Reborn
She giggles a little as she watches him. His face is a mixture of wonder and fear at the unknown substance falling outside. "Zelda!" he hisses, his eyes wide as he turns away from the window to her. "Do you see this?"
She laughs again. "Yes, I do, Link." Of course, she has to remind herself, he's never seen such a thing before. It's all completely new, completely foreign to him. Just like how he didn't know what to do when the trees turned ruby and gold. The changing of seasons was something he'd never experienced above the cloudes. She steps up behind him as he turns back to look out into the snow covered forest. Placing her hands on his shoulders, Zelda tells him, "It's called 'snow', Link."
"Snow?" he repeats, testing the new word on his tongue.
"Snow. You know how when it gets cold enough, water turns to ice?" she asks him, and the seasoned warrior nods. "It's like that, only tiny, tiny pieces of ice."
"Is it always white?" he asks.
She opens her mouth. She wants to yes, yes it is, but in her mind's eye the memories flittering through her brain. The memories of another life, another time tell her that no, it's not always white. The ruby stains splattered across the white, white, white landscape. The war cries still ring in her ears. All that was pure is now just stained red, red, red-
"Zelda?"
And just like that it stops.
Link asks, "Are you alright?"
She smiles. "I'm fine, Link.
"Let's go outside," she says to him, taking hold of his arm and dragging him to the door. She quickly throws cloaks on them both before she flings the door open and darts out into the white wonder beyond. The snow is powdery and fluffs up with each bounding step Zelda takes. The trees are covered and so is their quaint cabin. The world is bright again, filled with something new than just the sleeping, naked trees.
Link lets out a small yelp behind her, and Zelda whips around. "What's wrong?" she calls out to him.
"It's cold!" he whines as he shakes out his hands.
The pearl of laughter escapes her, and she promises him that she's knit him some mitts to keep their fingers warm through the new season.
Link stoops and scoops up another handful, mindful this time. "What are you doing?" she asks him when he takes a large bite out of the snow.
"It doesn't taste like anything," he says.
He looks up at the grey, cloudy sky, and for a moment there's a pang in her chest as she wonders, is he looking up there for their island in the sky? But then his eyes dart one way then the other as he follows the path of a snowflake making its descent. He holds out his hand to catch a flakes and watches as it hits his palm and dissolves.
"Zelda?"
"Yes, Link?"
He looks back up at the world around them, powdered in the new white substance. "Is the next season as pretty as this?" he asks.
She has to blink it back. The memories say no, but when she looks out on the pure white, white, white before her, she has to disagree. "Something tells me no, Link." Zelda closes her eyes, trying to capture a snapshot in her mind of what she sees now.