so proud to be able to finally mount Randolph without help and ride him on our travels. Our relationship only became stronger after that. It was all thanks to you, of course, like so many other memories I treasure."

Zelda wiped away a few stray tears off from her cheeks and took a deep inhale in an attempt to calm her nerves. "I wonder," she whispered, her composure cracking, "if the memory will be lost with me. One of the horses tried to nip my hand as I offered him an apple and you… you laughed. You laughed without restraint, and it was the happiest I ever saw you in my presence. What will I do with all of these memories if you are not here to share them with me? Everyone is gone," she sobbed, "what will I do if you do not remember?"

She felt a hand gently grasp hers and gasped loudly.

"I remember that day, Princess," he whispered throatily, and smiled. "I remember."