Link, Day 5
Hateno in the early light was a good place to be alone with your thoughts, so when Link first heard the roosters calling in the morning, he left the inn and went walking through the little village. Not many people were up at this hour, and the sun hadn't reached over the cliffsides yet, making it decently chilly. He headed around the back to walk up the slope near the shrine - up top gave a good view of the village, but as he reached the end of the slope, he saw that someone was already there.
"Paya?"
The woman was sitting on a small cloth in the grass, arms wrapped around her legs, looking out over the village. She looked over her shoulder in slight panic as Link approached, blush filling her cheeks.
"L-Link! I didn't expect you to be up so early. I'm sorry I missed you two yesterday," she said quickly, dipping her head in apology. He only smiled, taking a seat next to her and looking out over Hateno.
"It's okay. I know you've always got a lot going on. It might be hard on Zelda to meet you, anyways."
"That's right… Impa told me she lost her memories after all," Paya said, looking up to the sky as the morning stars began to fade. "I'm sorry, Link. How is everything between you two? Oh goddesses- I'm so sorry if that's too personal, you don't have to answer!"
She looked absolutely torn, but Link only laughed a little in response, shaking his head.
"It's fine. But… things are… I don't know. They're okay. She doesn't know that we were together."
"What!?"
Paya's voice reached a level that Link wasn't aware she was capable of, and it seemed to surprise her just as well, as she immediately threw her hands over her mouth, hazel eyes wide in surprise.
"What?" she repeated in a whisper, and for the first time, Link saw frustration in her expression. "You love her, and she doesn't know?"
Link bristled with impatience. Purah, Paya - who else? Would Impa quiz him when she found out? He made a mental note to keep it to himself as much as possible, but then again, it made sense for that to be the question on everyone's minds… since defeating Calamity Ganon, their relationship had been talk of the town. Er- land.
"It's just going to inconvenience her," he sighed, resting his chin in one hand. "I don't want her to feel like she needs to develop feelings for me out of nowhere."
When he glanced back at Paya, the look on her face was inexplicably sad, and it struck a sudden feeling of despair into his own heart. Don't look at me like that.
"We're going to get her memories back, anyways," he said quickly, trying to reassure the Sheikah. "She'll remember."
"Don't you think she'll be upset that you didn't tell her?"
This was something Link hadn't considered, and he pondered it for a moment, trying to ignore the increasingly concerned expression that Paya was staring at him with and the way it tugged at his conscience. He had already spent time thinking about it… on and off for two years, that is, and decided that was the best course of action. If he had been told by King Rhoam, for example, that he loved Zelda… well, besides the initial awkwardness, what would it have changed in his journey? He learned about her from the memories and knew there was something about her that was different. Regaining all of his consciousness was simply clarification.
"Maybe," he finally decided, "but I can't do anything about that. If it's her… she'll forgive me."
"...if it's her…" Paya repeated, sighing. "Well, I'd better go, Link."
As she left back down the hill, Link laid down in the grass and shut his eyes. Her.
Zelda, Day 5
More nightmares had haunted Zelda overnight, and when she finally broke free of the restlessness, she woke in a cool sweat. A massive, flaming bull in the fields of Hyrule had charged through her mind, horns pressed into the land and ripping it apart at the seams as it ran. The kingdom unraveled as if a thread had been snagged and would not stop pulling, slowly dissipating the scenery into darkness. She wiped moisture off her brow, and shut her eyes, catching her breath. If this was how every night was going to go, she'd have to start drinking some warm milk before bed, or something… or else she wouldn't get a good night's rest anytime soon.
She pulled the curtains away from her bed and peered across the room to where Link had been sleeping, only to see that he wasn't there. No one was really sleeping anymore, in fact, and as she came to, the sounds of Kakariko village's hustle and bustle became clearer. She'd slept in.
Zelda was still distracted as she got ready for the day, brushing her hair in a daze. Impa's story was still fresh in her memory, but making sense of how it all fit together was tough. She was impatient to begin recovering her memories. Without them, the world was much scarier… without them, she felt strangely vulnerable.
When she found Link outside at a cooking pot alongside a little girl, the two of them left quite shortly after. Riding into Hyrule Fields for the first time since losing her memories was still, somehow, nostalgic… or maybe just a sense of deja vu? The fields were bright green with the oncoming spring, full of pretty white and blue flowers and bustling with wildlife. There was no doubt about it. This is home.
Hyrule Castle loomed in the distance, and as they got closer, Zelda could see scaffolding covering parts of it. Castle town itself was still in the process of being built, though it seemed there were already quite a few completed communities. It was just a matter of the castle and other systems getting up and running, work that would no doubt be under Zelda's watch when the time came.
Link slowed ahead as they came upon ruins, sitting in the field with a clear view of the castle. Stone pillars, some broken, surrounded a circular platform with water running around it. As Zelda dismounted, she couldn't help but notice that it had been cleaned up somewhat. Still, it must have been a far cry from its former glory.
"Will this be restored, as well?"
"No," Link replied, patting his horse - Flint, apparently - and then walking up the steps between the pillars. "These are the sacred grounds. Messing with it, even for restorations, isn't something anyone is willing to do. We're going to build new ceremonial grounds, which you get to design."
He was smiling when he looked back at her, and Zelda was relieved. There was certainly a recurring theme of protecting the past here in Hyrule - one she was grateful for. If the princess and her hero from ten thousand years ago were remembered, surely her and Link would be as well. It was a comforting thought.
She followed him up onto the stone, and now that they were no longer moving, the sun felt hot on the top of her head. She absently wished she'd worn lighter clothes, but more than anything, she was curious as to what memory she had of this place. When she looked at Link expectantly, he smiled at her, and then knelt to the ground, dipping his head. It was so formal, and an inescapable heat spread on her cheeks.
"What - what are you-"
"For old time's sake," he said quietly, his striking blue gaze lifting and looking at her from under windblown blond hair. Zelda felt her heart sink quite suddenly then, as if the air had left her lungs. She remembered, quite suddenly, the events of one day long ago.
It was a knighting ceremony for Link now that he was her appointed knight, but Hylia, she wasn't happy about it. She was only doing it because Daruk had asked, and she couldn't say no to him. It was far too much pomp. Link was quiet as usual - not just quiet, really, he was silent - he despised her, surely, for being a failure when it came to her sealing power… all she was good for… meanwhile he carried the master sword on his back like a trophy. It had been hot that day, too, and she was entirely unmotivated in giving her blessings to basically a chaperone barely a year older than herself. Why was he so solemn, anyways? Why did all the champions have to be there to watch? Why did she have to pretend to care about all of those… those… civilities?
Reality came sinking back in quite suddenly, and Link was still kneeling, staring at her in surprise as she began to catch her breath. The contrast between him, then and now, was quite stark, but she felt like she looked basically the same. But still…
"It was like looking at a stranger," she muttered, and to her surprise, Link seemed to know exactly what she meant. He nodded eagerly.
"Isn't it? It always felt like I was looking at some other version of myself."
Zelda nodded, trying to fight the urge to cry. She shook it off quite quickly, taking a deep breath. Hopefully each memory would get easier as they went through them, but still… it wasn't a pleasant sensation at all.
"Zelda… you didn't like me much when I first became your appointed knight," Link said as they began to head back to their horses. She couldn't help but be relieved that she didn't have to bring it up.
"I got that feeling, yes," she replied, looking at Link sympathetically once she was atop Alpen.
"I know you're going to think that I didn't like you for these first few memories, but that was never the case," he reassured her as they broke off into a gallop through the field once more. "Those were just doubts that you had of yourself. I was always impressed with you."
A smile twitched at the corners of Zelda's lips, but it was bittersweet. Those feelings she felt in her memory were so horribly immature. What was he telling her, then - that the Princess, the one who should have been neutral, was so self-conscious of herself, and he hadn't been? Embarrassing.
"How do you know this much? I realise you were there when I woke, but... were we so close for the Princess of Hyrule to tell you so manyl of her personal feelings?"
She stared hard at the back of his head, suspicion seeping through her mind. He was quiet for a moment before glancing back at her over his shoulder, smiling, but with serious eyes.
"Yes."
The word sounded as honest as they come. Zelda couldn't take her eyes off of him for the rest of their trip. Why had she blushed when he knelt down? Had she had some sort of teenage crush on him? Or - was it the other way around? As truthful as he had been so far, and it seemed he had nothing to gain from lying - the entire Kingdom trusted him with looking after her - wasn't there something he was hiding? Or is that just me being doubtful again…
The next memory was not too far away, near a beautiful lake. Link let her take a moment to enjoy the scenery before guiding her to the same spot he had, apparently, regained the same memory years ago. It came to her quicker than she'd expected, and she faltered a little bit in remembering it. Of course - the beginning of their journey. They were heading to Goron City to help Daruk with his divine beast… but Link was still silent, following her with that heavy blue gaze, not taking his eyes off of her. Even as she talked, she could feel him watching her, and it was so distracting and… well, a little intimidating. She wanted to call him out on something, anything - find out more about him. But it was so hard to try and talk to him. What if he said nothing back? What if he simply returned the question and asked her about the sealing power? No... that would be far too rude…
So she asked him about the sword. Whether he could hear the voice or not. It really was just thanks to her own insecurities, and just as she feared, Link was silent in response. The only thing that changed was his eyes dipping to the ground. So he couldn't hear the voice. Perhaps we're both failures.
When Zelda came to she found Link steadying her with his arms. Her legs were weak, and she struggled to gain back her strength and stand on her own. Her thoughts were fuzzy. Something about the feeling of his arms - the faraway sound of him saying her name - it was like there was another memory. But she'd already gotten it, why was this one so difficult? She felt at war with her own head, but finally there was no more resisting, and she gave in.
It was another memory. The same lake was in the background, and the two of them were a bit older than the previous memory… it was clearly after they'd defeated Ganon. And she was so happy. The sun was out, the silent princess's were blooming throughout the field, and Link was with her. They were sat under a tree, shade and sunlight dancing around them as they shared bread and cheese and relaxed in shelter from the midday heat. She had nearly dozed off, lying down on the grass and savoring the feeling of a breeze pushing her bangs around her face, but Link woke her up.
"Zelda. Don't fall asleep, sleepyhead."
She opened her eyes to smile at him, and he smiled back, and the look in his eyes was completely new to her. He looked at her like she was the only thing in the world. And she could feel herself looking at him the same way, a warmth spreading in her heart and a voice that said I'm so happy.
Link responded with "me, too," and Zelda abruptly snapped out of the memory. She was half on the ground and half in Link's lap; he must have knelt down in the grass when she went limp. But why had that memory affected her so much harder?
When her eyes flew open, Link's were there. He had a tight grip on her, and let out a sudden sigh of relief and squeezed her briefly. Even as she got up to brush dirt off of the bottom of her hem, the look of concern on his face didn't go away.
"Are you alright? What just happened?"
She was afraid he would ask. She struggled to recall the first memory.
"Um - we were walking to Goron City," she replied, though the lie in her tone was far too evident.
"I know, but… after that. You shouldn't have fainted. Do you need water?"
"You really are a chaperone," she retorted without thinking, and immediately felt awful for it. Link's mouth dropped open in surprise, but he quickly shut it, looking at her with a more serious expression.
"Don't make me go through all of that again."
"All of what? Me feeling completely shitty about myself and taking it out on you? I'm sorry, but I get to relive that and don't know who I am or how I feel or how I should feel about anyone I meet, including old friends," she argued, impatience getting the better of her. "You did this once before. Weren't you upset at any point? Wasn't it hard?"
"Y-yeah, it was frustrating," he stammered back, "but-"
"I'm sure you fainted now and again too, right? And you were all alone and still okay, so don't feel the need to babysit me!"
"I had more important things to worry about," Link snapped, his voice louder and more confident, catching Zelda off guard. "I had saving the entire Kingdom to worry about, plus my memories, plus you." He pointed at her. "I spent years as your appointed knight and then I died, so sorry if I occasionally act on a century's worth of responsibility on my shoulders to look after you."
Zelda opened her mouth to argue, but then a point of what Link said distracted her. Wait. What?
"What do you mean you died?"
Her voice was quieter now, heart beating heavy and fast. Impa told her she had confronted Ganon alone, and then… right, awaited Link's resurrection, but she hadn't assumed he'd literally-
"When Ganon first returned, I died," he muttered, and for once, couldn't look her in the eyes. "I spent a hundred years in the same shrine you spent two in, in order to be resurrected. When I came back, I had to regain my memories and appease the divine beasts, and then fight Ganon to free you. Karma for failing as your 'chaperone'," he added, finally glancing back at her. Those words felt like a knife in her chest. Hylia, I'm horrible.
"I'm sorry."
She tried to meet his eyes as she apologized, as tough as it was. Not to mention she wanted to ask him more questions - how had he died? How did she survive? Was she just… obligation to him? But it was probably too soon for all of that. Finally, his expression softened, but still he looked concerned.
"... I never fainted from a memory, though."
"Oh," Zelda said, suddenly upset at her lack of control during the second memory. "After the first memory, I had another one… I think from after we defeated Ganon. We were here, sitting in the shade, eating bread and cheese."
Colour flushed Link's cheeks, and it didn't go unnoticed by Zelda.
"What, did you take me on a date?" she joked, but Link turned it back on her.
"Something like that," he replied with a small smile, and now it was her turn to blush. Damn it.
"W-well, I suppose it makes sense… that I might regain more than just memories from before Ganon's appearance."
"Mm," was all Link replied with, looking a little distracted as he looked out at the lake as a breeze washed across it. Zelda watched him, watched the wind toying with his hair and the look in his eyes. Gears were turning in his mind, she could tell, but what it all meant was still a mystery. She felt lost in the current. All she could do was go along with where he took her and hope that, eventually, it would all make sense.
They traveled a ways further that day, finally stopping in a set of ruins atop a high cliff. There was apparently another memory nearby, but Link told her to wait until morning in case it was too hard on her, so they set up camp for the night. Even as they chatted, Zelda was distracted. Her feelings were mixed up and confused. The way he had looked at her in that memory… the more recent one… reminded her of the look in his eyes when she had first woken up. She felt guilty, like she wasn't his Zelda anymore, like she was a stranger; an intruder. She wanted him to look at her like that again, and she wanted to reciprocate it, to feel as happy as the 'other' Zelda did in that memory. But she could still hear him saying "a century's worth of responsibility" and it was nagging at her, telling her that's all she was to him. Could it really be nothing more than obligation?
She was restless as they went to sleep, across the fading fire from each other. Her thoughts were relentless, nagging and questioning, and she knew she'd be lucky if she got much sleep at all.
